A 20-year-old thermometer was removed from the stomach of a 32-year-old man in China. He swallowed it as a child at the age of 12. The problem was revealed in the investigation when the stomach ache which had been going on for years increased, after which the doctors performed surgery and took it out.
A shocking case of how devastating the evils of childhood can sometimes be has come to light from China. A man had a thermometer in his stomach for 20 years and he didn’t even realize it. When at the age of 32 the stomach pain became unbearable, this secret was revealed. This unique incident took place in Wenzhou city of south-eastern China.
I was having stomach ache for years
A 32-year-old man named Wang was complaining of stomach pain for many years. When the pain became too severe, he went to the Longgang Branch of the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University for treatment. Doctors conducted several tests to find out the cause of the pain. When the stomach was scanned, even the doctors were shocked to see the report.
The scan showed that an entire mercury thermometer was stuck at the beginning of Wang’s small intestine (duodenum), which was not broken. Doctors asked Wang if he had had any surgery before. He refused, but then he remembered an incident from his childhood. Wang told doctors that he accidentally swallowed a thermometer as a child, the South China Morning Post reported.
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Swallowed a thermometer at the age of 12
Wang told that this incident happened when he was 12 years old. He did not tell this to anyone due to fear of scolding from his parents. There were no major problems in the beginning, so Wang also forgot about it. But in recent years the stomach pain started increasing continuously. He consulted many doctors and took various medicines, but there was no benefit.
Investigation revealed that the pointed end of the thermometer was piercing the intestinal wall, due to which he was feeling severe pain. Doctors warned that if it is not removed quickly, it can cause serious damage to the intestine and even internal bleeding.
Removed in 20 minutes surgery
The doctors decided to remove the thermometer through surgery. This surgery was not easy, because the thermometer had been inside the body for 20 years and was very close to the bile ducts. There was also a high risk of damage to the intestinal wall during surgery.
However, the team of doctors performed this operation with great care. After the surgery which lasted about 20 minutes, the thermometer was taken out safely without any damage. It has been told in the report that due to staying in the stomach for 20 years, the marks on the thermometer were completely erased, but the good thing was that the mercury inside it was safe and had not leaked.