Going to poop is something done in secrecy. It is definitely not an ideal dinner table conversation and it may be super embarrassing to even think of discussing your poop with others. But this natural function is something that many people struggle with on a regular basis. So much that even the foot or legs stop supporting as they fall asleep when we try to take care of business.

Something similar happened recently with a 57-year-old man who was left temporarily immobile after excreting reportedly two litres of poo. It was not just a regular constipation case; he was in such a bad situation that he could barely walk, and the doctors could not find a trace of his pulse in his right leg as it started to get cold due to lack of blood flow.

The man (whose name had not been revealed) was suffering from stomach pain, nausea, ‘absolute constipation’, leg pain for three consecutive days and could not move for 24 hours. The case was reported in a British Medical Journal (BMJ) article which said the man suffered from ‘abdominal compartment syndrome’. Dr. Simon Ho and his team at Footscray Hospital in Victoria, Australia diagnosed the man. Such condition occurs when the abdomen is subjected to increase pressure. It reduces blood flow to organs in the abdomen which can lead to multiple organ failure and death. The National Health Survey states the compartment syndrome to be a painful and potentially serious condition caused by bleeding or swelling within an enclosed bundle of muscles which is known as a muscle compartment.

According to The Sun, Dr Ho and his team took the patient into the operating theatre to do a ‘faecal disimpaction procedure’. In his medical report, Dr. Ho explained; “Significant faecal disimpaction was performed manually under general anaesthesia with approximately 2L of faeces removed.” Soon after the procedure, the experts stated that the patient’s abdominal swelling disappeared and blood circulation on his right leg was restored. After four days of his operation, he could leave the intensive care and 13 days later he could walk again without any help. The patient was discharged from the hospital after being admitted and eight weeks later, he visited the hospital for a check-up.

In the operation theatre, the surgeons removed two litres of faeces from his bowels. But the doctors could not explain the reason behind his faecal loading and constipation. Medical experts suggest constipation is very common among adults and kids but such extreme cases of faecal loading are rare.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 25, 2018 10:51 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).