After a weekend of stomachs filled with hot dogs, brats, watermelon, corn and light beer, the days following the Fourth of July aren’t very fun for the Mr. Toilet Mans of the world. By the same token, it’s not exactly a banner week for that exhausted little cavity betwixt your butt cheeks either. So why is your body expelling hot, liquid acid from your butthole, and is diarrhea that burns something you should worry about?
Spicy or not, diarrhea on its own happens when something is amiss in the small or large intestines. This can be caused by anything from viral and bacterial infections, to stress, running, medication, food allergies or just eating something that upsets the digestive tract.
What Is Diarrhea That Burns?
According to Leah Jones, a nutritionist specializing in gut health, encased meat and alcohol are chief among the types of foods that cause digestive issues. So particularly after a weekend bender of slamming brats and cheap beer, you’re in for a world of hurt.
When you’ve got diarrhea that burns, however, Jones says it likely indicates that “the colon is quite inflamed and irritated, including around the anus.” Imagine the feeling of slurping down a big bowl of hot soup with chapped, sunburnt lips. This is basically the same phenomenon in reverse: Your lips are your butthole, and the soup is hot diarrhea. It’s going to burn!
How to Fix Diarrhea That Burns
Alleviating diarrhea that burns will vary per person, Jones explains, “but ultimately, getting to the root cause of why you have diarrhea is most important.” To that end, Jones recommends this BHI Diarrhea supplement “for temporary use,” while other over-the-counter anti-diarrheal medications like Pepto-Bismol or calcium carbonate will help, too. Generally, you want to get back to a place where your stool is solid and your butthole isn’t so battered and raw that it’s sensitive to whatever your body is expelling.
Now, if you’ve had “diarrhea for more than two days without improvement,” Jones advises you seek immediate care from a licensed medical professional. “You could be experiencing dehydration, and you should seek medical attention right away if you start experiencing excessive thirst, dizziness, dry mouth or skin, little to no urination or dark colored urine,” she says. “You’ll also want to seek emergency care if you’re having severe cramping or blood in the stool, which will typically show up as black in color.”
Hopefully, though, a few days of rest, water and fiber-rich leafy greens is all your dutiful crap factory needs to control the inferno and return to healthy, productive shitting.
Quinn Myers
Quinn Myers is a staff writer at MEL. He reports on internet culture, technology, health, masculinity and the communities that flourish within.
