We’ve all had weeks where our system is a bit sluggish.
But, for one man, the delay in going to the bathroom lasted not weeks, but months: three, in fact.
Doctors said his bloat was so extreme that his abdomen resembled that of a woman carrying triplets.
The case was described by physicians in an online forum, who said the patient suffered constipation so extreme that the waste had become hardened and stuck in the colon – a problem know medically as fecal impactation.
Doctors treat it by removing the mass manually or via an enema — when fluid is directed into the colon to loosen the stool which can then exit the body the normal way.
The above shows the inside of the man’s body from side on. Dr Justin Shafa, from Los Angeles, demonstrates how the grainy area of the colon is all stool. The lighter section around the edge is the side of the body.
A second scan of the patient – a bird’s eye view – shows the grainy area in the scan, which is a large collection of tool
Revealing the case on Reddit, the doctor wrote: ‘Had to ask patient after scan when the last time he did a bowel movement was.
‘He said last “real s***” was three months ago.’
The physician also revealed the patient’s CT scan, which showed a large and grainy mass in the center of the body — which was all stool.
Commenting on the post, one user said, ‘that’s one impressive turd’, while a second added ‘Oh lordy! A poo baby!’.
Another added: ‘Oh god, I feel bad missing two days… I can’t imagine three months.’
Fecal impaction can be caused by chronic constipation, dehydration or a low-fiber diet that can lead to hardened masses forming and then blocking the digestive tract.
The feces initially backs up in the rectum, but then gradually accumulates inside the colon or large intestine.
As the feces remain stuck, the body continues to absorb water and moisture from the masses — causing them to become hard and calcified.
Symptoms of the condition include pain in the abdomen, swelling, feeling the need to defecate but being unable and a stomach ache.
It is mostly seen in older adults such as those who live in nursing homes where nearly half will experience fecal impaction.
Dr Oreon Gottfried, a neurosurgeon in North Carolina, said on X: ‘If you feel horrible not going number two every day, imagine the pure agony of not going for months.’
And Dr Justin Shafa, a radiologist in Los Angeles, shared the images saying: ‘This is stool, this is stool…this is impressive… this is probably equivalent to like a triplet pregnancy.’
People normally use the bathroom for a number two about one to three times per day, expelling about 14 to 17oz of stool per day on average.
But chronic constipation, a condition where there is difficulty emptying the bowels, can interrupt this normal cycle.
If someone was unable to defecate for three months, this would lead to the equivalent of up to 95lbs of stool becoming stuck in the body.
Doctors may remove the stool manually, where a doctor reaches up the rectum wearing gloves and lubrication to remove the blockage.
They may also use an enema, putting fluid up the rectum and colon to loosen the contents and allow them to be passed.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk