Death By Pooping

Dancing David

Penultimate Amazing
Dancing David
Joined
Mar 26, 2003
Messages
39,700
Location
central Illinois
In my wife's family, her younger brother is married to a woman who is a nurse, registered type, who works at a cardiac center.

recently my wife's family said that this nurse stated that there must be a nerve that connects pooping to the heart and that it leads to death in the elderly, which is why so many dead people are found on the stool.

Out of politeness I did not laugh out loud, but this sounds like the making of urban legend to me!
 
Nah, I've died a thousand deaths while sitting on the throne. That's a legend in itself. :)

M.
 
i always assumed that in the elderly, the strain of the whole business could be enough to trigger a heart attack...
i would have thought physical exertion rather than a nerve were to blame....tho i admit i have little knowledge of elderly bowel movements.....:) :) :)
 
I thought this was common knowledge. Elvis Presley died of a heart attack whilst on the throne. I thought it was the strain and increased blood pressure required that would be enough of a trigger.
 
My dad has a pacemaker precisely because he has an overly sensitive vagus nerve. His heart had stopped a few times prior to that, before he was diagnosed. Sounds like the same sort of thing.
 
If some of you remember i worked for the Coroners office..

At least 4/10 of 'sudden deaths' in the home, i found on the toilet with evidence at an attempt to defecate. Approx 3 of those 4, were elderly people.

Also, there was a lot more deceased that showed evidence of defecation and attempted cleaning just before death occured, from all age groups, in all areas of the home.


DB
 
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Hmmm. I wonder if this kind of difficulty might be diet-related? I'm having trouble imagining why a person with a normal diet would have a difficult or stressful time doing something which should be a routine and pleasant part of everyday life.
 
This is all more than I wanted to know. However, I will take it as a suggestion that I should be as relaxed as possible while on the toilet.

~~ Paul
 
Nova Land said:
Hmmm. I wonder if this kind of difficulty might be diet-related? I'm having trouble imagining why a person with a normal diet would have a difficult or stressful time doing something which should be a routine and pleasant part of everyday life.
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A normal bowel movement is sufficient to cause the physiologcal changes that may lead to a heart attack.
 
I've never come close to killing myself while defecating, but the people who walked in after me have complained of nearly dying. So now I light a match before leaving. ;)
 
In the Things I Learned From My Patients thread on the medical doctors' forum, one poster warns everyone suffering symptoms of a heart attack NEVER to use the bathroom. Same thing?
 
Silly Green Monkey said:
In the Things I Learned From My Patients thread on the medical doctors' forum, one poster warns everyone suffering symptoms of a heart attack NEVER to use the bathroom. Same thing?
Click to expand...

So, um, what are they supposed to do instead? What alternatives are available? :confused:
 
The reason so many people die while on the toilet is probably the result of them performing a valsalva maneuver, i.e., straining to have a bowel movement. Many people routinely do this, particularly if they are constipated, but it can be quite detrimental for people with cardiac deficiency, such as heart patients, the elderly, drug users, etc. because it constricts blood flow to the heart. From the above url, we have the following quote:
The patient may feel dizzy or faint during the procedure, but serious consequences are rare. There is a risk that the Valsalva maneuver can cause blood clots to detach, bleeding, and abnormal rhythms originating in the ventricle. It can also cause cardiac arrest. Consequently, the procedure is usually performed in a setting where emergency equipment is accessible.
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My dad passed out while urinating and smacked his head real good. Sorry, it's late right now and I have little details, but there is some relationship between urinating (which he now does while seated) and ...well I'm not actually sure what happened physiologically speaking. He saw his doctor about it. It was years ago.

Just wanted to point out that urinating can also cause some interesting "side effects".
 
joe87 said:
The reason so many people die while on the toilet is probably the result of them performing a valsalva maneuver, i.e., straining to have a bowel movement. Many people routinely do this, particularly if they are constipated, but it can be quite detrimental for people with cardiac deficiency, such as heart patients, the elderly, drug users, etc. because it constricts blood flow to the heart.
Click to expand...

I have to wonder about the person after whom this is named. You think (s)he's proud of the association?
 
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