13 pens, 5 wooden spoons and a candle were taken out from the woman's stomach.

A woman had 13 pens, 5 wooden spoons and a candle in her stomach. One of these pens was 25 centimeters long.

Doctors successfully took out all these things and saved the woman's life.

But the question is, how did all these things enter a woman's stomach?

Generally, swallowing any small thing other than food items causes severe stomach ache or diarrhea.

But what kind of trouble did that woman face because of all these things present in her stomach?

The doctors who performed the surgery have given information to BBC about how these things were taken out.

What exactly happened?

According to the information received, a 33-year-old married woman from Narasaraopet in Palnadu district of Andhra Pradesh was having severe pain on the left side of her chest.

After this his family members admitted him to Matashree Private Hospital.

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Doctors immediately did his ECG and endoscopy. Dr. Ramachandra Reddy told BBC that everything was fine in the ECG. But during endoscopy, some foreign objects like pen, spoon and candle were found in his stomach.

Dr. Ramachandra Reddy said that after immediately confirming it through CT scan, he decided to do endoscopy and laparoscopy surgery.

He told that through this surgery all the pens, candles and wooden spoons were removed.

A 25 cm long pen used for children had made a hole in the woman's stomach. Because of this a condition called 'pneumomediastinum' had arisen.

He told that the woman was in pain, so she came to him.

Dr. Ramachandra Reddy told that after this these things were removed from the woman's stomach through laparoscopy.

He told that a total of 13 pens, one candle and 5 wooden spoons were taken out from the woman's stomach. He also told that the condition of the woman is still stable.

This type of problem usually occurs in people suffering from mental health problems.

Dr. Ramachandra Reddy said that it is the responsibility of parents to take care of people suffering from mental illness and to see whether they are taking their medicines or not.

The woman concerned told that a year ago also she had swallowed four pens in the same manner. He was taken out after surgery.

Dr. Ramachandra Reddy told that she was suffering from mental problems and was referred to a psychiatrist. At present he is undergoing treatment.

However, not everyone can swallow such things. He clarified that often only patients suffering from mental problems do this.

He said that it is very rare for a 25 cm long object to reach the stomach. For the first time in his career, he has seen someone swallowing such a big pen.

The doctor told that the woman had a fight with her father. After this he swallowed these things.

However, Dr. Ramachandra Reddy said that many people eat things which cannot be digested, like hair etc.

Such cases are called trichobezoars.

If there is no hole inside while swallowing, intestinal obstruction may occur and vomiting may occur.

Sharp objects like bolts and pens can also cause holes in the intestines.

He further explained that some small things can come out through stool. Small children swallow coins unknowingly. Many times even their parents do not know about it. Later those coins are passed out through stool.

He also said that if there is a hole in the intestines, some patients may get infection and may go into septic shock. This can be fatal.

Dr. Sai Krishna of Guntur told BBC that such cases come up occasionally. In 90 percent of these cases, patients are suffering from mental health related problems.

He told that such patients do not swallow everything at once. Many times whatever they swallow remains in the stomach. He further told that when these things get stuck in the stomach, then only pain occurs. Surgeries like endoscopy and laparoscopy are done to remove these things from the stomach immediately.

He told that recently he had taken out 20 batteries from the stomach of a patient. According to him, after being swallowed, these things can sometimes remain in the stomach for months. After entering the stomach, they do not reach the intestines. If they enter the intestines, X-rays have to be done and surgery has to be done.

In such cases laparoscopy is done during surgery.

Dr. Sai Krishna said that in cases of trichobezoar, the hair remains stuck in the stomach and has to be removed through surgery.

He told that in the incident that took place in Narasaraopet, a hole was left in the patient's body. This was a big problem. Therefore, the doctors had to immediately perform surgery on the woman.

Have such cases been registered before?

According to a report in The Times of India, in 2025, 29 steel spoons, 19 toothbrushes and two pens were removed from the stomach of a 40-year-old man in a hospital in Hapur, Uttar Pradesh.

The report also said that he was admitted to a de-addiction center in Ghaziabad at least a month before the surgery.

However, according to a report in The Times of India, the patient said that after being admitted to the de-addiction centre, no one took proper care of him and he was not even given proper food.

According to the report of The Times of India, in anger and frustration the person swallowed these things to harm himself.

Citing a similar case, the National Library of Medicine has also said that doctors of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ahwaz, Iran, had successfully removed more than 450 metal objects from the stomach of a 36-year-old man in 2024.

The man was admitted to the hospital after experiencing severe stomach pain, persistent vomiting and difficulty eating or drinking liquids or solids. In the patient's X-ray and endoscopy, many metal objects were found in his stomach.

The National Library of Medicine said in its report that gastrostomy surgery was performed on the patient. 452 screws, nuts, keys, stones and other metal objects weighing 2,900 grams were taken out from his stomach.

The report also states that swallowing objects is a serious health problem and is most commonly seen in children. However, it is also more common in some adults, especially those with mental health issues and those in prison.

important information

HitGuz Helpline, Mumbai - 022-24131212

Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment - 1800-599-0019 (Available in 13 languages)

Institute of Human Behavior and Allied Sciences - 9868396824, 9868396841, 011-22574820

National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences - 080-26995000

Vidyasagar Institute of Mental Health and Allied Sciences, 24x7 Helpline – 011-29802980