Drug Addict Undergoes Surgery to Remove 28 Spoons and 19 Toothbrushes from Stomach

A 40-year-old man from Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, was rushed to Devnandani Hospital after complaining of severe stomach pain, leaving doctors astonished. During a five-hour operation led by Dr. Shyam Kumar, surgeons removed 50 foreign objects from the man’s stomach, including 29 steel spoons, 19 toothbrushes, and two pens.

The case came to light on September 17, when the man’s family brought him in, reporting pain, vomiting, and weakness. “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,” Dr. Kumar told reporters.

Officials said the man had been struggling with substance abuse and had been admitted to a de-addiction centre in Ghaziabad about a month earlier. Frustrated with his stay, he began swallowing everyday objects, taking spoons and other items from the centre.

“I would pick them up and go to the washroom to swallow them,” the man admitted. Surgeons found that the heads of the spoons and toothbrushes had been broken before being ingested. Dr. Kumar confirmed that 28 spoon parts, 21 headless brush parts, and two pens were removed during surgery.

Medical experts suggested his behaviour may have been linked to a psychiatric condition such as pica disorder, a compulsive eating disorder involving non-food items. The man’s condition is now stable, and he was discharged on September 23.