fracas

Woman stuck to toilet seat for years. Yes, you read it right. Two years to be exact. 

I’m sure you’re going to read this and think, yes.. that is the kind of story I’d expect to find at the fracas blog, but I’m posting it not for the slapstick appeal everyone else is posting it, but to bring about a tiny bit of awareness. Sometimes at fracas, I do that.

I happened upon this story and checked it out at several sites first. Over at ABC2, the story was reported like so:

“A woman in Kansas is being treated for a skin infection after she was stuck to her toilet seat. She refused to leave her boyfriend’s bathroom for two years and her skin bonded to the seat.”

I wanted to make sure this wasn’t some internet joke, and so read several other sites as well. Over at the Editor & Publisher site, the story went like this:

“The News reported the incredibly bizarre case of a woman in Ness City, Kan., who sat on her boyfriend’s toilet for two years — becoming stuck to the seat as her skin literally grew around it.

For all that time, the boyfriend, whom authorities would not identify, took her food and water, and, he told Ness County Sheriff’s officers, begged her to come out. But he apparently never thought to call for help until Feb. 27.

It came from a classic phone tip — but editors at first, naturally, assumed the woman was dead.

In an account of the case by Associated Press reporter Roxana Hegeman — the one rocketing around office e-mails nationwide — Ness County Sheriff Bryan Whipple said the 35-year-old at first insisted nothing was wrong, and she didn’t want to leave.

She was eventually persuaded to go a hospital by emergency medical services personnel who pried the toilet seat off with a pry bar, and, as Sheriff Whipple said, “the seat went with her to the hospital.” Her legs had appeared to atrophy, he added.”

Now while there is certainly an element of the funny in this story, it made me a little sad to see so many sites using it solely for that reason when the part of the story that struck me, was the reason why this woman ended up how she was found.

“Her boyfriend says the woman lived in fear and would not leave the bathroom. He says he brought her food and water and tried to convince her to leave the bathroom.

She’s being treated for a skin infection and receiving mental help in a Wichita hospital. Doctors say she’s in fair condition but she will need a wheelchair once she gets out.”

Watch the video here. 

It’s not all that funny anymore, is it?

It’s called agoraphobia, and it truly imprisons people who suffer from it. Some common facts about agoraphobia are: 

• approximately 2 to 5 out of every 100 people report symptoms of agoraphobia without a history of panic disorder
• in clinics, over 95% of people presenting for treatment for agoraphobia also have panic disorder
• panic disorder seems to be a risk factor for agoraphobia
• the longer people live with panic disorder, the more likely they are to develop symptoms of agoraphobia
• more women experience agoraphobia than men

Have you ever seen someone trying to live with it? I have. It’s not funny, and so today, fracas would like to use this story not to get a laugh from anyone, but to provide links to information and help on agoraphobia.

If you know someone who might be suffering from it, please encourage them to look for help, and… because they may be too fearful to leave their home, or their room, or even a bathroom to get the help, please seek it for them.

To view a larger version of this striking image [1] click it, and it will open up the full version.

Agorophobia Information and Links:

agoraphobia (ag´rfō´bē),  n an anxiety disorder characterized by a fear of being in an open, crowded, or public place where escape may be difficult or help may not be available if needed.

1. Agoraphobia without history of panic disorder.
2. Social Phobia World – Support Forums
3. AnxietyBC – Agoraphobia
4. MedicineNet – Detailed Discussion on Agoraphobia
5. bbc.co.uk Health – Agoraphobia
6. Agoraphobia – Mayo Clinic Site
7. Panic Disorder with and without Agoraphobia – What is a Panic Attack?
8. Agoraphobia Support UK
9. HealthCare.com – List of Agoraphobia Support Groups

[1] Image Source: Jim Bloom. Jim’s Folk Art is worth a visit. The piece I’ve used here literally jumped out at me for the way it so accurately portrays how a person with agoraphobia may feel. When you view it, think about that. Please.