Surgeons in China have removed 30 inches of a man's intestines after a rare medical condition had left him constipated for years.

The unnamed 22-year-old patient sought treatment at the 10th People's Hospital of Shanghai in eastern China after pain and swelling in his stomach had reached intolerable levels. Head of the surgical team Dr. Yin Lu said he was stunned by the size of his patient's abdomen, nothing it "looked like to could explode at any time."

The patient was revealed to have Hirschsprung's Disease, a congenital condition in which the nerves that control a person's bowels and allow them to pass food and fluids do not function correctly. The patient depended on laxatives to force bowel movements until surgeons removed over two feet of intestines that had been backed up over years.

The patient is expected to make a stable recovery after surgeons took pictures with the excised mass weighing close to 30 pounds. Hirschsprung's Disease can affect infants as well as adults and patients experiencing discomfort or swelling for extended periods of time should consult their medical professionals.