Comment by handfuloflight

It’s sufficiently foul and is heavy in the air, as in you can smell it for an hour or more after he’s left. The foulness reminds me of the GI wing we had, were the hospital put all these cases in a single cluster so as to try and contain the smell. A “GI bleed” has a uniquely poopy smell, that is what I remember quite specifically. Hard to explain other than it is more than a smell, I have a strong stomach and never got sick myself, but it almost makes even me want to vomit.

FWIW, other smells that I recall quite well - child birth, or, more specifically the odor of women in labor (there’s a specific smell some women in labor produce, not all maybe half, that found it quite gross), gangrene and necrotic/rotting flesh, formalin, the morgue (it’s a weird mix of chemicals and rot), all come to mind.

You can tell something is going wrong at least. I had a university roommate with a hereditary gut issue. I was able to recognize who he inherited from after his father visited.

There are a lot of reports of people, and animals, who can smell some cancers and other diseases. It's not very well studied but I don't think it's far fetched

If that sounds fun, you gonna love the story of Joy Milne who can smell the Parkinson's disease.

It's not difficult for many conditions. Digested blood has a metallic and vile odor. Ketosis and diabetes can cause acetone-smelling breath. Kidney disease can cause ammonia body odor. Liver disease can cause a fishy, musty smell. Unhealthy diets and GI issues can cause bad odors.

In the past, I have often wondered what is wrong with people given how badly they smelled in the locker room or after leaving a restroom. Truly unnatural odors.