April 28, 2026
By Yona Lunsky
I had this idea for a blog, but I was feeling a bit stuck. It is a hard topic to talk about, and it stayed that way—stuck in my mind—for days and weeks.
A long time ago, my wise colleague, Angie Gonzales, and I wrote a newsletter for staff called The Scoop on Poop. And if you have ever heard me speak on healthcare and developmental disabilities, I have probably tried to bring up the topic of poop. I vowed after that newsletter to write more on this topic, but it was hard. I felt stuck, and I never quite got it out.
Then I saw an advertisement for a laxative that asked: Which Senokot Laxative is right for you? Stuck or Hard & Stuck? And I thought, okay, it is time to get unstuck and write this blog.
But what else could possibly be said after our wonderful original Scoop on Poop?
I think a good place to start is colorectal cancer screening. There are two main procedures: the FIT (Fecal Immunochemical Test) and the colonoscopy.
FIT (Fecal Immunochemical Test)
The FIT is a free, at-home screening tool that tests your stool for tiny amounts of blood, which can be caused by cancer or precancerous polyps (growths that can turn into cancer). The process involves collecting a small stool sample on a wand, placing it into a tube, and sending it to a lab for testing. (Learn more about how to complete the at-home test).
The tricky part is that the stool needs to be fresh and not mixed with toilet water or urine. This means that the person you are supporting (or you, if you are doing it for yourself) needs to know when they are going to go, or be ready when the opportunity comes. I say this having had to collect samples for myself and for my sister with a disability who needed my help.
The FIT kit includes a small test tube with a collection stick that you label with the date of collection, a piece of tissue paper that you place in the toilet to collect the stool (and then flush once you get your sample), and an envelope to drop off or mail to the lab for testing. The catch is that you get only one piece of tissue paper, so if you miss it the first time, you need a Plan B.
A specimen collector pan (or urine hat) can make things easier. It is a small plastic bowl that sits on the toilet and helps keep the sample separate from water and urine. You can also use a flushable collection sheet, a foldable paper strip with adhesive that sticks to the sides of the toilet. If you or the person you are supporting is more of a “poop don’t tell” kind of person, one of these options can simplify the process. Even if you aren’t collecting a sample for testing, using a collector kit is a good way to track how often someone is going and what their stool looks like. Neither is very costly and can make the whole experience feel a bit less invasive.
To get a FIT kit in Ontario, you can ask your family doctor or nurse practitioner, visit Health811 online, or call 811 (TTY: 1-866-797-0007), visit a mobile screening coach, or contact your health centre or nursing station if you live in a First Nation community.
Once you have your sample, you just follow the instructions provided with the FIT package. There are also videos online that explain how it is done, including one from the Canadian Cancer Society.