ack!

Post by **faceless** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 2:02 pm

Giant hairball found inside teenager
Thursday, November 22, 2007

Goodness gracious, great ball of fur! It may look like a giant turd, but this is a massive hairball. Remarkably, and disgustingly, this was discovered inside a real person. The mass of fuzz was found in the abdomen of an 18-year-old woman in the US.

She complained to doctors of suffering five months of pain and swelling, causing her to vomit after eating and lose 18kg in weight. A scan of the abdomen by doctors in Chicago revealed a large mass, and they then lowered a scope through her esophagus. It showed the medical team that a ball of hair was blocking the woman's stomach.

The patient told doctors she had a habit of eating her hair, something she had been doing for five years. The condition is called trichophagia. The scientific name for a hairball is a trichobezoar. Wow. The woman underwent surgery to remove the black, curly hair, which weighed 4.5kg and was 38cm long. She returned home five days later, and has stopped eating her hair.

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luke · Post by **luke** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 2:09 pm

thats crazy - 38cm!

maycm · Post by **maycm** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 2:42 pm

Sounds like she had a close shave then.

Brown Sauce · Post by **Brown Sauce** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 4:03 pm

guess who's comin' for dinner, natty dreadlock ...

nekokate · Post by **nekokate** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 4:39 pm

That is vile! I go crazy if I even have a single hair in my mouth. She likes to eat the stuff???

Post by **Skylace** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 5:11 pm

There was a girl a few years back over here that died from that.

major.tom · Post by **major.tom** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 9:01 pm

That's just incredible. No wonder she didn't feel well.

Post by **eefanincan** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 2:42 am

nekokate wrote:That is vile! I go crazy if I even have a single hair in my mouth. She likes to eat the stuff???

I'm exactly the same kate. But this is a real psychiatric illness..... I remember learning about it in nursing school, but I've never actually looked after anyone who's had it.

This site has a little background on it: Trichophagia

Post by **Skylace** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 1:38 pm

eefanincan wrote:
nekokate wrote:That is vile! I go crazy if I even have a single hair in my mouth. She likes to eat the stuff???
I'm exactly the same kate. But this is a real psychiatric illness..... I remember learning about it in nursing school, but I've never actually looked after anyone who's had it.

This site has a little background on it: Trichophagia

I had a student who did this but it was her eyebrows and eyelashes that she ate. I didn't get to work with her long because they moved quite quickly after registering her.

Marcella-FL · Post by **Marcella-FL** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 2:56 am

Isn't trich the disorder where they pull their hair out? (not necessarily eat it but obsess about pulling it out.)

Post by **eefanincan** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 3:25 am

Marcella-FL wrote:Isn't trich the disorder where they pull their hair out? (not necessarily eat it but obsess about pulling it out.)

I think that's part of it for some people.... the "phagia" part is where they swallow it.

Post by **Skylace** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 3:25 am

Marcella-FL wrote:Isn't trich the disorder where they pull their hair out? (not necessarily eat it but obsess about pulling it out.)

That's Trichotillomania.

Post by **eefanincan** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 3:26 am

Skylace wrote:
Marcella-FL wrote:Isn't trich the disorder where they pull their hair out? (not necessarily eat it but obsess about pulling it out.)
That's Trichotillomania.

Show off!

Post by **Skylace** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 3:54 pm

eefanincan wrote:
Skylace wrote:
Marcella-FL wrote:Isn't trich the disorder where they pull their hair out? (not necessarily eat it but obsess about pulling it out.)
That's Trichotillomania.
Show off!

Who me?

Twirley · Post by **Twirley** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 10:53 pm

That's quite nasty!