Constipated woman 'lost 10 years of memories' after straining too hard

The woman was reportedly constipated for two weeks and feeling a lot of discomfort. Photo / 123rf

A woman in Hong Kong claims she temporarily lost 10 years' worth of memories after straining too hard in the bathroom during a bout of constipation.

According to China Times, her son claims his mother had been constipated for more than two weeks and became "very uncomfortable".

She came out of the bathroom displaying signs of amnesia after reportedly straining too hard.

According to her son, the woman could not remember anything that happened in her life in the last 10 years.

Her family took her to the hospital where a brain scan showed nothing abnormal with her brain function.

She reportedly regained her memory after eight hours, and had no recollection of not remembering those things just earlier in the day.

Neurologist Peng Jiaxiong told Chinese media that it is possible to lose your memory from straining too hard.

He explained the phenomenon is called "transient global amnesia" and, in her case, happened due to the increase in abdominal and intra-cerebral pressure that caused a lack of oxygen flow to her brain. The result was short-term memory loss.

The expert added that people who frequently carry heavy objects are at high risk of experiencing this kind of amnesia.

Anyone else suddenly craving some prune juice and a bit of kiwifruit?