Even though there’s at least one person who wished that I would go kaboom during my colonoscopy, I didn’t.
In fact, all’s good.
As a follow up to my article yesterday, here’s another good read for those of you of a certain age who are preparing for your own procedure: When People Explode During Colonoscopies.
Here are some stats you can use to dazzle your friends during your next round of Trivial Pursuit:
Housed in your large intestine are hundreds of species of beneficial bacteria that help digest those bits of food your small intestine misses. In the process, these bacteria generate a variety of gases, including carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen and methane, to name a few. Two of them — hydrogen and methane — also happen to be combustable. Given that the average person’s bacteria produce between 1 and 4 pints of gas per day, a five-foot stretch of colon can pack some formidable explosive potential.
