A 66 year old chronically ill man who lived in a nursing home after a while, was brought to the emergency department with the chief complaint of constipation, along with diffuse abdominal pain and shortness of breath. His nursing home records indicated that he had a vigorous appetite, despite not having had a bowel movement for more than a month. With in minutes of presentation, the patient became lethargic and unresponsive and was subsequently intubated. His rectal temperature was 102 degrees F, and his white blood cell count was 22,000/mm3. He had a ventral hernia, his abdomen was extremely distended without bowel sounds, and a plain film of the abdomen revealed absence of air in the right colon. In the operating room , a large iscehemic, dilated loop of bowel was removed. He was put on a ventilator and the patient died 3 days later of fulminant sepsis. There was no more that could be done for him.

Colon and Cancer Facts:

According to the National Center for Disease, Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, exceeded only by heart disease. According to United States Cancer Statistics 2003 Incidence and Mortality, which tracks cancer incidences for about 96% of the U.S. population mortality for the entire country, more than 556,000 Americans died of cancer, and over 1.29 million had a diagnosis of cancer in 2003. Nearly all diseases are directly related to the condition of your colon. The purpose of the colon (large intestine) is to collect and eliminate toxic waste from every part of the body, to to store it. There may be as many as 36 toxic gases and / or poisons in your colon alone. Some can be very active and produce detrimental effects, even in small quantities. In many cases they can seep out of the colon and poison the rest of your body, and cause concerns like placing stress on and weaken the heart; skin problems, irritate lungs and cause foul breath; go to joints causing pain and stiffness; cause weakness and chronic fatigue; migraine headaches; ruin your health; rob your youth; pressure on the prostate gland; pressure on the uterus, and colon cancer amongst other ailments. Your hanging belly is not a fashion statement, but instead may be due to a build up of waste in the colon. A transverse colon that cancer claims the lives of more than half a million Americans.