# What'd be the cause of death of someone who couldn't...uhh...go number 2? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 30, 2004, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-be-the-cause-of-death-of-someone-who-couldnt-uhh-go-number-2/266803 "2004-09-30T05:14:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Standup\_Karmic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac91a4/32.png) [@Standup\_Karmic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Standup_Karmic)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-be-the-cause-of-death-of-someone-who-couldnt-uhh-go-number-2/266803/1 "2004-09-30T05:14:39Z")
Let us presume that one person or persons were to torture another person by joining their buttocks together in such a way that no excrement could be expelled. Perhaps it would be done by super-gluing, or some very adhesive caulking. Maybe just wrapping an elastic bandage around the body extremely tightly. I presume that this would, in some way, lead to the death of the tortured individual. Perhaps it would cause some kind of toxic poisoning? A ruptured lower intestine (which I suppose might then lead to toxic poisoning?) What would be the most likely cause of death? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-be-the-cause-of-death-of-someone-who-couldnt-uhh-go-number-2/266803/2 "2004-09-30T05:44:36Z")
Um, well, a couple of years back I lost a coworker I was fond of in sort of a similar manner. He had been unable to shit for over a week, then got to the point where he couldn’t even fart, due to some sort of intestinal blockage. I believe the actual cause of death when he finally keeled in the parking garage was heart failure. Not sure of the actual mechanisms involved, I imagine there was some sort of “domino effect”. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-be-the-cause-of-death-of-someone-who-couldnt-uhh-go-number-2/266803/3 "2004-09-30T05:49:43Z")
Death by explosion? I expect peritonitis from a perforated colon and the subsequent septic shock would be a significant risk. ---
**Author:** ![moggyAU](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@moggyAU](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moggyAU)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-be-the-cause-of-death-of-someone-who-couldnt-uhh-go-number-2/266803/4 "2004-09-30T05:54:34Z")
> [@The Asbestos Mango](#): > > Um, well, a couple of years back I lost a coworker I was fond of in sort of a similar manner. He had been unable to shit for over a week, then got to the point where he couldn’t even fart, due to some sort of intestinal blockage. > > I believe the actual cause of death when he finally keeled in the parking garage was heart failure. Not sure of the actual mechanisms involved, I imagine there was some sort of “domino effect”. Did he confide this in you before hand, and if so why did he or any one else seek help for him? ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-be-the-cause-of-death-of-someone-who-couldnt-uhh-go-number-2/266803/5 "2004-09-30T06:45:53Z")
Absent input by **QtM** , I’d attribute death to intestinal stricture or abdominal incarceration. ---
**Author:** ![TastesLikeBurning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@TastesLikeBurning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TastesLikeBurning)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-be-the-cause-of-death-of-someone-who-couldnt-uhh-go-number-2/266803/6 "2004-09-30T10:50:16Z")
Or maybe this could happen… [Shit breath](http://www.jcjc.cc.ms.us/faculty/adn/jmcmillan/obstruct.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-be-the-cause-of-death-of-someone-who-couldnt-uhh-go-number-2/266803/7 "2004-09-30T12:13:19Z")
I had a medic that was telling us about dehydration, and how one of the more serious conditions was called [_fecal impaction_](http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000230.htm) literally, you’re full of sh\*t. He mentioned it could, with time, kill you. If you’re bowels were so blocked up enough that they started to go through necrosis, the resulting infection could spread through your body and kill you. All this, just to remind us to drink our water. :eek: Tripler It became a pet term to describe what people thought of others, too. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-be-the-cause-of-death-of-someone-who-couldnt-uhh-go-number-2/266803/8 "2004-09-30T12:24:12Z")
IIRC, acute bowel obstruction was what killed Heather O’Rourke, the little girl from the _Poltergeist_ movies. I would think that, at age 12 (or was it 13?), she would have had the sense to tell someone that she’d been unable to poop for several days. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-be-the-cause-of-death-of-someone-who-couldnt-uhh-go-number-2/266803/9 "2004-09-30T14:39:10Z")
> [@TastesLikeBurning](#): > > Or maybe this could happen… > > [Shit breath](http://www.jcjc.cc.ms.us/faculty/adn/jmcmillan/obstruct.htm) I’ll take fecal vomiting for $500 please Alex. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![badmana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@badmana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badmana)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-be-the-cause-of-death-of-someone-who-couldnt-uhh-go-number-2/266803/10 "2004-09-30T14:44:37Z")
My cat died from complications of this. Basically he was unable to eat after things started backing up. Vet’s x-rays showed a large mass within his large intestines that couldn’t be manually removed and would require massive surgery (removal of the intestines and reattachment). But the damage from not eating enough (I had to hand feed him) took it’s toll on his liver and he had to be put to sleep soon after (liver failure). And the story of Heather O’Rourke is true. She died in surgery trying to remove the obstruction. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-be-the-cause-of-death-of-someone-who-couldnt-uhh-go-number-2/266803/11 "2004-09-30T17:57:58Z")
Didn’t Elvis also have this problem? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-be-the-cause-of-death-of-someone-who-couldnt-uhh-go-number-2/266803/12 "2004-09-30T19:18:48Z")
Feline liver failure? ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-be-the-cause-of-death-of-someone-who-couldnt-uhh-go-number-2/266803/13 "2004-09-30T19:25:45Z")
Most likely a rupture or other damaging flaw in the rectum or descending colon would occur – but there might also be the possibility for some sort of infective growth to occur in the fecal mass, causing systemic poisoning of some sort. However, the person would leave a substantial estate at his/her death from his/her successful career in talk radio! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dog\_Lady\_of\_OKC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@Dog\_Lady\_of\_OKC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog_Lady_of_OKC)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-be-the-cause-of-death-of-someone-who-couldnt-uhh-go-number-2/266803/14 "2004-09-30T19:26:52Z")
No, he was a Hound Dog. Really, they did find him when he fell off the toilet dead as a doornail. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-be-the-cause-of-death-of-someone-who-couldnt-uhh-go-number-2/266803/15 "2004-09-30T19:27:11Z")
Hehe. Impacted bowels, **lieu**. From Snopes: [He did.](http://www.snopes.com/toxins/fecal.htm) ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-be-the-cause-of-death-of-someone-who-couldnt-uhh-go-number-2/266803/16 "2004-09-30T20:37:58Z")
> [@badmana](#): > > And the story of Heather O’Rourke is true. She died in surgery trying to remove the obstruction. Has anyone ever gone on the record about how/why this happened? Was she just too embarassed to bring it up to her mom or someone? ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-be-the-cause-of-death-of-someone-who-couldnt-uhh-go-number-2/266803/17 "2004-09-30T23:14:23Z")
Hey, don’t forget to visit the Muetter Museum’s [gigantic impacted colon](http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/PAPHImut.html) the next time you’re in town! ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2004, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-be-the-cause-of-death-of-someone-who-couldnt-uhh-go-number-2/266803/18 "2004-10-01T00:28:15Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Has anyone ever gone on the record about how/why this happened? Was she just too embarassed to bring it up to her mom or someone? According to [Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/movies/films/polter.htm), she’d been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease the year before her death, so this was not just a one-time bowel problem. [Findadeath](http://www.findadeath.com/Deceased/o/Heather%20ORourke/heather_o.htm) has some more specific information about her death, but I’m not sure how accurate their sources are. ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2004, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-be-the-cause-of-death-of-someone-who-couldnt-uhh-go-number-2/266803/19 "2004-10-01T01:14:27Z")
I’ve seen this several times at the VA hospital where I work, what with its older patient population. A severe impaction can cause a bowel rupture leading to peritonitis then sepsis. It’s not a pleasant way to go. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2004, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-be-the-cause-of-death-of-someone-who-couldnt-uhh-go-number-2/266803/20 "2004-10-01T05:20:28Z")
> [@moggyAU](#): > > Did he confide this in you before hand, and if so why did he or any one else seek help for him? I don’t think “confide” would be the proper word. He grumbled about his gut troubles to his coworkers for about a week before he finally died. We all begged him to go see a doctor, but he just refused to. The guy was fifty-two years old and ostensibly of sound mind. We couldn’t very well hog tie him and drag him to the Fremont Street Medical Center (although it was a tempting idea). Basically, his death was suicide by natural causes. Very sad.