Chad Michael Murray’s condition was so bad that his family was actually worried that he wasn’t going to make it. “I almost died,” Murray said on “The Jess Cagle Show.” He recalled, “They had a priest at the end of my bed. I remember, it was the only time I ever saw my dad cry.” Although Murray didn’t go into detail, symptoms of volvulus, which is the twisting of the colon, can include things like abdominal cramping, constipation, nausea, and vomiting, per the UCSF Department of Surgery. Generally speaking, a twist in the colon prevents things from working their way from the stomach out of the body, which can cause extreme discomfort. Oftentimes, a patient will experience things coming back up versus being worked down and out.
There are a series of tests that doctors can perform, including scans, that can help diagnose a twisted intestine, but they have to move fast. Complications such as shock or sepsis can result in death, according to the National Institute of Health. Once doctors diagnose a patient with volvulus, there are a handful of ways it can be treated. Commonly, the patient will need surgery to untwist the colon. Fortunately, Murray’s life was spared, and he credits one person in particular.
