alt Hacker NewsI spent a lot of time in hospitals and got a lot of exposure to everything they do in my early adulthood, a few smells are permanently burnt into my brain including the smell of the GI wing.
Fast forward a couple decades, and my dilemma right now is a coworker that I share a restroom with. It’s a low traffic restroom so I have seen and know it’s coming from him, but he has some serious GI issues. Likely he’s digesting blood from my memory of the ailments. And so the dilemma is, do I say something to him? He looks like he is in awful health and high probability with an awful diet (based on profiling him). But I don’t interact with him or have any type of relationship and saying something would be incredibly awkward. Surely he knows I tell myself.
Replies
Absolutely tell him. There's two options, let's see what's the worst that can happen in every circumstance:
* He is indeed sick. In this case the worst that can happen is that they will die.
* He isn't sick, you are just imagining things. In this case the worst that can happen is that you made a bit of a fool of yourself. Potentially embarrasing yourself in front of a fellow employee. I guess there's a small possibility of him taking it the wrong way, I suppose.
It's death on one hand versus a personal embarrassment/awkardness on the other. To me the choice is clear.
Reminds me of this story: fan spotted a mole on a hockey team's staff's neck - https://www.forbes.com/sites/victoriaforster/2022/01/03/hock...
There was a time when medicine put a lot of focus on the smell and consistency of bowel movements. There's probably something to it but we have better diagnostics now. That said, normal bowel movements can have a bit of an odor but it should not be strong or particularly foul-smelling. If it is, consider changing your diet or getting it checked out if that doesn't help. I found that just cutting out fast foods made that particular bodily function nearly odorless.
"Listen, I'm no doctor, but your shit stinks in a way that makes me think you need to see one," said while you're in the stall next to him, or any other time, couldn't hurt.
> And so the dilemma is, do I say something to him? He looks like he is in awful health and high probability with an awful diet (based on profiling him). But I don’t interact with him or have any type of relationship and saying something would be incredibly awkward. Surely he knows I tell myself.
It's an interesting question—if you have knowledge about human health based on a person's appearance, do you share that information? I think a physician may not do that for a stranger, but I imagine you aren't a physician.
Anonymous note maybe if you really don't feel like talking to them.
Likely Chron's. Yes, please proceed. But make some effort at being tactful about it, just so the information will be received and faster. This could be life changing for them.
How about a general chat and then asking him about his health? If he comes out saying he's not feeling great, that would be an opening for more pointed advice. If not, maybe you could say something like you thought he was looking under the weather.
Yes, say something. It's worth the awkwardness to potentially save someone's life. Just approach it delicately.
Wait, hold on. Are you saying from lingering smell you're able to determine that there's pathology?
Leave a note in the bathroom???
If he looks sick, that might be enough to nudge him in the right direction, in private. "Are you okay? You really don't look well. Having worked in a GI wing at a hospital, I've noticed a few signs that might point to serious GI issues. I would suggest you see a doctor ASAP, just to be safe." If he asks what signs, you can say "among others, you look ill". That way, you can avoid talking about the smell. You can also say you don't feel comfortable getting into the details, but that you nonetheless felt morally bound to let him know based on your experience.
Or perhaps mention it to your manager. He can then tell your coworker that there has been concern about his health and that he recommends seeing a specialist.
What he does with that information is completely his responsibility after that. You cannot make anyone happy by force, and it isn't any of your business.
Are you sure your coworker hasn't been eating a lot of corn or pineapples lately(possibly leading to visible sores in the mouth?)
If it's so low traffic maybe whenever y'all run into each other you could just do something subtle like a visual cue like a nod or just a "hey how are you?" if they seem to be in a good mood whenever you happen to pass by each other in the workplace.
Not saying you have to be friends with this person but maybe after a few of those small interactions(and a little time) bring it up in a non-direct way...
Best case scenario if he replies to a "hey how are ya?" with "oh good, how about you?" you could casually bring up something like "oohhh, had a patient that came in with (same symptoms as the guy) - we figured out it was this. Don't see that often!"
Hopefully he's drinking at least 50 gallons of water a day, and eating tree bark seems to be a good remedy for GI issues.
Oh wait, is your coworker a human or an elephant?
have you considered writing a brief but anonymous letter, printing it, and putting it on his desk in a concealed envelope?
Highlight that you have hospital experience and this isn't coming out of nowhere. "Your body is digesting it's own blood" sounds specific enough he might take it seriously.
> do I say ... ?
YES. Private, verbally. Intro with your long-ago medical experience in the area. Disclaimer with "obviously that experience is strongly biased toward illnesses, since they were in the hospital". Dunno whether you should mention anything as specific as "Likely he's digesting blood". Close with something about "not my business, but if you have not seen a doctor, then please do so, for your health's sake". Make it clear that he doesn't have to say anything to you in reply - not even a "thank you", let alone an answer or follow-up.
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You'd be surprised how much discomfort people get acclimated to as just being normal and never end up diagnosing until something finally reaches the breaking point to forcing them in to see a doc. If it's been weighing on you for a while, you could probably gently broach it with something to the effect of "Hey man--I know there's no non-awkward way to put this, but I think your body might be digesting its own blood and I was worried about you and wanted to see if you were feeling alright."