Articles by Anders Anglesey,Fionnuala Boyle

Health

Man dies from chronic constipation after not pooing for a month

A man died from chronic constipation after he was unable to poo for a month. James Stewart passed away with 1.4st of impacted faeces stuck in his bowels. A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed by the 41-year-old's family who say his passing was "entirely avoidable", reports the Mirror . The family claim staff working at the group home where James lived had not paid attention to his complaints and had ignored warning signs, such as a swollen belly and odd behaviour, before his death on November 15, 2024. The lawsuit said James, who loved music, swimming, and sports, "had not had a bowel movement anywhere from several weeks to as long as a month." They filed the lawsuit against Clear Skies Ahead in Bazetta Township, in Ohio. James needed daily supervision and assistance, so had to live in a group home. He also had "intellectual and/or developmental disabilities" and a known "history of constipation," a document seen by the Independent said. James had been taking medicine that resulted in severe side effects in his digestive system. The lawsuit claimed staff ignored James' complaints about constipation. Staff reportedly clocked James was ill and had been behaving out of character in the days before his death. The lawsuit described James as "despondent, low energy, and complaining of pain." His stomach was swollen and there was reportedly bruising on his abdomen. Attorney Matt Mooney, who represents the family said James' condition and history of constipation was known to Clear Skies Ahead staff. He told 21News: "They should have been paying close attention to whether James was having bowel movements, and they just weren’t. "This was something that was on their radar. They knew about it. They still weren’t paying attention to it." On November 15, a member of staff reportedly told James to "sit on the toilet" but could not poo. He was later found collapsed in his bedroom and was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. The Mirror has contacted Clear Skies Ahead for comment.