9-8-2023 (BEIJING) In a bizarre medical case, a 53-year-old woman from China found herself in a distressing situation after being constipated for a staggering 10 days. The severity of her condition led to the surgical removal of an astonishing 20 kilograms of faeces, which reportedly resembled the shape of a python.
The woman, identified as Hua, had been grappling with chronic constipation for several years, but her symptoms took a turn for the worse recently. Experiencing abdominal distension, tightness in her chest, and breathlessness, Hua could barely pass stools once every 5 to 6 days, despite her slender frame.
Alarmed by her visibly swollen lower abdomen and the sensation of hard masses around her belly, Hua’s concerned family promptly rushed her to the hospital for urgent medical attention. Upon a thorough examination, doctors made a startling discovery: Hua was suffering from Hirschsprung’s disease, a congenital condition characterized by the absence of nerve cells in parts of the bowel.
Under normal circumstances, nerve cells in the bowel facilitate the movement of stool through the intestines. However, in individuals with Hirschsprung’s disease, the lack of these nerve cells causes a blockage, leading to chronic constipation and the accumulation of faecal matter.
With Hua’s condition reaching critical levels, medical professionals determined that immediate intervention was necessary. A surgical procedure was carried out to remove the massive accumulation of fecal matter, which had taken on a distinctive python-like shape.
