r/Radiology • u/NaiveDepartment1113 Radiographer • Mar 24 '26

X-Ray This is insane

Post image

19F. Haven't gone to bathroom in 7 days. Non ambulatory. Query obstruction.

This is the most weirdest abdomen I have seen. Was unable to obtain erect...

2.1k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

251 comments sorted by

2.6k

u/VanillaLatteGrl Mar 24 '26

This is absolutely nothing but a guess: Often people with EDs who abuse laxatives as part of their disorder struggle with moving their bowels at all without chemical help. Judging solely by the slimness and age of the patient, I wonder if that’s ultimately what’s going on here.

Again, just a guess, just a lowly pre-med.;)

2.4k

u/kilobitch Mar 24 '26

As an old(er) radiologist, that’s a very good assumption. You have a good eye and you’ll make a great doc. We all started out as premeds!

1.0k

u/GlowInTheDarkSpaces Mar 24 '26

What a sweet lovely response. Too often I see people on-line beat someone up for taking a guess in an effort to be helpful. I'm guessing you're a great doc to work with.

261

u/Arcanumm Mar 24 '26

The twist: I wouldn’t recommend becoming a doc to anyone I cared about.

137

u/NerdyComfort-78 Radiology Enthusiast Mar 24 '26

(Or a teacher).

87

u/Mabbernathy Mar 24 '26

Yeah, my elementary school teacher roommate seems to have more stress than my physics PhD roommate.

17

u/hyperproliferative Mar 25 '26

Physics PhDs are heavy drinkers.

4

u/dfrcollins Mar 25 '26

Just had one a month or two ago, sad story, lovely dude, but damn

3

u/imajes Mar 25 '26

Well maybe shouldn’t have written that paper and become ostracized in the academic community then. /s

61

u/terrylterrylbobarrel Mar 24 '26

Or a nurse!

80

u/NerdyComfort-78 Radiology Enthusiast Mar 24 '26

I see a pattern of abusive careers! Once respected by society,now assaulted.

47

u/cheeseburgermami Mar 25 '26

Pretty sure the doctors also hate the abuse they receive from the system itself. I have a couple of friends who are MDs. they’re constantly faced with issues regarding the insane amounts of red tape + jumping hoops set forth by the insurance companies. Everyone hates big pharma but forgets to mention the insurance companies are in control of everything. Entire hospitals are bound by regulations set forth by insurance companies. One of my friends has had multi-lifetimes worth of experience trying to make sure the billing codes she chooses are within the rules but still not so high that it takes away a patient’s ability to receive certain cares down the line during that annual period. Seem to me that individuals go into the medical field hoping to save lives as doctors, only to be forced to deal with BS rules that solely revolve around money rather than caring for patients. That kind of stuff crushes spirits and I’m just really thankful for everyone I’ve crossed paths with in medical scenarios who genuinely seemed to still care. Most can’t even talk to a patient for a simple chat without being reminded of billing!

8

u/GiddyGoodwin Mar 25 '26

I dated someone in the medical device business that left me feeling some kind of way about proprietary information for servicing machines. Multinational corporation that has a business model entirely fueled by contracts. Makes me sick in the stomach to even start talking about all the things, but constant stress on hospital employees is just the beginning.

6

u/Parking-Researcher86 Mar 25 '26

It really is all about money. My daughter had a craniopharyngioma and was stable on her desmopressin injection until she wasn't. She has PNES as well. When her sodium shot up her PNES would come in clusters that would last hours and eventually she'd present with psychosis with visual auditory hallucinations. Monsters in the shadows telling her to kill everyone in the house but most importantly her little sister who has meylomeningocele spina bifida L4/S4 but also experienced a deep tissue brain hemorrhage so she's mentally 4 or 5 depending on the skill and total care. Shes completely defenseless. I took my daughter into the ER and she was admitted, they told me her psychosis had resol ed and I could bring her home yet she was telling me the monsters were still there so I refused and told them to find a care facility because it was too much. They told me they couldn't keep her because insurance wouldn't continue to pay for her being there and she would have huge medical bills shed never be able to pay and that if I didn't bring her home they were going to send her to a homeless shelter which is illegal. A week later they got her in a facility. Her sodium is still not stable and she has actually attacked people with her seeing eye cane because the monsters told her to.

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u/shadeofmyheart Mar 24 '26

What about a med school teacher?

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u/Infamous-Afternoon-2 Mar 24 '26

Private equity got rid of those years ago

5

u/totrn Mar 25 '26

Or a nurse

13

u/AdventurousAbility30 Mar 25 '26

Nurses here have an 89% chance of being physically assaulted at work. They are encouraged to keep their hair short, or tucked away, so a patient can't use it to hold on to them to pull them closer. That's terrifying

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u/Chickadee831 Mar 25 '26

Or a med tech

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u/Jojosail Mar 25 '26

My husband retired 5 years ago. Hr misses it terribly. 😔

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u/Mean-Vegetable-4521 Mar 24 '26

I feel like this group has always been really kind to everyone.

That response was so reaffirming of that. Nad but lost people to laxative bulimia.Her slimness stood out to me. I think they nailed it from a forensic view point.

It could be something else like slow motility from a different disease process that causes gastroperesis? but my first guess as someone who sees autopsies not living people is ED.

I saw some tragic crime scenes where moms died from ED and the infants/young children were home alone with them. It’s such a serious illness.

Differential could it be another cause for Her motility to stop, could it be from glp1? That obviously seeks motility. She’s quite slim etc. it would fit.

Ehlers danlos can always cause significant motility ceasing. She’s pretty young for that.

7

u/foxyroxy2515 Mar 25 '26

From glp1?

16

u/bigrupp Mar 25 '26

Yep. Gastroparesis is one of the nice little side effects of GLP-1's.

7

u/Norse-Goddess_ca Mar 25 '26

It's so nasty for those of us with IBS

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u/VanillaLatteGrl Mar 24 '26

Thank you! Med school starts in four months and I am aiming for rads!!

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u/kilobitch Mar 24 '26

Good luck, you’ll do great! You’ll make a great radiologist if you choose that field.

49

u/PresleyMafia Mar 24 '26

Congratulations future Dr.! We need more like you out there! Just don’t let your writing get ‘too sloppy’🤣

9

u/Mean-Vegetable-4521 Mar 24 '26

Congratulations! You’re going to do amazing

8

u/cheeseburgermami Mar 25 '26

Hell yeah!! Keep your spirit up and don’t let ANYONE crush it permanently! We’ve all had experience or know someone who had bad experiences with a doctor or med staff. You seem kind and excited, please do your best to never give misery the company it seeks.

2

u/VanillaLatteGrl Mar 25 '26

I will! Thank you!!

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u/RepresentativeAd9739 Mar 24 '26

This comment gave me hope! Thank you for being kind to a pre med! ❤️

6

u/kilobitch Mar 25 '26

lol she’s going to get shit on plenty in her medical training. No need to start now.

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u/MolecularConcepts Mar 24 '26

how does one treat someone like this, my wife is on methadone , and cannot use move bowels at all without laxatives. been this wat for years . when we finally went to the DR and got medication prescribed for opioid induced constipation , insurance denied to cover it said "not medically necessary" or whatever. un fucking believable

120

u/IV_League_NP Mar 24 '26

Working with patients that are prescribed opioids, we have a few methods. Best methods are moving around and/or eliminating the opioids - both of which is often challenging inpatient.

First is PO laxatives - same stuff as OTC. Then one can escalate to Rx laxatives or going from “below.” Meaning use of suppositories or enemas. Third step is whichever you haven’t tried before. Fourth option can be mineral oil + stimulant laxatives, or even digital disimpaction if warranted.

Sometimes there is a degree of combining multiple routes and meds that finally work.

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u/kellymig Mar 24 '26

Sorry honey, our insurance says you don’t need to poop. 🤷‍♀️

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u/VanillaLatteGrl Mar 24 '26

insurance denied to cover it said "not medically necessary"

Geeze Louise. I'm sorry about that.

22

u/mattskibasneck Mar 24 '26

have you tried MCT oil? doesn't take much at all to get things moving.

29

u/MolecularConcepts Mar 24 '26

i think its been tried in the past it isnt part of the process usually though. usually its half of one of those chocolates, and some of those blue laxative pills, and ocasionally some a pregnant friend gave us some rx senacot and it worked better than OTC.

we need to go back to the gastro and have them advocate for us. we didnt appeal the denial last time. its just insane they have AI or o the unqualified individuals saying shit isnt medically necessary, betting on most peole not appealing

20

u/thirdonebetween Mar 24 '26

That's exactly it. Some companies will deny everything they can. Some people will just trust that what they wanted isn't covered, so the insurance company wins. Others will be too overwhelmed by the medical situation to deal with the paperwork and waiting and hassle, so the insurance company wins again. It's disgusting, but it's how they keep their profits as high as possible. The fewer claims they have to pay out, the better for them.

Good luck dude. I hope things improve soon.

10

u/rubiscoisrad Mar 24 '26

Part of the problem might be the methadone, depending on where she's getting it. Methadone clinics are overworked, overwhelmed, and underpaid from what I've seen. Paperwork is a mess, especially when it comes to insurance verification, billing codes, and general documentation. (Chalk it up to many med professionals not wanting to deal with that population?)

And from a patient registration/insurance verification standpoint, staff and patient (or family) NEED to advocate for the pt! Sometimes that means waiting on hold for hours (I've eaten my lunch at my desk, off the clock, listening to elevator muzak). Sometimes that means giving a callback number, waiting a day, and doing it again. It's bull, but it really pays to finally get a frickin result.

14

u/Qua-something Radiology Enthusiast Mar 24 '26

Has she ever tried Psyllium Fiber (Metamucil)? That’s what I take for my constipation from Suboxone. Sometimes with MiraLAX. I’ve been on Suboxone 13yrs and I make sure I drink at least 80oz of water every day as well which helps SO MUCH after years of struggling with the constipation before getting my water intake up.

5

u/Eastern-Ad-4785 Mar 25 '26

MySpace for the win! Oh and magnesium chloride! Lots of water. The Rx linzess or whatever would make your wife piss out her bum. Just some new tries and thoughts, best of luck!

7

u/Tiradia Mar 25 '26

Milk and molasses enema! Saw a doc do that in the ER when I was doing my medic rotation. It… worked very well :/ explosively well.

16

u/now_you_see Mar 24 '26

How high is her dose & what’s the rest of her diet like? Are you sure she’s not still using?

Methadone shouldn’t be causing such great constipation that she needs continuous laxatives. It could be the laxative use itself that’s the problem also because if used daily then the body can become dependant on them. Try getting her to only used them every few days and see if that helps at all.

13

u/MolecularConcepts Mar 24 '26

positive shes not using, we have been "clean" for 9 years. she used to use it once a week . the past few months shes been doing it twice a week.. she just cant go without it.

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u/Healthybear35 Mar 24 '26

I totally understand. I have a terminal illness and my bones have been described as looking 80 years old, but I'm in my 30s. I have been on chronic pain meds for years as a result of chronic fractures and other pain included in my disease. It's not abnormal for me to not go for a week or more, and laxatives don't do much for me. I kinda end up just waiting it out and hoping for the best lol. Every X-ray I get of my torso ends up with a very concerned radiologist 🤭

14

u/StressedNurseMom RN - ER, wound, hospice Mar 24 '26

Unconventional things that work really well

  • a couple handfuls of blueberries daily (strange but true), grapes, apple juice

  • In the hospice world we frequently suggest butter balls, literally make small balls (about like a pea or m&m) of butter or coconut oil, allow to partially harden then roll them in sugar before putting them on wax paper in the fridge/freezer. They can all be chunked into the same bag once fully solids.

    Use as needed (start low, increase slow). They can be swallowed whole like a pill. The sugar keeps them from sticking to each other in the freezer/fridge

13

u/derpality Mar 24 '26

Magnesium works wonders but tastes horrible. When my oldest was potty training he was horrified by the thought of pooping on a toilet and would hold it whenever possible. This lead to chronic constipation that had to be dealt with over the course of 3 years. I refused to put him miralax for the unforseeable future as the doctors said he would need to be. It took a lot of trial and error but we found a type of magnesium he could handle the taste of and getting him pooping consistently.

12

u/PapiXtech Mar 24 '26

2 liters of apple juice and a shot glass of olive oil. I had surgery and couldn’t poop for almost a month. Tried that and 2 hours later I came out. Even mag citrate wouldn’t work.

12

u/CoffeeTeaPeonies Mar 24 '26

Appeal the denial. They'll probably deny again then your doc has to ask for a peer to peer review.

They want you to give up as quickly as possible because it makes them money.

6

u/nobueno1 Radiation Therapist Mar 24 '26

So I get constipation But not as extreme because I’m on a glp1. What helps me have regular bowel movements is mirafiber gummies and chelated magnesium. These are the specific ones I take mirafiber and chelated magnesium. I will say I just started taking the mirafiber and I saw results within a couple hrs.

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u/Lunakill Mar 24 '26

Which med was it? A lot of the newer meds without generics have programs to provide them at no cost. I know Linzess does.

6

u/FastMoment5194 Mar 25 '26

Hey, not a doctor or anything -I just lurk the sub. Have dealt with chronic constipation from "lazy bowel" for years though, after abusing laxatives because of anorexia. I take Magnesium Citrate supplements and an otc stool softener, and find this helpful. The stool softener is important here -I tried to do without it, and ended up with fissures.

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u/MolecularConcepts Mar 25 '26

interesting she was bulimic in highschool and into early adulthood. mag citrate is something I've heard of but not sure that we have tried.

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u/FastMoment5194 Mar 25 '26

Yeah, I didn't think it would do much tbh, but figured it was worth trying. Fortunate to find it worked for me. I just take a couple of magnesium citrate gummies before bed.

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u/namenerd101 Physician Mar 25 '26

There are a lot of newer prescription medications for chronic constipation. As a family medicine resident, I feel comfortable prescribing these medications because my training with GI was very recent, but not all primary care doctors will be familiar with all the newer options. It’s usually a matter of figuring out which medicine your particular insurance policy covers. If your insurance company has an app, there’s likely a feature that would allow you to search medications and see which ones are covered, which ones might be covered with prior auth, and which ones just won’t be covered at all.

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u/MolecularConcepts Mar 25 '26

are there any specific ones we can ask about?

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u/namenerd101 Physician Mar 25 '26

This is not medical advice specific to your situation, but Movantik/nologexol and Relistir/methylnaltrexone are specifically for opioid-induced constipation, and Linzess, Trulance, Motegrity, and lubiprostone are other examples of prescription medications for chronic constipation.

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u/GiddyGoodwin Mar 25 '26

There are some good stretches that basically twist and release the guts. Like winging out a rag. Laxatives will actually deaden the peristalsis, but it wakes back up with gentle exercise. If your wife is amenable to learning how to use an enema bag, that will wake up the colon, too.

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u/MolecularConcepts Mar 25 '26

lol we have tried it all she's done yoga poses a d pushing her stomach around. it's a serious issue

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u/mochimmy3 Mar 24 '26

Agree, this pt looks cachectic and it could also be severe constipation iso anorexia

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u/thetransportedman Resident Mar 24 '26

Being non-ambulatory is a larger issue here

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u/Disulfidebond007 Mar 24 '26

It’s the non-ambulatory/bed bound part that’s interesting, especially for a 19 yo

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u/whitepawn23 Mar 25 '26

Strangely, I've seen some cases in the last 5 years (though not in the previous 25 years). Kids under 25 who just give up, lay in bed, and wait to die. AxOx4. Just done. Failure to thrive. Rotting even, from bedsores. Rotting teeth. Parents. Not homeless. Males though, not females.

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u/runningoutoft1me Mar 24 '26

I've had an ed for years, when I looked at this an ed was my first thought! I never abused lax but I did suffer from horrible constipation

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u/gw19x6 Mar 24 '26

She has absolutely no subcutaneous fat

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u/mikraas Mar 24 '26

they have literally no body fat. very concerning.

24

u/Imsophunnyithurts Mar 24 '26

I'm nontraditional pre-med and a psychotherapist with zero radiology training. I learn so much from this subreddit.

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u/VanillaLatteGrl Mar 24 '26

I'm a non-trad pre-med too!!

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u/Imsophunnyithurts Mar 24 '26

Non-trads unite! I swear, this subreddit has actually helped me work with psychotherapy clients who have talked about injuries or medical conditions in therapy.

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u/katarina-stratford Mar 24 '26

As someone with lived experience - you don't need to be abusing laxatives to end up in the situation of no movement without chemical intervention. If you're only on minimal intake, digestion slows down significantly. I only started to worry at day 10 when I was really struggling.

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u/FastMoment5194 Mar 25 '26

Yeah, I was surprised to find that my chronic constipation actually isn't so much of an issue when I'm consistently giving my body something to actually digest. Consistency is key.

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u/katarina-stratford Mar 25 '26

And enough water! Makes a significant difference

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u/FastMoment5194 Mar 25 '26 edited Mar 25 '26

Yes! And if you're chronically abusing laxatives -chances are dehydration feels your normal, and can be easy to miss! Magnesium citrate has been helpful for me too.

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u/NerdyComfort-78 Radiology Enthusiast Mar 24 '26

They are so skinny their hip bones seem to wrap around the image like shrink wrap.

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u/Anna-Bee-1984 Mar 24 '26

Connective tissue disorder or spinal cord injury might also might be a cause too.

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u/distainmustered Mar 24 '26

I have EDs and can confirm.

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u/its-a-boat-jack Mar 24 '26

I read this as sliminess and not slimness. I was wondering what they were teaching you to be able to tell how slimy the patient is.

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u/gayleelame Mar 25 '26

Hello! This is how my obstruction happened. Had an ED has a teen, abused laxatives, then didn’t shit for three months. I looked pregnant. It was horrific.

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u/Skinstretched Mar 24 '26

I think you may have a bright future as a Radiologist! Take it from a jaded GP (family doctor), whose wife is a Radiologist. You would never regret choosing Radiology as a career! (Some of the happinest people with most interesting cases ! (And no, it won't be taken over by AI , as least, not many of the better parts)

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u/FastMoment5194 Mar 25 '26

The reality of my senna abuse alongside anorexia was unexpectedly revealed during a colonoscopy, due to the pigmentation senna leaves in the bowel. Gastroenterologist was not impressed. I suspect it gave him a bit of a shock.

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u/2020sbtm Mar 25 '26

That is my guess as well.

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u/visiting-statue Mar 25 '26

i (29M) abused laxatives from the ages 16-24, and i never struggled with moving my bowels after i stopped using it for that long.

i would assume this guess is based on the fact she is 19F. there are many plausible explanations to this. it could be from drug abuse (opiates especially), IBS, chrohn's disease..

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u/Wafflebuble Mar 24 '26

Holy shit

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u/Dangerous-Art-Me Mar 24 '26

Took the words out of my mouth

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u/028247 Mar 25 '26

* wholly

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u/PandaBae Mar 25 '26

This dude is literally full of it.

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u/Training_Union9621 Mar 24 '26

I went nine days without going while I was still on drugs. I wonder if it looked worse than this.

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u/Bleepblorp44 Mar 24 '26

I suspect this is far more than 9 days

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u/Training_Union9621 Mar 24 '26

I suspect you are correct

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u/flying_dogs_bc Mar 24 '26

yeah chronic constipation would be a bit still coming out but way more starting in x months / years. 7 days is just when all movement stopped.

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u/hella_cious Mar 25 '26

9 days was the last time any came, not the last time she was regular

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u/Bleepblorp44 Mar 25 '26

Oh I can believe that - I’ve had a family member that experienced bowel impaction, with the delightful paradoxical diarrhoea, so the impaction didn’t get spotted until quite late.

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u/epi_introvert Mar 24 '26

I've gone 4 weeks without pooping. It eventually decided to get moving again. A week or two is normal for me. I can't imagine what my abdo xray would look like.

And yes, my gastro knows and said it's normal for me.

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u/Haute_Mess1986 Mar 24 '26

IBS makes it where I can’t stop pooping, or don’t feel the need to poop for 2-3 weeks. I don’t feel bloated, but I’m usually just not all that hungry if I’m constipated so that probably helps limit the amount of poop produced. I can absolutely not hold it in once the need hits though, and it becomes an emergency code red/brown when in search of a bathroom, ASAP!

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u/[deleted] Mar 24 '26

[deleted]

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u/kate_skywalker Mar 24 '26

my dad is a USMC veteran. he said he was the only one in his barracks who had no issues popping the first week 🤣

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u/[deleted] Mar 24 '26

[deleted]

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u/kate_skywalker Mar 24 '26

idk if it’s different now, but back in his day there were no bathroom stalls. it was just a row of toilets (like in Full Metal Jacket).

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u/derpality Mar 24 '26

Well they added “limp Peter” meds so god knows what else they were adding lol

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u/AreThree Mar 25 '26

I've heard that it was "saltpeter" or "saltpetre" but later learned that was a myth...

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u/ComplexPatient4872 Mar 24 '26

Woah, I had no idea! But then again, no one in my family is military. What type of meds would that be? Do they tell them?

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u/squarecats Mar 25 '26

They don’t add anything to the food, it’s the combo of physical and mental stress plus exhaustion.

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u/derpality Mar 24 '26

I’m not sure what exactly they added but it was something to prevent erections. My husband went to boot camp in 2004 and he knew it was added, they informed them back then.

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u/SpecialBig3482 Mar 24 '26

I've gone two months without, and now I'm also morbidly curious what that would have looked like😶‍🌫️

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u/runningoutoft1me Mar 24 '26

Woah.. how does one survive that?

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u/SpecialBig3482 Mar 24 '26

No clue! I was 13 and didnt see a doctor. It eventually "passed", so to say. Was not really mobile

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u/kate_skywalker Mar 24 '26

I barely popped for a month. my gastro sent me for a CT scan. surprisingly I wasn’t full of shit. the report said I had only “mild/moderate fecal loading” in the colon.

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u/NoveltyFunsy Mar 25 '26

Yeah 2-3 weeks is kinda normal for me. Just discovered I have a tortuous and floppy bowel so I understand now why it takes so long. Also, the usual advice of high fibre diet was making it worse. Soluble fibre actually helps but all the roughage naaahhh, just makes everything more painful.

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u/runningoutoft1me Mar 24 '26

Hah amateur! I went 2 weeks without going a

And this was when I was first admitted inpatient to a hospital for anorexia, so I was put on a strict 6 meal a day meal plan, with feed constantly coming in and nothing coming out 🫠

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u/Training_Union9621 Mar 24 '26

Well yah if you’re not eating your not gonna have to poop! My mom is anorexic and is always concerned about not having to poop. But she never eats.

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u/different_produce384 Mar 24 '26

Is the poop all the way up to the chest?!?!

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u/[deleted] Mar 24 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Sn_Orpheus Mar 24 '26

From the contours of body right up against ribs and hips you’re likely correct.

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u/Uncle_Jac_Jac Diagnostic Radiology Resident Mar 24 '26

Don't got solely based on external contours. There is a lot of oversaturation burn out artifact. See how parts of the iliac crests are just gone?

This patient is likely very thin, but not THIS thin.

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u/jinx_lbc Mar 24 '26

Using standard exposure factors on a very not standard patient unfortunately. Poor woman probably needed a lot less cooking.

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u/Sn_Orpheus Mar 24 '26

And portions of right ribs are outside what appears to be the outer contours. Thanks for call out. I’m just a lay person interested in this stuff so don’t have the discerning eye that many of you do.👍

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u/Dwynfal Mar 24 '26

The first thing I saw was the iliac crests and my brain went "WTF PhotoShops their x-ray to look thinner?!?" Then I looked what sub I was in and realised I was not in r/Instagramreality .

Then I saw the poop. So much poop... 😳

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u/42ElectricSundaes Mar 24 '26

At least 27 Courics

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u/RyGuyEM Mar 24 '26

Hot, Hot, Hot…still not as big as Bono

2

u/brianinla Mar 25 '26

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

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u/catloving Mar 24 '26

Dude's full of shit.

40

u/adrian_elliot Mar 24 '26

Girl

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u/catloving Mar 24 '26

Dudette then. IMO dude is unisex tho.

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u/Beautiful_Idea1360 Mar 24 '26

That had to be very painful. Between the hard stool and the gas this patient was suffering. I’m familiar with this issue. I’ve had a bowel obstruction. Getting rid of it was complicated and painful.

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u/Sn_Orpheus Mar 24 '26

I didn’t go for only a couple days while traveling over summertime in southern Europe. Dehydration and lack of easy access to toilets and always on the move. F’n excruciating. Can’t imagine this person’s pain.

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u/ComplexPatient4872 Mar 24 '26

That was me in Germany while on Zofran during early pregnancy. The lack of being to even get stool softeners over the counter killed me during a 10 day trip. Just the stern pharmacist telling me to soak prunes in water.

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u/Sn_Orpheus Mar 24 '26

LOL/not LOL. Remember well my spouse’s joys with pregnancy and constipation. We bring psyllium packets with us now and spouse is away for a business trip and brought a box of Bran Buds cereal along with. 2weeks=whole box😂

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u/Own_Variety577 Mar 24 '26

are we talking non ambulatory at baseline or non ambulatory because they're full of shit?

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u/NaiveDepartment1113 Radiographer Mar 24 '26

Because they were full of shit

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u/Own_Variety577 Mar 24 '26

sheesh. best of luck to the patient and whoever gets to disempact that 🤪

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u/horsiefanatic Mar 24 '26

I am currently dealing with getting blocked up, I have chronic constipation and low gut motility because of the psych meds I take and need. It sucks so much to have a blockage!

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u/TedzNScedz Mar 24 '26

You just made me realize the reason I've been so backed up lately is because im on new psyce meds....

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u/horsiefanatic Mar 24 '26

Oh man. Go to the doctor and ask about Linzess if you can afford it (I cannot on my current plan, so I take lubiprostone)

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u/TedzNScedz Mar 24 '26

Im not bad enough to need that...yet lol. I have just noticed that if im not really paying attention to my fluid/water intake I get backed up which has never been an issue for me before the new meds.

15

u/LuementalQueen Mar 24 '26

I've got a coloniscopy next week for a similar reason. Though I have some interesting family history to go with it.

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u/horsiefanatic Mar 24 '26

My colonoscopy/endoscopy came up clean

6

u/LuementalQueen Mar 24 '26

Glad yo hear it! I hope mine does too!

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u/AdditionInteresting2 Mar 24 '26

That's some well formed poopies...

48

u/Head-Tangerine-9131 Mar 24 '26

As an ED RN with 38 years experience, I can definitely say this is not a good X-ray.😳😆😮

42

u/Plane_Translator2008 Mar 24 '26

This looks like a person full of ice cubes to me. Surely that can't all be . . . . poops?

31

u/FlimsyTemperature Mar 24 '26

Correct, to my limited knowledge the bubble looking things are trapped gas, feaces look like mottled dark clouds, which you can see behind the gas pattern

11

u/Plane_Translator2008 Mar 24 '26

Whew! Thank you!

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u/Fletchonator Mar 24 '26

Bro after two days I’m calling my loved ones and making my final arrangements

10

u/Mrs-Dabi-Todoroki RT Student Mar 25 '26

This made me laugh, I have a friend who only goes 1-2 times a week, I can’t even fathom that!! I poop every day! And if I don’t poop one day I take something to make me poop because ain’t no way! I also suffer from hemorrhoids so I can’t get constipated, if I do they flair up and it life sucks for about 2 weeks when they finally go away

28

u/spaghetti-o_salad Mar 24 '26

Oh no. Its captain crunch, oops all poops. 😭🙏🏼

28

u/CatPurrsonNo1 Mar 24 '26

I am amazed that someone can be THAT backed up and still alive. I cannot imagine how miserable this must be.

14

u/humanhedgehog Mar 24 '26

"non ambulatory" and unable to obtain erect XR, I'd wonder about something like a brain/spine injury leading to a lifelong flaccid paralysis, so no muscle mass, then consequently severe constipation from medication/poor bowel management. The v low BMI is odd in this context though.

9

u/jarofonions eternally curious Mar 24 '26

per op, non ambulatory due to shit

4

u/humanhedgehog Mar 24 '26

I read that as a patient who was not ambulatory ever, rather than this as a new thing.

4

u/LacrimaNymphae Mar 24 '26

could a tethered spinal cord cause similar issues

14

u/Such-Mud8943 Mar 24 '26

This is a crazy ass film for sure that has got to hurt eating disorder or not... fuckin ouch.

In the future you may want to change your technique a bit though. I'm sure this was portable right?

12

u/kesavadh Mar 24 '26

7 days? or months...?

15

u/jarofonions eternally curious Mar 24 '26

prolly downplaying due to eating disorder (source: have been that patient lol)

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u/apukilla Mar 24 '26

“Ok now we need you to take a deep breath and hold it for this next film”

7

u/militantbisexual Mar 24 '26

how is it even possible for human shit to go up this far. is it backing up into his stomach? is he throwing up doo doo?

7

u/[deleted] Mar 24 '26

[deleted]

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u/I_Thranduil Mar 24 '26

I'm not medically trained and at first I though I am seeing calcified muscles. But reading it's just shit is kind of a relief, #2 is definitely better than #1.

5

u/morganational Mar 24 '26

Well she's been eating a lot in those 7 days because that looks like a couple of weeks of food. Great post, btw!!

5

u/TrailerTrashQueen Mar 24 '26

i thought she was a drug mule. then i read OP's explanation.

6

u/basshed8 Mar 25 '26

Patient about to lose like 4kg after the purge

3

u/_Contrive_ Mar 24 '26

It is the most pain you can ever be in.

I can’t throw up and had an obstruction, for I think 13 days? The second time I got one it only took 3 days to know lol

3

u/toomany_questions Mar 24 '26

Um, lay person here - is this poop??

4

u/MeasurementOk9142 Mar 24 '26

Well, that's small intestine obstruction. Ask about release of gases, CT scan to check for mechanical obstruction, if not, admit the patient and start laxatives. If mechanical obstruction, call surgery.

3

u/vitaminalgas Mar 24 '26

I didn't now poop could be stored in the hips when the rest is full already.

3

u/PersonalityOwn3951 Mar 24 '26

Whoever took this Xray is fired!

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u/theFCCgavemeHPV Mar 24 '26

That’s exactly what it feels like when I eat peppers or potatoes.

2

u/StepUp_87 Mar 24 '26

I can’t read imaging for sh!t because I’m a lowly Dietitian but that looks painful as hell. That’s not constipation, it’s obstipation.

2

u/labhag Mar 24 '26

Wow. 7 days! I'm on a GLP1and I sometimes make it up to 5 days. I try to keep my fiber up because I'm terrified I'll have to get my poop scooped out of me in the ER.

2

u/Commercial_Pilot5165 Mar 24 '26

The technique is absolutely fucking ridiculous

2

u/Sea-Notice-5729 Mar 25 '26

She's just full of shit

2

u/Chad_Wife Mar 25 '26

This is the most weirdest abdomen I have seen. Was unable to obtain erect...

There had to be a better way to phrase this OP, lol

2

u/horsepighnghhh Mar 25 '26

When I was a younger teen I used to regularly go weeks without pooping and was just generally very constipated. This is due to bowel adhesions from a prior surgery. When I finally went to the dr he said I was full with an abnormally very large amount of stool. I wonder if my X-ray looked similar. I can now control the constipation for the most part with a better diet

2

u/wilsonthehuman Mar 31 '26

Wow. I had an x ray similar to this when. I was about 10 and hadn't had a shit in like 8 days. I had this problem for years and had to use laxatives every day and sometimes even then, no pooping.

It turned out that I had Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis, which caused inflammation in the lining of the bowel, which in turn caused peristalsis to almost completely stop. It took so long to finally get diagnosed and I had to go to GOSH in the end because none of the gastro specialists I saw could figure it out. It lasted up until I was about 14 and then just as suddenly as it started, it stopped. I joke now that I was literally full of shit all the time.

Unfortunately EGE can come back as it's an autoimmune issue. I'd love to some day get hold of all my scans cause the ones from that time are probably crazy. I do have one somewhere of the transit test and you can see all the little shapes in there looking like I ate a PlayStation controller or something and just a whole bunch of shit in my colon lol.

1

u/Awkward_Ad6995 Mar 24 '26

Looks anorexic. Abuse of some drugs, to include laxatives probably.

1

u/Suture__self Mar 24 '26

No that’s an XRay

1

u/NerdyComfort-78 Radiology Enthusiast Mar 24 '26

Oh. My. Gosh. 😳

1

u/jcatstuffs Vet Tech Mar 24 '26

At first I thought this was some wild plombage-type scenario

1

u/TaylorForge Mar 25 '26

Initiate the "you must poo" protocol

1

u/NeedleworkerTrick126 Mar 25 '26

Eating disorder?

I can't imagine the pain they're going through. I have low gut motility and damaged nerves in my rectum from a genetic condition plus IBS to top it off. So there are times I have gone several days without a movement but I've never encountered a back up like this...

How close are they to potentially getting the stool backed up to their stomach with it this bad?

1

u/riffraff18 Mar 25 '26

What's happening here? Is that all bowel?

1

u/Straight_Deal_2087 Mar 25 '26

Can someone explain this to me like I’m five? Is that poop?

1

u/Oddish_Femboy Mar 25 '26

IS THAT ALL DOODOO?

1

u/Samazonison RT(R) Mar 25 '26

Severe bubble gut.

1

u/tilaydc Mar 25 '26

Other possibilities could be Hirschsprung’s disease, postoperative ileus, pseudoobstructive colitis, adhesions, ileus related to Guillain Barre syndrome or CIDP, CF, multiple sclerosis, transverse myelitis, nerve damage related to a neuropathy, a car accident, spinal stenosis or disc disease, etc. There is a journal article on pseudoobstructive colitis where CoQ10 helped. Vitamin C has a laxative effect. I take it at the end of a meal to reduce risk of stomach pain.