Article: Open up one of the containers that the doctor gave you. There should be a small shovel-like tool attached to the cap of the container. Use the shovel to scoop a small bit of stool into the container. Try to take some stool from each end and from the middle. The size of the sample will vary somewhat with the test. Sometimes your doctor will give you a container with a red line and liquid on the inside. You will want to put in enough stool to raise the liquid to the level of the red line. If not, aim for a sample approximately the size of a grape. Flip over the contents of the hat/plastic wrap into the toilet. Flush away the stool and deposit the hat/plastic wrap and any other garbage into a trash bag. Tie the trash bag in a knot, and put it somewhere that you cannot smell it. Whenever possible the sample should be returned immediately. If you are not doing so, it should be refrigerated. Put the container with the stool in a sealed bag and store in the fridge. Label it with your name, date, and time of collection. Consider an opaque bag so that no one can see your stool sample. Under no circumstances should you wait more than 24 hours before returning the sample to a doctor. The bacteria in your stool will grow and change. Usually your doctor will want the sample back within two hours to get an accurate result. Follow up with your doctor to get the results of your stool sample.

What is a summary?
Deposit sample in the container. Dispose of your collection device. Refrigerate the sample. Return the samples to your doctor as soon as possible.