Does her poo look like little round mothballs too?

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Number One . . . I order you to take a number two.

If I eat too many strawberries in one sitting I will end up with strawberry smelling piss. When I have seafood, particularly shrimp or crab, my piss will smell fishy. Your daughter hasn't been chewing on mothballs, has she?

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I was a category five! Category five, I tell you! Get it right or I'll be back to PROVE IT!!!!- Katrina

You won't have any moths in your bathroom.

You might want to take a good look at her diet, it may be nothing more than something she is eating. If it continues, see a doctor.
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It's not nice to fool mother nature.

Does she visit Grandma a lot? My great grandma always smelled like moth balls, and I did too, including my poop, after spending a day with her.

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I'm so good at clogging up toilets, I can make mine back up when there's nothing in it.

I have to say that on occasion I think my poop smells like bad breath. But specifically, it smells like those totally weird and gross bad breath balls that you cough up every once in a while. My boyfriend's family calls them "brains." I'm not sure if everyone notices these things, but if you smush them they smell like hyper-concentrated bad breath.
Regardless, I think that certain food just sticks around longer (meat and starches) and ferments in your body, leading to that bad breath/mothball smell. Or I'm a freak.

In all seriousness naphthalene in as little as 10 parts per million in the air over time can cause cancer. I'd rather smell a shitty diaper pail than subject my kid to naphthalene fumes. PLEASE do be careful.

My son's diapers will smell like mothballs when he takes a shit after eating too much horseradish cheddar (he loves the stuff!). we've just kinda gotten used to it.

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White Castle: Eat em by the stack, shoot em out the back!

PARADICHLOROBENZENE can cause cancer, because it has benzene in it which is EXTREMELY toxic

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turd terrorist

And naphthalene looks like two fused benzene rings. Picture two hex nuts with sides touching and you have an idea of what the molecule looks like.
-Cyan, the resident chemist

When smelling moth balls, how do you get their little legs apart?
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Sir SamDamnit!
The Emir of Crapistan
Join The Poop Reporter's Lounge

Stop feeding your kids fricking moth balls!! Sam, you use really tiny tweezers. I'll lame myself for that one.
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Honest honey, I took my pills...

I have a theory that people who are losing weight have a mothball smell to their poop. I had a definite mothball smell to my poop when I was losing 1-2 pounds a week. Occasionally at the office I notice That Smell in the bathroom, so it can't be that unusual an occurrence. I have yet to research why losing weight would cause this, though. Could your child be going through a low-appetite phase? How's her weight? Going up, or stalling?

Yours in science,

Lynn, in that case, I wish to start smelling some PARADICHLOROBENZENE in my poop as soon as possible.

Thank you everyone!

I was thinking maybe Soy Milk? I don't know --

But I will check with her doctor, because although I don't think she has been exposed to anything, you never know and she has had 4 seizures that an EKG did not show a reason for.

Lynn, what changes, if any, did you make to your diet when you were losing weight?

I have had a sinus infection on only one side for three weeks. Now people say I smell like mothballs! Could it be the antibiotic? When I blow my nose, it has an odor I can't identify.

I would probably identify it as nasal pus.

It could also be phlegm. That stuff smells and tastes weird when it comes up.

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[Insert witty banter here]

So sad to see all of you attacking a mother re: mothballs. My 19 month old son's poop just started smelling like mothballs last month and I would never expose him or myself to those foul things. I think it might be something he ate (eggs). Good luck Poop's Mommy and let me know if you found a reason.

Re-LAAAAAAX. No one attacked her. Everyone offered an idea or encouragement or something lighthearted.

"Doc? It hurts when I do this."

"Then don't do that."

Har. Take a joke whydoncha?

And check your sweaters for holes.

I found this site while searching for answers to why my son's poop smelled like--you guessed it--mothballs. On rare occasion, I have noticed a sort of "chemical" smell before, but tonight it was definitely akin to mothballs. He woke up with a stuffy nose this morning, and was pretty droopy (and poopy) by bedtime. He started to develop a fever by the time I put him to bed.

I was wondering if it's because he's sick that his poop smells that way. I can't think of anything unusual he's eaten lately.

Very witty comments here. And I at least feel a little better knowing that my son isn't the only one!

And another thing... My dad has been a heavy, heavy smoker for many years. When I'm at my parents' house I notice that, if I go into the bathroom after my dad has been in there, there's a weird, strong, but not typical, smell.

It's almost as if the nicotene has come out the other end. It's sort of a stale smoke/poop smell. Anyone else ever experienced this? Blech!

My dad is 76, has emphysema, and refuses to stop smoking. Again--blech!

I have 3-year-old twins, a boy and a girl, and my son's poop started smelling like mothballs about 3 days ago. They both have eaten the exact same things, but only my son's poop smells like mothballs, not my daughter's. My husband thought I was crazy, but it's good to hear it isn't just me who smells mothballs in poop! My son hasn't lost any weight, nor does he appear to be ill. He does cough a little at night, but both my kids have allergies, and a little night coughing is normal for them this time of year. I'd like to hear if anyone has had this happen to their kid and actually found out why--like if it was a deficiency of some sort, and if so, what?

OK, so this is a weird site and topic... and I gotta wonder about people who visit this site on a regular basis. I wound up here b/c I have been sick for 3 weeks and tested for everything under the sun. The Dr. tells me to not worry it's a virus.

Well, I've lost 25 lbs (needed to lose 10-15 of them) and I have no appitite. It started out as a sore throat and flu like symptoms (I thought for sure it was strep, not). Then gave way to no appitite and extreme fatigue. So where does mothballs fit in to all this you ask?

I'm trying to eat solid food a little at a time. I had oatmeal with real honey this AM. I also took Tylenol PM last night. Today I had an extremly constipated like (little) poop that smelled of mothballs. I was hoping that maybe this was the answer once and for all of what the hell disease do I have. I am planning to go to an Infectious Disease Dr. soon if this does not get better.

Oh and since I am an anonymos Coward...Four days before the onset of this I had a sexual encounter with a Female (I am Male) complete with oral gratification for her. I did a round of antibiotics which I finished a week ago. I don't think she gave me anything, but can't be too careful. She has no symptoms or illness. So could somebody out their in poop world suggest what I have. I'm sure this is fodder for many of you and feel free...Thanks

Sometimes rapid weight loss can cause temporary weird smells, Anonymous. This is probably your body getting rid of some toxins with the fat you are losing. I wouldn't worry about it too much unless you are having other bothersome symptoms. Sometimes going to a doctor and getting checked out can help for piece of mind if nothing else, though.

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What if everyone farted at once?

I am a nurse and have noticed this a LOT at work where we have a high geriatric population. I smell mothball odor in my own pooh, too, occasionally. Looks like reading through here hasn't answered my question on this matter...namely what the heck causes it?

I've been having the same problem the past couple weeks too. I have been losing weight too, but I was alarmed that it smelled like that. I kinda want to know what makes it smell like that!

hi.i have found this page and am very releived to hear that some other parents are having problems with poops smelling of mothballs.my nearly 2 year old found mothballs in the garden after i had cut the grass couple of months ago.they had been there for 2 months in the grass.i heard her cough and ran out to find her with mothballs in her hand and on the floor.stacked up.i smelt her mouth and it smelt like mothballs.i washed her hands mouth and freaked phoning the doc.s and then going to the hospital.thinking she might of just bit it or worse.no symptoms nothing.found a little white in her poop couple of days later.took her back to the hospital couple of days later cause poop smelt like mothballs.and a little black.no other symptoms.now every so often her poop smells like mothballs.can any be still in her body.she looked of colour today and she is a bad eater.am worried that she is getting poisened slowly as mothballs melt so slowly.hope someone can help out there.

I have 30 month old twin girls. They both had a stomach viris in mid Oct. Twin B has had moth ball smelling poops almost eight weeks now. It is a very intense smell. It's like opening a new box of moth balls. There is no normal smelling poo smell about it. Twin A had similar moth ball smelling poos a couple of times from Oct. to end of Nov., but they were intermitent. This last week, however, they have become more consistent in Twin A too.
I have talked to a friend who is a resident. She did a medical literature search for me and couldn't find anything. I spoke with her aunt, a neonatologist, she had never heard of anything like it but said she would ask some of her colleagues about it. I have also spoken to two pediatrician's at our doctor's office about it. From them I got blank, unbelieving stares and shoulder shrugs. The speculative consensus from them has been that when the girls got sick, the pH of their tummies changed which also causes the pH of the intestine to change. When the pH changes in the intestine, a new flora of bacteria can establish in your gut causing different smelling poo. It was suggested that I give them lots of yogurt and cultured food to help establish a more normal flora. I am discouraged, because they have eaten yogurt a lot since they were babies, and since they were sick. Why hasn't the moth ball producing flora been flushed out yet? If it is a bacteria producing naphlalene as a waste product, how much are my girls absorbing into their bodies? I don't use mothballs nor diaper pail deodorizer. I am really concerned due to the toxicity of naphthalene and I haven't gotten any helpful answers.

Have you considered telling them you want second opinions from other colleagues and asking them for referrals themselves since they don't seem to have any answers? I've done this in the past and gotten results. See if you can get a labwork done, too.

Have you come across us by Googling mothball smell in poop?

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.....hugging bunnies since 1969
www.daphneszoo.com

I am a 56 year old female and I too have had my poop smell like mothballs. I have asked EVERYBODY. I evern asked the ER people when I had to go in. No one has a clue as to why. I did just get off of an antibiotic called omnicef or ceindir by Dava. I was wondering how many people that have had this had recently been on antibiotics. I am still in the process of having that odor. It is sooo weird. I thought of another thing. My ph is pretty acidic right now. I wonder if that goes along with the bacteria theory in the gut. So I typed in poop smells like mothballs and you guys came up :). Nice to know I'm not crazy. Not one medical site came up and no I have had no contact with mothballs :)

i have a solution to the dreaded poop-mothball breath.

i've always been uber-paranoid about having such breath, which smells like a combination of mothballs and s**t. unfortunately, i fell in love with a man who, despite being absolutely wonderful in every way, is afflicted by this horrible breath. we've been together for a year and a half and i've managed to avoid having the poo breath myself up until recently. against my better judgement, i borrowed his toothbrush while we were on vacation. a week later, i felt swelling in my lymph nodes, started to have sinus issues and then got this terrible post-nasal drip that stank and tasted exactly like the poo-breath.

having researched this a bit, i discovered that the terrible fecal smell is due to the molecules indole and skatole, which are produced by bacteria. oral bacteria love to feast on mucus in the back of the throat and nasal cavities. several different strains of bacteria produce indole and skatole. because toothbrushes contain bacteria, i hypothesized that i'd infected myself with my man's stink-producing bacteria which were colonizing my throat, and that either the bacteria or an associated microbe (from the toothbrush) had also infected my tonsils, adenoids or nasal passages, causing the postnasal drip and immune-response symptoms which provided plenty of nasty mucous for the stinky bacteria (on my tongue and throat) to feast upon and produce their stench. the postnasal drip drains into lungs and is swallowed in the stomach, carrying the stench into these regions of the body and may even be excreted in feces as well. i was producing the smell from the back of my throat, nasal passages and lungs. i concluded that the poo-breath was bacterial in origin and that it could probably be eliminated by a broad-spectrum antibiotic.
i wasted no time in going to the doctor. the doctor determined i did have inflamed sinuses, tonsils and lymph nodes (no bronchitis) and gave me a prescription for amoxicillin.

when i purchased the antibiotic, i also bought a nasal irrigator with a pH balanced bicarbonate/saline solution and washed out my nasal and throat passages completely. i gargled the solution and spat it out. i did this several times and took the drugs as prescribed. after two days i have noticed that the poo-breath is completely gone! there is no more stinky smell or taste and my breath is fine once more.

i told my boyfriend to go to the doctor and get antibiotics. he is on his way to being poo-breath free as well. after my round of antibiotics is over, i will get a brand new toothbrush and make sure i never borrow my boyfriend's again.

my experience with this leads me to believe that the mysterious fecal/mothball breath is caused by indole and skatole-producing bacteria which can be killed by a commonly-prescribed antibiotic (amoxicillin) and nasal irrigation with pH-balanced saline/bicarbonate solution.

Excellent advice, and thanks for sharing that with us!

I have heard that by kissing and sharing toothbrushes, these types of breath can be transmitted, also, but how cool is it to have someone tell us why?

_______
.....hugging bunnies since 1969
www.daphneszoo.com

That was an excellent comment on breath and very needed too. but please does anyone have an answer to the moth ball smelling poo question. Obviously it happens but no one seems to know why in the medical profession.
I have a question. Had anybody been on antibiotics shortly before having their child or themselves have moth ball smelling poop? Thanks a bunch. Elena

My son is 1 and his poop started smelling like moth balls when he started drinking milk, could just be coincidence. everyone thinks I am crazy but it is as if you opened a box of moth balls it is that strong. No exposure to mothballs that I know of. I have no answers but I wanted to share. He is also very constipated,he strains a lot. He has a large head circumference 99% and just got a heart mur mur diagnosis that I have to follow up on. He also has eczema pretty bad. He has been sick on and off for months. Other than that he is a pretty normal kid. I think the woman who spoke about the bacteria has the right idea. I mean none of us have identical cases but our kids may all have this bacteria. And it makes sense. Please keep posting so we can learn more about this. Thank you

My daughter, 35 months old, also has had MB smelling poop for almost a year. It is VERY strong. She has chronic constipation too. She is on daily stool softners which allow her to go infrequently and we also give her whole cans of pears when too may days have passed. Here's what we have learned after several trips to the Ped office.
1. The moth ball smell is caused by the stool sitting in the colon and basically getting old and smelly before leaving the body. Her poop is also extremely hard.
2. She loves strawberries and pears and doesn't like junk food or candy so techincally she shouldn't have chronic constipation based on her diet. Also her belly gets very bloated. She is very small everywhere else. She is a normal weight and short.
3. Ped. thinks it is milk related. Any time she doesn't go for 5 days she is off dairy until she poops that with the stool softner and pears (or other foods on the 'make you poop' list) will make her go within 48 hours.
4. Since she has been on a regiment of daily stool softener and a 'make you poop' diet for 6 weeks she is being sent to a Ped. Gastro. who she saw when she was about 14 months old and hadn't grown for months (she was 9 lbs at birth but basically did not grow from 6 months to 15 months (yes we wound up with 6-9 months clothes for all seasons). I'll repost once we go. Luckily we live in Chicago where there are Ped. Gastro. doctors, they are rare.
5. I'd say if you notice the smell more than a couple of times tell your Ped. especially if the stool is normal (no constipation) and if it's chronic definitely ask to be referred to a ped. gastro. Worst thing that will happen is they'll find nothing wrong. BTW she went yesterday to the Ped, again, for constipation (because she started running a fever and her belly was extremely bloated and red) and we saw the owner of the practice (large ped. pratice) and he said the moth ball smell is rare but does happen but should not happen if on treatment as long as she has been. He was named one of the top 10 peds. in Chicago a couple of years ago...He did say there are some rare conditions that moth ball poop is a symptom so it was worth pursuing with a specialist.
HOPE THIS HELPS!!

Hope this helps.

Hi again, I am the 56 year old female again. I would like to know what the rare conditions are that can cause moth ball smelling poop that the pediatrician in Chicago mentioned. I would also like to add I have Celiac Disease and the child who is constipated and not growing might need to be checked for Celiac. There is a great Doctor in Chicago and a big center for Celiac. That with the dairy problem are 3 symptoms of Celiac. I think I am adressing Mommie smells. I had this a couple of months ago also after being sick. I took ALOT of probiotics and it went away. I stopped my probiotics and it came back so of course I am back on them and I am getting better. Mine is also accompanied by pain in my stomach or intestines, not cramping. It still smells like mothballs but the pain is going away and hopefully soon so will the smell. I think this is so weird. It's not like nobody else has this problem. Someone should know what it is. Thanks again.

I have to join this convo... I too have mb smelly poop; have had it for almost a year now! what the heck!?
...and it is definitely a mothballs smell!!
I have to agree with the bacteria idea; an overgrowth or even just a growth of different kinds than we had in our colons because of a change in our life that we didn't even register at the time...whether is it dietary or a minor ailment; also adding fiber to my diet has helped turn it down a bit but not completely get rid of it ... I really hesitate to try antibiotics because of a smell! also because I need to take them often for other reasons and want them to be effective ...
Yogurt I eat a lot of and no changes from it so far anyhow; maybe there are other foods we can eat to help change our bacteria types.. I will look that up as I have lots of time to read and if I find anything helpful I will return with it for you all;
I do have systemic lupus but don't believe that is the issue, nor does my doctor...btw, I also got the shrug and "hmmm?!.. I don't know" from that corner
... I do believe after all my reading, here and other places, that it is a bacteria, a change in it for whatever reason... mine started up, my mb odor, when I was under a lot of stress and got sick in early May just before last summer... and it hss not quit since then; I raised 2 kids and have one baby grandson and I have never in my life prior to this, smelled mothball-poop!! unreal... hopefully someone else will follow up here and help us to find a definitive answer to ridding us of our 'smelly' poop!! LOL, I never thought I would write on a message board about this... too funny!!

I've been reading your comments about the mothball odor associated with stool and I sure do feel for the moms whose children are going through this. It's bad enough that I have a mothball odor...can't imagine how frustrating it would be to go through this with a child.

I have been sick for some time with an undiagnosed illness, and believe the new mothball odor I can smell has something to do with it. I've not noticed this odor when I have a bowel movement, but just smell it all the time. Hard to explain, but it must be in my blood or something...and I smell this when the blood goes through my nose. I've always been able to smell medicines given IV, even the saline rinse. Hope you'll take my word for it that this is not 'all in my head'.

My question is for the mother (Mommie smells MB)whose daughter's pediatrician said the mothball odor can sometimes be associated with certain diseases. By any chance do you know which diseases he was referring to? I've had no luck with finding info by doing Google searches.

The one thing that seems to be a common thread with this odor is constipation. Because of the severe pain associated with my undiagnosed disease (extreme pain in the pelvic/lower abdomin area) I take pain medicine, and this is very, very constipating. I wonder if this is bacteria or something that is growing out of control because of the fewer bowel movements.

I've also been talking with someone about Celiac disease. She had my sytmptoms for years and then was diagnosed with Celiac. She changed her diet and is fine now! So encouraging for me, that I might find a cure. I've been bed ridden off and on for years because of this.

Thanks to everyone for your comments. It helps somehow to talk with others who've had similar experience....and who won't assume I'm nuts!

Question for Elana, or anyone...Who is the good Celiac doctor in Chicago?

Thanks in advance for the help.

SamDamit, you read my mind. But ask yourself this, what type of person would actually have the experience/knowledge of what moth balls smell like? I myself, have been know to get a bit funky in the bedroom department, and have balls of mild cheddar. But moth balls?? very strange, I bet there is a therapist out there somewhere.

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like a constipated accountant- I worked it out with a pencil.

BVC, when your balls become extra sharp cheddar, or possibly Stilton or Brie, it's time to shower.

PD, absolutley! But when it gets to a Brie situation, usually a doctor is involved. - That stuff is nasty shit._______
like a constipated accountant- I worked it out with a pencil.

There is a wonderful clinic for Celiac in Chicago. I went to the National Convention and the doctor was there. I'm sorry I took so long for this. I want to say I am not constipated and I still get the smell. When I get it I take massive doses of probiotics. One of them is Natrum Trinity and I also take pearls.
University of Chicago Celiac Center
Stefano Guandalini, MD
Do any of you use Teflon Pans to cook? I was wondering if there was a link there. I JUST don't know, Mine comes and goes. When I have the mothball smell, my stomach does hurt.
I would love an answer to this question and good luck with the Celiac. My life has dramatically changed for the better.

Re: Anonymous Coward from 12.12.07

What you say makes total sense about the antibiotics and the post-nasal drip! I had not realized it, but I do remember that my embarrassing "mothball breath" got better while I was taking amoxicillin for a UTI! Unfortunately, however, it has progressively gotten worse since then, despite my constant tongue-brushing, gargling, expensive mouthwashing, and worrying! I know that I naturally produce a LOT of mucus, constantly, year-round. I would hate to ask for an antibiotic Rx just for that, but I can definitely try the saline/bicarbonate nasal irrigation. If that works, I will be so relieved! This "mothball breath" has made my life more difficult and I have been afraid I am just destined to live with it.

Thanks for your research and thanks for sharing what you found with the rest of us!

Mildewy But Hopeful,
Another Anonymous Coward

To Mommie smells MB---please do you know the rare conditions that the doctor was talking about? Let us know. I looked on many med sites and didn't find a thing about this. My 2 year old daughter has had the mothball smell for about 3 weeks now. It is VERY strong, more so now than at the beginning. It took me about a week to place the smell. No contact with mothballs that I know of. She seems to be getting skinnier and her appetite isn't what it used to be. Diet hasn't changed and no medications.

ok -- the other day I was in a salon and the lady beside me was getting a perm and it reaked real bad. That night when I went to the bathroom my poop smelled like the perm. Also during the day I get bad smells in my office and when I poop I still smell them after I get home. Is this normal?

I have an 8yo son who has been dealing with constipation for a little over a year. I've noticed the mothball smell when he poops. He has not been exposed to mothballs, been ill, on antibiotics, etc.
He does take probiotics sometimes and eats yogurt often.
I am interested to know what the illnesses are that show this as a symptom.
I figured it was related to the stool sitting in the body for too long but would like to know the effects of toxins from it.
I could be blindfolded and tell you which of my kids is standing in front of me based on smell.

Those of you who are taking yogurt for probiotics...you may need more bacteria than yogurt will provide, first of all, and second, if you are drinking tap water, the chlorine in your water may be killing the good bacteria in your yogurt. Something to think about...

I just ran across this site and because I too, have experienced this smell in my own bm's recently. I recall as a child thinking that my father's poo sometimes smelled like mothballs, and occassionally now mine does too. I think some of your have some wonderful theories on this.

Background on me, I am a 26 year old female, have been actively losing weight for the past four months (approx 15 lbs so far), I exercise regularly, AND I am also on antibiotics. Have been for about 5 months now. I also have experience severe stomach pain on occassion, and I used to always get it after eating pasta, when not taking a daily fiber regimine. The pain started several months after I had two major abddominal surgeries in 3 months, and was usually associated with consipation.

Celiac disease was also one of my concerns when the pain was at it's worst and the Dr's didn't know why this was happening (the pain, not the smell).

It has just occurred to me that since we know the "poop molecules" are skatole and indole, someone should be able to tell us what the "mothball smell" is, chemically.

Once we can label the chemical smell in mothballs, I bet a chemist would be able to tell us what makes it and how our body could make it.

Oh, and to "everyone poops", congrats on your weight loss. It's always a good feeling to drop unwanted pounds.

_______
.....hugging bunnies since 1969
www.daphneszoo.com

daphne,

I think it was determined back at the beginning of this thread that the two major chemicals in mothballs are NAPHTHLALENE and PARADICHLOROBENZENE . Unsure whether either can be produced by the body, but I am willing to bet that they can...

Oh, and thank you for your congratulations =) It is nice to get back into a healthy routine after a winter of feeling blue (I live in the Pac NW and the winter here is mild temperature-wise, but we don't see a lot of sunlight).

Jeez. Thank you. I should have caught that, about the chemicals. And I live in Western Washington, (me too! pac nw rules) and my son suffers from the seasonal depression some people get due to a lack of sunlight. This year I bought him a sunlight lamp and St. John's Wort, and it helped tremendously. So, in a few months, we'll have what - a whopping 7 hours of night? Amazing that in December, the nights are almost 14 hours. Yes, it's weird up here.

_______
.....hugging bunnies since 1969
www.daphneszoo.com

daphne,

Where did you find a good sunlight lamp? I have been thinking about getting one, but never seem to see them for sale anywhere. Strange, since living here you'd think you would see them all voer the place!

Crazy that we would run into a fellow Washingtonian on a website devoted to poop- classic!

Will someboday PAleeeeeeeeese figure out why poop smells like mothballs. I have it again. I do notice my stomach is not happy when I have it. I am not on antibiotics. I do have Celiac. I am not losing or gaining weight. I take Probiotics. I noticed it the first time after I had a nasty antibiotic. I think it really hurt my stomach. It was called Cifnidar or something similar. My Gastro had never heard of this, nor my GP. Surely if people are finding this site, there have to be a bunch of other people that have it that aren't going to come to the poop site :). Let us know if someone finds out what it is. I would also like to know what rare diseases are associated with that. Thanks

Elana, STOP EATING MOTHBALLS!_______
Did I just fart?.... hope so!

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/phs10.html

This website about dichlorobenzenes might be helpful. It is one of the chemicals used in mothballs, and other deoderizers and can actually be found in the pesticides they use on fruits and veggies. It says that it can be expelled through poop, but only about 1-2% of the time.

Hope that is helpful.

My 17 month old just started having unsupervised visitations with his father. He has not seen his "dada" since he was 4 months. After returning from his father's, every 1st and sometimes 2nd bm ALWAYS smells like "moth balls" and I, too, spoke with my pediatrician. He told me that the "sample" reaked of moth balls (even in 3 separate ziplock baggies). He assured me that it was just the change in diet, being shuffled back and forth, not getting enough fluids by dad, etc... I know that my "soon to be ex husband" is a finatic about air fresheners and that concerns me, but being in the medical field, the point about the bacteria increase in the GI tract due to stress makes perfect sense. Maybe stress causes babies to have the increase in bacteria, thus resulting in the smell?????

OK, I too, am laughing that this entire page is about moth ball smelling poop. But it just goes to show how insanely wierd this whole thing is. My 5 month old has such a stench to her poo that my 3 year old says, "Mommy, I smell a Grandma," when she poops. So, here are the odd changes in our life that have happened recently that may help connect the dots.

1) She is breastfed primarily with one formula bottle per day - Enfamil Lipil. I asked me pediatrician and he said to try Gentlease, that it might be the cow proteins that she is having trouble with.

2) We just got back from the beach - maybe the water down there is different.

3) I am losing weight (but the baby is not). Each time post pregnancy that I begin to taper off breastfeeding, I begin to lose weight pretty rapidly.

4) I have eaten shrimp and fresh seafood more frequently (see previous reference to the beach).

5) I am on an anti-depressant (Lexapro) but have been for a few months and this smelly change is only a week and a half old.

6) Don't eat all that much in probiotic department

7) The baby and I both had a nasal drip from a cold - seems to be a common denominator, but my poop doesn't stink (like moth balls anyway).

Sure wish I knew.

I just read an article that states paradichlorobenzene is often found in fish that have been caught in contaminated waters! It is also found in our drinking water more than it should be.

It's very possible that the fish you ate, transferred to your child via breastmilk, caused the smell.

_______
.....hugging bunnies since 1969
www.daphneszoo.com

I went on a date first last night with a guy who I think farted or it was the lady sitting directly behind me and it stank like moth balls. It could only have been a fart because it was a really strong smell, but then disappeared. Ew! I thought it may be Japanese food that causes it? Thank God for this site, and Google for helping me find it. There will be no second date by the way!

I have researched this quite a bit and found that it is related to Camphor in that the smell is the same. The odors are the same and the antibiotic/flora responses are right on the money. When it occurs in the mouth it can be thrush caused by the same flora. It can also be caused in the bowels from consuming antacids or indigestion remedies. Acidophilus is a natural cure which is found in supplements and yogurt. To the Moms, check with the Dr. for the kids. Thrush can be seen as a white substance on the tongue.

My daughter has stinky moth ball poo again and she has thrush for the second time. Thank you for the help. I'm assuming that the first time she had it was the reason for the first round of moth ball poop. She is on diflucan and so am I. I hope there will never ever be moth ball poop in my life again.

When you talk about thrush I am wondering if it is a candida yeast problem. Have any of you been on a lot of antibiotics? I have. I can agree about the post nasal drip, and the digestion issues. I wonder if they are a common denominator. Mine comes and goes. I do however take a lot of probiotics, but still have the issue on and off. I tend to be more constipated when this moth ball smell happens. It would be nice if the doctors actually knew something about this.

I can't believe this is truly a problem.For over a year my husbands daily poop smells like moth balls. Weird as he is he doesn't eat fish, milk, or eggs. He does eat alot of pears.He rather die before ever taking any antibiotics.He does have perioldontal disease.He may have developed bad flora like canditis from his 50 year daily pasta and bread diet Maybe the bacteria creeped in his intestinal track? My mother said before her friend died of colon cancer her poop smelled very bad.I wasn't gonna google mothball smellin poop for him because whatever the remedy hes to stuborn to take it.BUT TODAY I who is always constipated, but my sh-- never stinks.I who eats a well balanced diet. I who hides my toothbrush so theres never a mistake. I will not kiss him.At the beach today smelt this smell and realized this time it was coming from the mucus in my nose. I must have caught it fromm him. So I had to google it. This is an epidemic HELP!

I am not sure if anyone is still checking up on this page, but if I can add a few symptoms I have noticed with my smelly stool. (Mind you, I actually prefer that smell over the regular poop smell.) I have been noticing for a year or so that my stool smells strange. I kept describing this as a tar smell, but found no information on this.

Today someone donated lots of old clothes to my job and I was instantly reminded of what moth balls smell like. Than I realized it is very similar to what I was describing as tar. So just to clarify, do mothballs and tar smell similar?

Anyway, I have a few more symptoms to add and some similarities to what has been discussed.

For two years or so, I have been dealing with not digesting much comfortably. I would get either constipated or loose stool. This started getting really bad about a year ago. Around the same time I was getting bad headaches, lacked energy, very tender in the abdominal area, and felt cloudy and unable to focus. I sometimes had this tarry smell to my stool.

Recently all these symptoms became unbearable and I noticed my stool was alternating between almost black and real real light. Light stool was loose and dark stool small and harder. Both smelled always smell like tar.

As an avid pepto bismol taker, I recognized the smell and the color from what my stool looks and acts like for a few days after I take pepto. However, I haven't taken any in a while so I new something was up.

I started having horrible muscle and joint pains, went to the doctor. Unfortunately I never thought to mention the smelly stool. I didn't think it was related. He ran some blood tests. He found my B12 levels were low, which seems to account for all those other symptoms.

This is now a few weeks later and taking daily B12 has changed my life tremendously. However the one thing that is still there is that smell. I also find it to be stronger. I really am wondering if there is a connection with the B12 and odor. I found since I began taking the B12 that I barely even think about needing to go to the bathroom anymore. It used to sort of run my life before. Since the B12, I noticed no stomach discomfort and it is so easy to go to the bathroom. I barely even pass gas anymore. It is also now regular normal poop color. There has to be a connection.

But, the smell is still there.

Now the other symptom I have had for a while that no one else has mentioned is that my urine also smells funny. It has had a chemical odor and is always very yellow despite the large amount of water I drink. That being said, I really believe this has something to do with my liver. B12 is related to the liver, so perhaps my levels were low because of something else going on, or perhaps the low B12 messed with my liver.

So, I wonder have any of you mothball smelling folks had your B12 levels tested?

As far as the commonalities, I too have the nasal drip and my sinuses are acting crazy. I also have been fighting a yeast infection for the longest time. I am seeing my doctor about this in fear it is not a yeast infection, and definitely plan on mentioning this odor issue.

I will definitely post if I find something out.

I really think this is a medical issue and am so surprised that all of us are wondering about it, but information about it is rare. I am leaning towards this being bacteria issue, a vitamin issue, or a absorption issue with the liver.

Maybe we need to figure out what the medical term for mothball smell is.

This is for 'Mommie Smells MB' who posted on 2.22.2008 (and for others who also mentioned constipation): I, too, have dealt with constipation my whole life, with the resulting moth ball smelling poop. I've tried stool softeners, lots of fluids, lots of fruits and veggies and even an herb tea (my kids called it 'Mom's Poop Tea') once prescribed by a chiropractor who swore it would end my constipation (it didn't). What I have found that works wonderfully is flax seed meal. If I eat it daily I have no constipation at all, and as a result, normal smelling poop! I sprinkle it on toast, cereal, or whatever I'm eating for breakfast. It is an excellent source of essential fatty acids and fiber, and keeps me happy and regular.

If I had a child whose poop smelled like mothballs I would keep
her diaper pail in the closet with my woolens to protect them.

Eat chilies and feel the burn!!

My 9 month old has had some BMs that smell like moth balls. With all the crazy stuff I hear about dog food and poison I started to get worried that maybe his baby cereal could have some dangerous chemical in it. After reading this thread it does not seem to be the case. But for the record...my son is breast fed (never had formula), I mostly make my own baby food from fresh fruits and veg (not all organic), he does eat commercial baby food (both Gerber and Natures Best Oatmeal and Mixed Grains.) If others have had a similar experience let me know so I can determine if it could be something in baby cereal. Thanks.

Hey again!... well it's BAAAaaaack!!
Damnation!!
Yep, I mean mothballs stinky feces!
and I am a bit constipated and I am losing weight all cause I am just not that hungry lately... now this time it is related to a lupus flare up... but the fecal moth ball smell? where does it come from?... maybe just from the change in diet, bowel habits change from that and voila... flora changes and the odor appears?!... who knows... just thought I'd check back and see if there were any magical 'cures' since last time I posted.... but *sigh* nope... not this time anyhow.... hopefully very soon!!!

Hey everybody.......this is a poop related humor site, not an oh my God I'm dying site. If you have a possible life threatening
condition you should see a doctor.

If you, or one of you're loved ones, has poop that smells of moth balls, you are blessed. If your poop smelled like buffalo balls or skunk balls you would have to come up with cash for a new bathroom.
Moth balls are tiny and do not have that much of an objectionable odor.

If you are talking about mothballs that are used to protect woolens from the ravages of insects you are missing a golden opportunity. Take your child around to the homes of the wealthy and charge them a healthy fee to deposit shit on their minks and sables. PETA will applaud your efforts.

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Eat chilies and feel the burn!!

I have read every persons comment on here, because my daughter is 12 months old, and her poop smells of such...mothballs.
I think that the constipation thing seems to be right on the money.
My daughter has had problems with constipation for 5 months now, and I have tried everything. I recently took her off dairy, and feed her pears, peaches, broccoli and she still smells like mothballs every day for about a week now, I believe that it is because it stays in the gut for so long, and causes a chemical change in the intestines.
Yogurt may help, as well dairy restriction, and the Celiac thing is also very good. Thanks for the help. Didn't think any one else has this before!

AWW some people are joking.... but it is a bit funny , but not if it actually leads to cancer. I have read that antihistamines lead to mothball breath , i guess it could come out in feces... also from too much yeast although many choose not to believe this.

recently noticed - my poop smells like moth balls or whatever that chemical is

constipation, celiac, probiotics, dehydration, fish, all ring true for me as parallel potential sources - especially the dehydration - and I am disturbed that it may be tap water

and I am amazed that there is a threadonline about this topic

I'm a male & 63 years old. I'm here because I've had this "mothball" problem for over a year now. I smoked for 45 years, and finally quit by going to smokeless tobacco, (pouches)about 2 Yrs ago. This is the only major change to diet or lifestyle I can think of. As far as I know I'm healthy. I'm regular, and very active for my age. I guess the only way to know for sure is to quit tobacco altogether. If I'm able to I'll come back here & post results.

my 5 month old (breastfed, w/ some formula supplement) has the mothball smelling poop. Her environment and diet are the same as my older daughters when she was an infant. No one has been on medication or been around weird chemicals or deodorizers...all of my cleaning products are green products. It's been going on for a few months now...an answer as to what's going on would be great. I don't even wear wool!

It's amazing what google will come up with. All I wanted to know was if there was a reason behind my mothball smelly poop and I found a whole poopulation, both young and old, of fellow smellys. Glad to know I'm not alone in this. I will try the flax seed suggestion. If it works, I'll post back.

well, maybe she ate a hippo named George and it had gonerah? :)

My 3 year old daughter has had mothball smelling poop on and off for a few months now....glad to know there are others out there that are trying to figure this out. She has had no exposure to mothballs (I can't stand the nasty things!) and eats a healthy diet. She does take natural gummy vitamins regularly, including a fish oil vitamin, and I wonder if that has anything to do with it. The smell is so strong, and takes a long time to leave the room. Sounds like there's no clear answers, but I hope someone will come up with something soon! Her Aunt does have celiac, so maybe we should get her tested for that again. Good luck to all you mothballers from a mothballer mommy!

Moth ball smelling poop? Never heard of it, but I've heard of coffee-smelling piss. Shit Volcano, I've never witnessed strawberry smelling piss
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Russell the shitting queen

Just found out I have Lyme Disease. I don't know if it has anything to do with this, but figured I would throw that out there. Because of this, it makes me wonder if the smell is related to some of the more serious ideas suggested in this thread. Lupus and Celiac Disease are frequently a lyme byproduct, so maybe this is a sign of an autoimmune thing.

after about a year and a half of smelling mothballs in my 3 and a half year olds diaper,i decided enough was enough and googled it.should have done this awile ago,but 2 pediatricians,a neurologist, and a handful of nutritionists all say its just what he ate that day.he has on and off constipation and alternates between eating prunes and bananas to help with this.(fun.)no testing has been done for this particular problem,however we have tested for celiac disease,parasites,and allergies.we have a positive soy allergy and have since removed all soy.also,from the age of 4 months to 13 months he had constant sinus infections.we would treat with antibiotics,he would get well,then he would get sick again.his pediatrician told me babies under a year do not have environmental allergies,i believed her because i was a brand new mom and what the hell did i know.they finally gave in to my constant prodding,and tested him for allergies(no soy allergy at this time,by the way).guess what?turns out the doctor didnt know what she was talking about and my son was allergic to our pet ferrets!since clariten and other meds were not working,i gave them away.my son got better IMMEDIATELY!he has not had another sinus infection or course of antibiotics since!thats 2 and a half years of no antibiotics,so its not recent antibiotic use causing our mothball smell.there is one thing i did not see mentioned anywhere in here,my son has autism.does anyone else have that in common.or think they could have that in common with us?perhaps the lady way at the top with the child with the large head?large heads are often a strange unexplained symptom of aspergers syndrome(a mild form of autism that my son has.he too has a large head.)our local early intervention had us start on probiotics immediately after his diagnosis(which was not until 6 months ago thanks again to the idiot doctor,but that is for a differnet message board!)they told me that when you have been on numerous courses of antibiotics in a short period of time your body can have yeast overgrowth in the gut.you need to eat the probiotics to help clear it out.its like an infection in there.antibiotics will only make this worse!you just dont feed the fire!im thinking of trying the diflucan,however.jenny mccarthy used diflucan with her autistic son to help with his yeast overgrowth.the doctors never mentioned that we should take probiotics along with the antibiotics.early intervention said he should have been on them along!he also eats yogurt every day.he has less bloating since stopping the soy consumption,but still have on and off constipation.this seems to be the times when we smell mothballs.so very confusing!thank you to those who have identified the chemicals in mothballs!right after this,im gonna google them to see if my son could be making them in his little body.and tomorrow we are calling a gastroenterologist and whoever else we have to call,because something strange is going on if ALL these people here have this too!once again his doctors seem to know nothing!hope our experiences have shed a little light on someones situation.i will check back in soon.

D's Mom, I'm glad you kept looking for answers...Daphne is gonna love you. Thanks for sharing your experience.

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The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough.

I had diarrhea off and on for four months! I tried the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast), but only had limited success. Then I figured I should eat something constipating and that might solve my problem. I saw online that cheese is constipating, so I started melting Swiss cheese in my rice. That did the trick. As long as I eat rice with melted Swiss cheese, my diarrhea is gone.

I'm going to guess that the mothsmell comes from something being ingested. If it isn't the ingestion of something then it could be because of lack of digesting enzymes for the type of food eaten or mabe its something like sugar diabetes or some othe illness going undetected that makes poo smell mothbally.
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...And their flesh like dung. Zeph. 1:17

Wow I can't believe all the comments!

I have noticed a couple times here and there that my poop smells like mothballs. I finally decided to google it and this is the first site I found. It's amazing. I have no answers, but here's something. My poop does smell like mothballs today. I made quesadillas last night and forgot to wash the green pepper and poblano. On occassion I have forgotten to wash fresh fruit. Someone on here suggested that Dichlorobenzene (and the other chemicals in mothballs) can be absorbed in our digestive tracts from food. I wonder? Maybe my poop smells like mothballs when I forget to wash my fruits & veggies?

Also, I have gastritis and have been taking Omeprazole. My stomach isn't bothering me anymore, but I've always had a problem with constipation and the Omeprazole helps me poop so I keep taking it. I don't recall my poop ever smelling like this before, and I've been taking the Omeprazole for about a month. Maybe it's caused by the Omeprazole?

My other theory is it's from the years of not pooping regularly. Like the poop just died inside? I know, gross.

Anyway, I'd be really interested to find out. I just googled Celiac disease to find out what it is and I think I might want to get tested for that. While I hardly ever have diarrhea, I recognize a couple other symptoms. If it turns out I might have it, I'll let you all know. It could be a common thread.

And by the way, I am lactose intolerant. I love cheese and eat it often.

So glad to know I'm not alone in this mothball-poop-smelling world!

My poop sits in me for a long time. i have taken omeprazole in the past. i have not ever had mothball smelling poop.
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...And their flesh like dung. Zeph. 1:17

Check for Diabetes if you are having an odd mothball odor.
one suggestion is that the blood sugar level is too low
diabetes is not limited to fat people!

i have a 12 week old baby who has such a strong smelling moth ball poo that it burns my nose i have been tring to find out why this is he is on similac sensative laco free fomula and this has been going on for just about 1 1/2 months i`m worried cause he had a severe case of jaundice when he was born i wonder if the liver could have been affected and just not diognosed he also has been diagnosed with allergies if anyone can give me any new info about this please let me know

The people that have posted about nasal drip and constipation are right. I would doubt that any chemicals in diaper pails or other products are responsible. Someone mentioned the gross "pebbles" that stunk that they would cough up. I had chronic bad breath and noticed the strong smell of moth balls. My tonsils were always inflamed and one day I discovered if I pushed on them the gross yellow stinky pebbles would fall out. They smelled like poop and mothballs. The Ear Noise Throat guy said it was mixture of food and nasal drainage and the bacteria was responsible for the foul smell as they lingered in the back of my throat basically rotting. Well I got my tonsils out at 35 and no more stink balls and no more moth ball breath. As far as the moth ball poop, the same mucus that caused my bad breath can be present in constipated poop. I have experienced constipation and happened to notice mucus present in the stool. And guess what, it smelled like moth balls. If I were a betting man I would say that the culprit is nasal/sinus drainage and/or constipation or both. Get rid of the drainage and constipation and the moth balls will go back to Grandma's. Most of these post just verify what I already believed and that is that doctors are totally ignorant for the most part. If it fits in their neat little programmed box they can puke out a diagnosis, but let it be something unusual or outside the box and they just dismiss it, which is even more ignorant. I'm for replacing doctors with computers. State your symptons and then it pukes out a prescription or tells you to take a test and then pukes out a prescription when the test results come back. If the computer can't solve the problem then you actually go to someone that knows how to thing and solve problems. Anyone idiot with rich enough parents can go to med school. We need problem solvers for afflictions that don't fit their neat little flow charts.

Okay, this strand of info has been so helpful to me I wanted to share the mothball smelling poop solution that worked for us. First, of all the Doctor was NO HELP and don't even get me started on that topic. Also its important to note that since our Doctor was so resistant to do even BASIC testing it is possible that there is still a larger issue in play here that remains unknown.
First of all my 5 month old developed the mothball smelling poop that most of you all describe at around 3 months. Each and every BM would burn your nose, throat, and eyes when changing her diaper. It is also important to note this all started after a serious bout of constipation. I was never really taken seriously by my infants Doctor or her staff and was mostly treated like an idiot who was making stuff up or AT BEST an annoying Mom that needed to leave them alone. They said the Doctor knew ALOT about this subject(clearly a lie, no Doctor knows alot about this)and its was something in our environment, which wasted about two months of my time and $200 dollars doing various testing and changing things in our environment.
After reading and reading some more,especially this site,I decided it could be celiac disease or lactose issue.Since my Doctor won't even do a stool or blood test I was left to try removing lactose from her diet.I knew from a previous try with soy formula when the constipation first started but no mothball smell yet that it made her more constipated so I also make sure to give her things in her diet to help with that like pears and prunes.Ironically the mothball poop was usually very watery but not always.
Basically less then 24 hours after removing lactose from her diet the mothball smell and dark color(greenish black) was gone and has not yet come back.Knock on wood.Hope this helps someone else!

MomX2.....My daughter is an RN and will attest to the fact that while there are many excellent doctors practicing today, there are also many arrogant assholes who think they know it all. I almost died several years ago when a doctor refused to believe my breathing problems were caused by disease and insisted I had pulmonary edema because I was fat.

I had a low grade temperature and coughed up phlegm for about two months while making repeated trips to his office to receive the same diagnosis. I was slowly suffocating and was so miserable I actually contemplated suicide (the only time in an otherwise happy life).

Finally my heart decided to give up and started fibrillating one morning, I drove myself to the ER and by the time I arrived my heart rate was 160 and my blood pressure was dangerously low.

I spent well over a week in the ICU and several weeks in the hospital while I was treated for the bacterial pneumonia that almost killed me. After a course of treatment that included draining over 3 liters of fluid from my lungs with a chest tube and taking thousands of dollars worth of antibiotics I was cured.

Since then I have never been shy about asking for, or even demanding, a second opinion.

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Eat chilies and feel the burn!!

interesting site..everything we are exposed to internally & externally effects us. I was living in a house recently when I noticed my BM's were smelling strange..chemical like. I started feeling strange, same symptoms as others on here. My daughter started then my son and before we knew it everyone was up and down being sick. I have major allergies and after some research we discovered "mold" in the house. We moved and our health is fine and for me no chemical smelling poop. We also considered other factors with the house as well. Paint, filters & heating system etc..

If my son has an "accident" in his pants, I actually have to throw away his underwear. I CANNOT get the mothball smell out of his underwear no matter how many times I wash them. When he is going to the bathroom upstairs, I can smell the mothball smell all the way downstairs. I think part of the problem is that he holds in his poop for too long. I am afraid that he is absorbing toxins from the poop sitting in his colon for extended periods. He eats lots of yogurt and ice cream, so maybe lactose is the problem. He also has foul breath, so maybe sinus drainage is part of it too. I wish I could get some answers. I have heard before that you could get your stool analyzed for $200-$300. I am going to check into that for my son, because his stinky poop smell is driving me crazy, and is very embarrasing.

Today, my poo stinks like mold because I ate asparagus last evening. It is very strong. Not gagging but definitely not sweet. Mabe it is more on the lines of a Mrs. C. poo smell.
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...And their flesh like dung. Zeph. 1:17

Hey everyone - I know this post is old, but my two and a half year old has had moth ball smelling poop since she has been one year old. NO ONE has been able to help us. She also gets hives on her face so I am assuming its an allergic reaction. I am really positive she has Celiac Disease and that is why her poop smells like that. She is also small in weight for her age and has problems gaining weight.

She is seeing a GI specialist tomorrow and hopefully he has some answers for us. But seriously - many people have Celiac Disease and do not realize it.

I have been searching for years about the mothball smell in stools. I have read the thread on this site a few times over the past year or so. I found this today and thought it was interesting.

http://www.wellsphere.com/exercise-article/ammonia-odor-caused-by-common-stomach-bacteria/237132

I dont know what ammonia smells like compared to moth balls but I wonder If I am smelling ammonia in the stools? Has anyone else thought about this?

Maybe line the dresser drawers to take advantage of the mothball smell.

Please check the links at the end of this post. The second sentence of the first link is;

"Some folks confuse the smell of camphor (mothballs) with ammonia, a byproduct of decomposition."

The third sentence in the second link is;

"To smell like ammonia, you have to eat a lot of protein or be infected with a germ called helicobacter."

If you have read both links then you might agree to start thinking about the protein that you or your baby are ingesting. What kind and quantity of protein is in your baby's formula? Do you take supplemental protein? If you aren't ingesting too much protein maybe your body can't digest it properly. Food allergy or intolerance? Inherent deficiency in enzymes? Pancreas liver function?

You might also want to consider if you or your baby have a helicobacter infection. Maybe mention this site and the articles to your family doctor. There is a simple breath test for the bacteria.

Does this seem possible to the rest of you?

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/If_the_smell_of_the_mothballs_in_your_garage_has_permeated_into_the_refrigerator_in_the_garage..._is_the_food_in_the_refrigerator_dangerous

http://www.wellsphere.com/exercise-article/ammonia-odor-caused-by-common-stomach-bacteria/237132

I've been here off & on to see if any solid info has come to light as to what causes this mb crap. I've had this condition every day for over 2 years now. I'm male, over 60, regular as hell, feel healthy most of the time, have no unusual bad breath & can't find any common thread here between we that have this unusual condition. I guess it's not a life threatening thing or I wouldn't be writing this. Has anyone tried to remedy this with a colon flush?

Endisnear -- A colon flush may temporarily stop the odor problem, but it does nothing to treat the cause, so the smell will return... or something worse may take its place.

What everyone here has in common is that they don't eat correctly. Eating incorrectly makes us sick; eating correctly makes us better. It really is that simple.

The correct daily dietary intake for humans should consist of 80% fresh fruits and non-starchy veggies, with nuts, milks, carbs, and proteins altogether making up the other 20% each day. Even better for us to alternate the nuts, starches, and proteins so we eat only one of those a day instead of all three, and we also should not eat things together which require opposite digestive processes (carbs and proteins).

The more your daily intake deviates from this "normal" diet, the more health problems you will have, and over time they will come faster and hit harder (e.g. Chief's comment 9/4/09).

The only way to truly break this vicious cycle is to change what and how we eat.

One of the first things you can try in order to fix your poop problem is to keep carbs and proteins separate at all times. This means if you are going to eat meat, don't have anything sweet with it, and don't eat any type of bread/pasta/rice/potato/corn products or beans (except green beans) in that same meal either. Also, consume these types of foods separately by at least 3 hours.

Often this one change alone can almost instantly resolve most digestive and poop-related issues, and it also helps with asthma, allergies, aches/pains/arthritis, and mental clarity.

After that, try increasing your fresh fruit and non-starchy veggie intake and decreasing consumption of everything else over time until you reach that 80/20 ratio. You will then know a level of health you never imagined possible.

Read the book linked below for more information.
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Open your eyes AND your mind to the power of food!
Health via Food (scroll down to read by chapter)