Man who was constipated for 22 years had surgery to remove faeces that had accumulated since birth

Warning: This article contains graphic images which some readers may find distressing.

I hate to panic you but, if you've been suffering with constipation lately, you might want to read this.

A man in China ended up having to undergo major surgery after being unable to poop for a staggering 22 years.

The patient, who wished to remain anonymous, suffered with constipation all his life.

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Laxatives barely helped the poor guy, so he eventually sought out medical attention.

Dr Yin Lu, from 10th People’s Hospital of Shanghai, described the man as 'looking more than nine months pregnant' when he first saw his patient.

It wasn't until he the doctor operated on the man that he discovered the full extent of his illness, however.

Dr Yin Lu soon found out that the man had a lifetime's worth of faeces built up in his colon, and ultimately had to remove 30 inches of his colon following a three-hour long surgery in 2017.

The man's swollen colon weighed an alarming 29lb and he reportedly went on to be diagnosed with something known as Hirschsprung’s disease.

It's thought that the illness only affects one in every 5,000 live births.

Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital

According to Boston's Children Hospital, Hirschsprung’s disease 'occurs when some of your baby’s intestinal nerve cells (ganglion cells) don’t develop properly, delaying the progression of stool through the intestines'.

The website further explains: "The intestine becomes blocked with stool, and your baby or child will be constipated (unable to have normal bowel movements). Often, a serious infection called enterocolitis can occur, which causes fever, pain, and diarrhea."

Symptoms of the illness include: failure to have a bowel movement in the first 48 hours of life, abdominal distention (stomach bloating), gradual onset of vomiting, fever, and constipation or failure to pass regular bowel movements.

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It's not always something that people develop at birth, however. Some children might start showing signs of Hirschsprung’s disease when they're older.

Older kids' symptoms may be: constipation that becomes worse with time, loss of appetite, delayed growth, passing small and watery stools, and abdominal distention.

It's thought that the man who underwent surgery ended up so ill with the disease because when he was younger, his family did give much thought into his symptoms so he also assumed it 'was not a big deal', he told The Paper.

But as he grew older, he began to fear that had Hirschsprung’s disease.

Basically, don't ignore constipation, folks.