The king of rock and roll, Elvis Presley, famously met his end on a peculiar kind of throne – the toilet.
Some believe he died of a heart attack brought on by decades of drug abuse.
Others say his weight and diet — which in the end consisted mostly of a plate of cheeseburgers — set him back.
But it was Elvis’ doctor who speculated that cardiac arrest caused by exertion was what finally killed the king.
And as strange as it may seem, there is a fairly well-established link between dropping trash and falling dead.
There are a few different ways that poop can kill you, one of them being ‘potty syndrome’ – a term coined by a team of doctors in the Caribbean.
It happens when someone poops and suffers a pulmonary embolism at the same time.
A deadly condition that can kill in minutes, PE occurs when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel in the lungs.
It often happens when part of a clot in the leg breaks off and travels to the lungs, cutting off blood flow. If left untreated, it can kill within minutes.
Certain medical conditions, such as heart failure, diabetes, and high blood pressure, can increase your risk of the disease.
People who are pregnant or have just had a baby are also at greater risk.
Writing in Journal of Pulmonary, Pulmonary and Respiratory ResearchDoctors at San Fernando General Hospital have reported seven bizarre cases of patients suffering from ‘pan syndrome’ to find out why it typically happens.
All patients died from saddle pulmonary embolism, a life-threatening blood clot that cuts off blood flow to both lungs.
This happened while they were going to the bathroom, or shortly after.
Five of the patients were female and two were male. Their ages ranged between 34 and 86 years.
One man, who was 74 at the time, had diabetes and had recently undergone surgery to repair a broken hip.
Another was a 68-year-old man who had just had a radical prostatectomy to remove prostate cancer.
An 89-year-old woman was diagnosed with metastatic gastric cancer, stomach cancer that has spread to other parts of the body.
Two of the patients – a 50-year-old man and a 71-year-old woman – suffered from several underlying health problems, including diabetes and heart disease.
Another, a 67-year-old woman, had Parkinson’s disease, a condition that causes part of the brain to deteriorate.
The youngest patient, a 34-year-old woman, had just given birth and was suffering from deep vein thrombosis (DVT), when a blood clot forms in one or more deep veins in the body, usually in the legs.
She had used a chamber pot, a container used to collect urine and feces – while lying in a hospital bed moments before her death – hence the name “bed pain syndrome”.
HOW POOING CAN KILL
For both men, who underwent a prostatectomy and a hip operation, doctors said the poop may have just been a side effect of the blood clot migrating upwards from the hip area.
As the blood clot moved up the body, it could have triggered the feeling of needing to poop, they explained.
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“The need to defecate is a clinical sign that pulmonary embolism may be imminent in at-risk patients,” they added.
However, there is another theory, which suggests that pooping actually causes the blood clot to move.
When we prepare to let go of one, we instinctively employ a breathing technique called the Valsalva maneuver, which helps you push yourself.
It involves taking a deep breath and holding it, before trying to exhale against the closed airway.
This expands the lungs and pushes the diaphragm down.
The diaphragm, in turn, puts pressure on the abdominal organs, which puts pressure on the pelvis.
As a result, the muscles in the anus gently open, allowing feces to exit.
Doctors said this act of strain could cause a blood clot from other parts of the body, such as the leg, to break off and travel to the lungs, leading to a pulmonary embolism.
Signs to watch out for when trying number 2 — and when to see a doctor
Everyone’s pooping habits are different.
Anything from three times a day to three times a week can be in the normal range.
Know what is normal for you so you know when something is wrong.
Any changes in our bathroom habits, whether going more or less frequently, having loose stools, diarrhea or constipation, are considered a potential warning sign of bowel cancer.
If there are any changes to your “normal,” this may be something to discuss with a doctor.
Changes can also be caused by digestive problems, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
It can cause stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhea and constipation, with symptoms coming and going or lasting days or weeks.
Anything that causes a change in your bowel habits can be scary – they can be changed by how much water you drink or what you eat.
NHS guidance recommends that you speak to a family doctor if you notice a persistent change in your bowel habits for three weeks or more.
WHAT ARE BLOOD CLOTS AND WHAT ARE THE SIGNS?
There are two types of blood clots.
When a clot occurs in an artery, it is called an arterial clot. This can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
A blood clot in a vein is called a venous clot, with the most serious type being DVT.
These clots may build up more slowly over time, but they can still be fatal.
According to Stop the clotSigns of a blood clot in the leg or arm include:
- Pain or sensitivity
- Swelling
- Skin hot to the touch
- Redness or discoloration of the skin
A blood clot can break off and travel to the lungs, causing pulmonary embolism (PE).
Signs of a blood clot in the lung include:
- Difficulty breathing
- Chest pain that worsens with deep breathing or lying down
- Coughing or coughing up blood
- Heartbeat faster than normal or irregular
While the National Health Service states, there are a number of factors that can put you at risk for a blood clot. These include:
- Being hospitalized or recently left hospital – especially if you can’t move around much (such as after an operation)
- Being overweight
- Smoke
- Use combined hormonal contraception, such as the combined pill, birth control patch, or vaginal ring
- Having had a blood clot before
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
