So according to Casey's advice, my second entry will be about...well...poop. If this isn't your cup of tea, please just ignore this and tune in next time. Oh, and don't judge me too harshly for my immaturity. Now, I know you might think, "Hey, shouldn't someone who's going to be doin' some healin' in a few years not be so immature? Why does this girl think poop is funny?!" Well, I wish I could agree with you, but the truth is, I think poop is hilarious. And I probably always will. Even when we use big words for pooping, like defecation, it cracks me up. And I think that's sort of a good thing. (Then again, the words "naked virus" in our syllabus about killed me the other day, so I might not be the most reliable source.)
We actually talk about poop a lot. From the different ways bloody stool can look (yes, there's more than one) to what seems like hundreds of different kinds of bacteria that can cause diarrhea (and which of those types of diarrhea have blood or mucous or white blood cells) to the signal that makes you have to poop. Which brings us to my all-time favorite word! (I actually have a lot of favorite words. Look out for a post in the future that's just a bunch of funny sounding words.)
TENESMUS: the word for the feeling where you have to poop.
Isn't that word amazing?! Why have I not known it my whole life? It's so hilariously descriptive.
Got a little derailed, but now we're back on track! Anywho, what was I talking about? Oh yeah! So I don't get why our culture is so weird about poop. It's normal. I believe a wise children's book once told me, "Everybody poops," and some wise graffiti in Waco echoed, "Errbody poops." But it's not ok to talk about poop. What's up with that? And it's not like we hide all of bodily functions. Embarrassingly, I find myself quite candidly announcing that I'm "going to pee," instead of the more ladylike "use the restroom," or the even more wonderful "powder my nose." But my embarrassment is only in publishing that on the internet for you to see, not so much in saying it in front of my friends. Now imagine if I announced that I was going to poop. Even if I use my fancy med school defecate word, that's just plain awk. And if even I can realize it's awk, it's really awkward.
NOTE: This blog is not about upheaving the elements of social order. I don't actually expect people to start talking about the details of their bowel movements. I just think it's funny that it's funny, even though it is a daily occurrence.
So, I guess that's all I have to say about poop. Thanks for making it this far with me. I promise next time I'll talk about a more reserved subject. I'm gonna go learn some stuff about the kidney. Appropriate, I suppose, as the word urine also kind of makes me titter.
There are so many things I never thought about poop. This made me more knowledgeable about the social implications of having to poop. When I was 4, I knew everybody pooped. When I was a teenager, I forgot that girls pooped too. I still would like some scientific references that prove that girls do poop as I am a skeptic.
ReplyDeleteSschnabs - I think you're wonderful in your chuckling over body function. :) Don't ever change. ;)
ReplyDelete