29 steel spoons, 19 tooth brushes removed from UP man’s stomach

In a bizarre case from Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad, doctors removed 29 steel spoons, 19 toothbrushes, and two pens from the stomach of a 35-year-old man named Sachin, a resident of Hapur. The man, admitted to a local rehabilitation centre by his family, had been swallowing these objects in anger over what he claimed was inadequate food served at the facility.

Patient’s Anger Over Food Portions

Sachin reportedly said that his anger was fueled by the small portion of food being fed to the patients at the rehab. "In the entire day, we would be given very less vegetables and just a few chapatis. If something came from home, most wouldn't reach us. We would sometimes get one biscuit in a day," he said.

Complex Surgery

Doctors said ultrasound and CT scans revealed a shocking mass of objects lodged inside his stomach. While an initial endoscopy attempt failed due to the sheer volume of foreign bodies, surgeons successfully removed the items through a complicated surgical procedure. Dr. Shyam Kumar, who treated Sachin, remarked that such cases are often linked to underlying psychological issues.

Not the First Case

This is not an isolated incident. In 2022, doctors in Muzaffarnagar recovered 63 spoons from the stomach of a drug addict named Vijay, also admitted to a de-addiction centre. While he admitted to eating them voluntarily, his family alleged that the rehab staff had forced him to do so.

A Wake-Up Call

The Ghaziabad case highlights both the psychological struggles of patients in rehabilitation centres and the need for better monitoring of their conditions and treatment.