Shocked doctors performed surgery on a 60-year-old farmer after discovering an 18-inch-long vegetable stuck in his backside.
The patient, from the Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh in India, called an ambulance to his farm on Sunday, July 21, after suffering from severe stomach pain.
Once in hospital, doctors were astonished when an X-ray revealed the cause of the unnamed man’s discomfort.
A giant vegetable, known locally as a bottle gourd or lauki, had been rammed through his rectum and become stuck in his anal cavity. It was pressing onto his abdomen causing severe pain.
Surgeons at the District Hospital Chhatarpur (DHC) performed a marathon of two and a half hours to remove the foreign object.
The hospital has initiated an inquiry to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the incident.
Dr Nandkishore Jatav, who performed surgery on the patient, said: “An abdominal discomfort patient came to us after he first went to the Mission Hospital, where the physician declined to treat him. He then visited the district hospital.
“After a comprehensive examination, it was discovered that the patient had a very high blood sugar level (544 mg/dl). In this case, the procedure was completed once the sugar was under control after providing him medication.
“Additionally, the large intestine burst, but it was mended, and for the time being, the anus has formed through the stomach.
“It was discovered upon examination that he had put a bottle gourd within his rectum. After being admitted, the membrane burst during the procedure.”
Medics said that during the procedure, a membrane burst, leading to complications.
With the assistance of two additional doctors, a gourd measuring about 18 inches long was successfully removed, according to Jatav.
He added: “The vegetable was about one and a half foot long.”
They said the elderly man is currently in stable condition and recovering well under the care of the doctors.