You've heard of concealing the evidence, but a man in England took it a step further. Lamarr Chambers refused to poop out drugs he allegedly swallowed, in a bid to avoid prosecution. To accomplish this uncomfortable feat, the prosecutor said he significantly curbed his food intake and simply didn't "go" when the urge struck (Chambers' lawyer denied this, according to the BBC). After 47 days without a bowel action, police dropped the charges, and Chambers was taken to a hospital for treatment.
你也許聽說過有些罪犯為了隱瞞證據(jù)做出一些令人意想不到的舉動,但這個消息就有點特別了。根據(jù)BBC的報道,英國一名涉嫌毒品交易的男子為了避免警方起訴而吞噬了毒品。為了不讓警方拿到證據(jù),該男子足足47天沒有大便,最終警方放棄了指控,該男子被送到醫(yī)院接受治療。
News of this "pooping strike" left us wondering how big of a deal this is, in terms of impact on the human body. Turns out, it's a crappy idea.
對于47天不排便的消息,我們都想知道這對人體的影響會有多大?事實證明,這真是一個糟糕的主意。
"I would not recommend that anyone willingly subject themselves to that," says Dr. Ellen Stein, an assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University. She would know – one of her main areas of study is intestinal motility, or how poop moves through the digestive tract.
約翰霍普金斯大學醫(yī)學助理教授埃倫斯坦博士的主要研究領域之一是腸道蠕動,或者糞便如何通過消化道。她說:“我不會建議任何人愿意自己接受這一點。”
The thing is, it is technically possible to refuse to defecate, "up to a certain point," she says, but the likely result would be development of a mass of solid, hard-packed stool in the colon, or a "stool ball." And although it could stay put, "Most people would start to leak around the stool ball," she says. Clearly, the guy in England has bigger problems, but in general, anal leakage is no one's friend.
事實是,在理論上人可以拒絕排便,但是可能導致的結果是:在結腸中發(fā)展出大量堅實,堅硬的糞便,或者“大便球”。
Another potential complication of a stool ball is that it puts immense pressure on the area behind it, possibly causing a deep and very painful rectal ulcer. It can also injure the delicate tissue in the anal area, potentially resulting in cuts or tears in the lining, known as "fissures." This is exceptionally unpleasant — "like a paper cut, but in a very sensitive area" is how Dr. Stein describes it. Then, without proper blood supply, which the stool ball often prevents, the fissure won't heal, causing it to worsen over time.
大便球的另一個潛在的復雜情況是,它對后面的區(qū)域施加了巨大的壓力,可能導致深度和非常疼痛的直腸潰瘍。它也可能會傷害肛門區(qū)域的脆弱組織,可能導致內(nèi)襯被割傷或撕裂,稱為“裂縫”。這是非常不愉快的 - “就像剪紙一樣。然后,如果沒有適當?shù)难汗蟊闱蛲鶗柚?,裂縫不會愈合,導致它隨著時間的推移更加惡化。
These short-term implications are harrowing enough on their own, but pale when compared to potential permanent impact. Damage to the rectum and sphincter muscles, as well as distension (swelling) in both of those organs will almost certainly cause both pain and functionality issues.
這些短期影響本身已經(jīng)足夠讓人痛心,但與潛在的永久影響相比,卻顯得蒼白無力。這兩個器官對直腸和括約肌的損傷以及膨脹(腫脹)幾乎肯定會導致疼痛和功能性問題。
"The rectum itself is supposed to have a certain shape, and if you've got a lot of stool for a long time it can get dysfunctional because it's overloaded," Stein says. "This can cause distension of the belly wall." She adds that this is very uncomfortable and the distension can make it difficult for someone to do even basic tasks, like walking around or bending over.
“直腸本身應該具有一定的形狀,如果你長時間有大量糞便,它可能因功能失調(diào)而過載,”Stein說。“這會導致腹壁膨脹。” 她補充說,這是非常不舒服的,而這種膨脹可能會讓人很難完成基本的行動,比如四處走動或彎腰。
It's also extremely tough for such a sensitive area to bounce back from long-term abuse, and can take months to get back in proper working order, if ever. "Muscles usually coordinate and work together. Having been out of practice, sometimes you might need physical therapy to get back into shape down there," Stein says.
對于這樣一個敏感地區(qū)來說,長期濫用行為反彈也是非常困難的,并且可能需要幾個月的時間才能恢復正常的工作秩序。“肌肉通常協(xié)調(diào)并協(xié)同工作,在實踐中,有時候你可能需要物理治療才能恢復體型,”Stein說。
Physical therapy for this issue typically involves exercises that teach the patient how to relax and tighten the pelvic muscles, thereby increasing control over bowel habits. Do enough damage, however, and all the exercises in the world might not reverse the problem. "If it's been a really long time sometimes you don't get back all of what you lost," she says.
這個問題的物理療法通常涉及練習,教導患者如何放松和收緊盆腔肌肉,從而增加對排便習慣的控制。然而,做足夠的傷害,世界上的所有練習都可能不會扭轉(zhuǎn)這個問題。“如果這段時間很長,有時你不會收回所有丟失的東西”她說。
So, what does the end of the road look like for people who've gone for months without pooping? Turns out, it's somewhat of a juxtaposition. "After a long time of withholding stool, there might be a great sense of relief. However, most patients with severe chronic constipation actually may feel worse for a while after releasing stool," she says. "The colon can get used to accommodating the stool and feel achy and uncomfortable as it contracts back towards normal size. Some folks have lost important sensory input and don't feel much different at all for several weeks until the colon begins to function more normally."
那么,對于幾個月沒有排便過的人來說,長時間后會是什么樣子?。她說:“經(jīng)過長時間的排便后,可能會有很大的舒緩感,但是,大多數(shù)患有嚴重慢性便秘的患者在放松大便后實際上可能會感覺更糟,結腸可以習慣適應大便,當它恢復正常大小時會感到疼痛和不舒服,有些人已經(jīng)失去了重要的感覺輸入,并且?guī)讉€星期沒有什么不同,直到結腸開始更正常地運作“。