Man Loses Feeling In His Legs And Nearly Dies Due To Colossal Poop

Doctors in Australia had to do medical intervention after a man became so constipated that his poop gave him paralysis in one of his legs.

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A 53-year-old took himself to the emergency room with abdominal pain that had been building for three days, swelling, and nausea.

The man was also experiencing pain in his right leg and was unable to move it for the past 24 hours.

The doctors in the BMJ Case Report wrote that his leg had no palpable pulse and it was cold to touch.

His medical history was also clear and it showed no drug taking and no risk of vascular disease. Turns out all he wanted to do was poop. 

A rectal examination revealed that the man had impacted stools.

A scan of his abdomen revealed he was suffering from massive fecal compaction and potentially life-threatening abdominal compartment syndrome (increased pressure in the abdomen).

The scan showed that his poop had become so backed up that it had distended his large intestine and put pressure on his right iliac artery.

A scan showing where the fecal matter put pressure on his artery. BMJ Case Reports

This pressure caused pain in his leg, as well as paralysis. 

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Not only this, but he was also showing symptoms of renal impairment and metabolic acidosis, his case became very serious and he was taken to surgery right away to remove the backlog of fecal matter and relieve his abdominal pressure.

"Significant faecal disimpaction was performed manually under general anaesthesia with approximately 2 Liters of faeces removed," the team write in the case report. 

The doctors couldn't figure out the reason behind this buildup. 

After the huge amount of feces was removed, he was given constipation relief.

BMJ Case Reports

Four days later he was able to leave the intensive care unit, though it took him another 13 days before he was able to walk again.

Constipation of this severity can be life-threatening as back in 2015, a teenage girl with a phobia of toilets died after holding in a bowel movement for eight weeks.

The build-up led to her chest cavity becoming compressed and eventually, she died of a heart attack.

This article is a reminder, if you are facing trouble pooping, do not hesitate in reaching out to your physician as these conditions can be life-threatening.