E-Paper
Pen removed from woman's tummy after 25 yrs, still works fine!
The plastic pen, which the 76-year-old accidentally swallowed in the 1980s, was removed when she went to see a gastrointestinal specialist and doctors were amazed when they removed the undamaged pen in full working order.
An elderly woman in Britain had a pen stuck in her stomach for 25 years. The 76-year-old accidentally swallowed the felt-tip pen in the 1980s when using it to hold down her tongue while checking her tonsils in a mirror, Daily Express reported on Thursday.
But no one believed her at the time because hospital scans revealed nothing and she completely forgot about it.
The plastic pen was removed when she went to see a gastrointestinal specialist after suffering from severe stomach pains, weight loss and diarrhoea.
She had surgery under general anaesthetic and doctors were amazed when they removed the undamaged pen and it was still in full working order, the newspaper said.
It had not left any internal damage, and medics later discovered that her symptoms were actually being caused by severe diverticulitis.
The discovery came to light after doctors from the gastroenterology department at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital submitted a report to the British Medical Journal.
