A medical team at Devnandani Hospital carried out a rare and delicate surgery earlier this month after a 40-year-old man from Hapur was found with dozens of objects inside his stomach.
The patient was rushed to the hospital on September 17 by his family, who said he had been experiencing severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and weakness.
Initial tests quickly revealed something far more alarming than expected.
Dr. Shyam Kumar, who led the surgery, said the discovery was unlike anything he had seen before.
“When we performed the ultrasound, X-ray and CT scan, we were stunned to see metallic and plastic objects inside his stomach. I have never seen so many foreign bodies in one patient,” he told reporters.
The five-hour procedure resulted in the removal of 50 items in total, including 29 steel spoons, 19 toothbrushes, and two pens.
Many of the objects had been broken before being swallowed.
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“There were about 28 spoon parts, along with 21 head-less brush parts and two pens,” Dr. Kumar explained.
Hospital officials later revealed that the man had a history of substance abuse and was admitted to a rehabilitation centre in Ghaziabad weeks before the incident.
According to them, he reacted angrily to being left there and began swallowing objects in protest.
The man himself admitted to deliberately consuming the items. “I would pick them up and go to the washroom to swallow them,” he said.
Doctors have suggested his behaviour may be linked to pica disorder, a psychiatric condition where people compulsively eat non-food substances.
Although the man survived the surgery, experts say long-term recovery will require not only medical care but also psychiatric treatment to address the underlying condition that drove him to such a dangerous act.