The 57-year-old man, taken to Footscray Hospital in Melbourne, presented a swollen abdomen, nausea and extreme pain in his right leg.
Doctors later diagnosed the man with abdominal compartment syndrome.
Bill Flemming, one of the doctor's on this case, told 9Pickle, 'The unusual thing about this case was the cause. Faecal impaction means the bowel was so full that it caused a catastrophic rise in intra-abdominal pressure.
'This led to pressure on abdominal blood vessels, causing the blood supply to the leg to be cut off, and both legs to become swollen.'
While both the man's right and left leg were affected, the right was 'cold' and had no 'palpable distal pulses.'
'There was indeed a risk to the man’s leg,' Dr. Flemming said.
He added, 'He was essentially treated by manually removing over two litres of faeces from his bowel, under a general anaesthetic, as it would be extremely uncomfortable without this.
'This decreased the pressure enough to restore the circulation to his leg.
'Post decompression he developed kidney failure for a few days - this happens when circulation is restored and lots of proteins are released from the damaged muscles in the leg, which damage the kidneys.'
The man spent four days in the intensive care unit and it took an additional thirteen days for him to be able to walk properly.
He has since recovered, but still experiences bowel issues and requires laxatives to assist with regular bowel movements.
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This article originally appeared on New Idea.
