Toilet Phobia: Teen Dies After Refusing To Poop

Emily Titterington, 16, had a phobia of toilets and often withheld her stools for up to two months.

He said he visited Emily at her home three days before she died – but she had not allowed him to examine her. The coroner determined the cause of death to be an extension of the large bowel which had constricted her chest cavity.

The hearing in Truro continues.

Her GP Dr. Alistair James said leading up to her death, Titterington’s mother had battled rigorously to persuade her to be properly examined.

An investigation is continuing on the death of Emily Titterington, 16, who died from an apparent heart attack after holding her bowels for several weeks.

“””(It was) like nothing I have ever seen before”, pathologist Dr. Amanda Jeffery said during the inquest. At that point, the medics tried to resuscitate her, but Emily was declared dead at the hospital. On the first occasion he described Emily as ‘looking pale’ and said she had complained of pain between her shoulder blades.

He said she wore a “loose nightie” and he didn’t notice any abdominal swelling.

Mr. Herbert said: “I would like to say for the record that we strongly said to the parents that she should be in hospital, and this was completely disregarded”.

Taylor said that when he and a student paramedic arrived at the family home for the second time that night after 4am, “her father James was outside shouting at us to help, saying something had gone badly wrong”.

Paramedic Lee Taylor told The Independent that the constipated teen, who also had mild autism, was found lying in the doorway of the bathroom in February 2013 with her abdomen “grossly extended”.

“Her lower ribs had been pushed out further than her pubic bone – I was shocked”.

Her sister revealed during the inquest that she had not been to the toilet for “six to eight weeks” and this was “routine”.

Emily’s mother told the inquest she believed if her daughter could have been able to have a dedicated support person to build a relationship with, her death might have been prevented.

An inquest heard the condition was so bad that some body parts had been displaced, including her diaphragm.

Speaking on the final day of the inquest, Emily’s brother-in-law, Brian Herbert, said he and his wife Hannah had warned social services that “something awful would happen” to her.