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Thai woman's 18-year ordeal due to needle in vagina, ‘dropped’ by nurse: Report
The incident had occurred when the woman, now 36, was being stitched up after giving birth.
A 36-year-old Thai woman who has been enduring severe pain since giving birth 18 years ago, has found it is due to a needle left in her vagina by a nurse.
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“The nurse accidentally dropped the needle while stitching me up after childbirth. A doctor tried to retrieve it with his fingers, but could not get it,” the woman told Pavena Foundation for Children and Women, an NGO, on November 4, The Independent reported.
The doctor continued with suturing (closing a wound using a needle and thread) as he feared more blood loss, she informed the NGO.
In her lower abdomen, the lady began feeling pain that often turned severe, according to the foundation, the report added.
Surgery postponed 2-3 times
An X-ray revealed last year that the needle is lodged inside her, prompting doctors to send the woman for surgery in the Songkhla province. However, the surgery has already been postponed 2-3 times already as the needle keeps moving inside her.
The lady, hailing from the Narathiwat province in southern Thailand, has to visit the hospital at least four times a month for follow-ups to monitor her condition, causing her immense financial strain.
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“As the family is poor, she asked us for help,” Paveena, the NGO helping the woman, wrote on its website.
It then contacted a public hospital and scheduled an appointment for her treatment. It also coordinated with the Songkhla province's Department of Social Development and Human Security to arrange transport for her hospital visits.
The date on which the woman would undergo surgery to remove the needle, is not yet known. It is also unclear if the lady would take legal action over the medical malpractice.
