In a story almost too ridiculous to believe, a man in India stunned doctors when it was revealed what was causing him health issues.
Indigestion happens now and again, and it is more than normal, but hope that you never end up like this one man.
A 23-year-old Indian patient complained to doctors about having indigestion after eating, but the true cause was actually a three-centimeter cockroach.
Yup, somehow the creepy critter had managed to get inside this man’s body and was still alive. But how did it even get there?
Well, the man shared that he had eaten some street food at a night market a few days before and believed that was the source of his health issues.
However, the gastroenterologist speculated that the insect could have also crawled down his throat during his sleep.
A senior consultant in gastroenterology, Dr Shubham Vatsya, went into greater detail regarding the bizarre incident and how they managed to remove it.
According to the Indian Express, he said: “Even we were surprised as to how the cockroach managed to stay intact.
“For the last two-three days, the patient was suffering from indigestion and bloating after eating food. It was during routine inspections that we incidentally spotted the cockroach.”
After the creepy crawly problem was identified, they advised having an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, a procedure that examines the upper part of the GI tract to find out the cause of the abdominal pain and indigestion.
“We activated the suction button on the scope, effectively sucking the cockroach into the suction channel, leading to its removal from the body and saving the man’s life.”, Dr Vatsya added.
He explained that a live cockroach in the small intestine could have actually proved to be life-threatening. So, a lucky escape for this unnamed man.
The story has also spread to the social media platforms, and people on Reddit can’t believe the bizarre twists and turns of the incident.
One disgusted user wrote: “I’m going to pretend I didn’t read that and move on with my life.”
Another questioned how the cockroach survived and commented: “I bet it hit that stomach acid and bolted for the nearest crevice – right through the pyloric sphincter bypassing a lot of the process that would have otherwise killed it.”
A third commented: “Whenever they talked about a nuclear disaster, they said cockroaches would be the most likely critter to survive the radiation. Now we know they can also survive inside your intestines quite impressive.”
And another added: “I guess it’s time to stop eating. Intravenous nutrients from here on out.”
Which is fair; I don’t think I’ll ever eat anything ever again after this story… then again, lunch?