Now here’s a tale that will have you squirming in your seat: a 59-year-old man from Xiaogan, China has ended up going under the knife after inserting a 20cm-long length of wire into his colon. When asked why he would do such a thing, the man commented that he had simply been “bored” but then found that he could not remove the wire once he had fed it all the way in.

In an incident that gives new meaning to the phrase “bored to tears”, a Xiaogan resident known only as “Mr. Yang” inserted the 8mm-thick length of wire into his anus in order to kill his tedium.

Unsurprisingly, the wire began to cause the anal experimenter severe discomfort shortly after the end disappeared into his sphincter. Despite the pangs of pain, Yang decided to leave the wire where it was in the hope that he would pass it out along with his next bowel movement. Alas, it was not to be; two days later the wire was still firmly lodged in place and the pain was worsening. Left with no other option, Yang took himself off to a nearby hospital and explained his embarrassing predicament to the medical staff there.

Unable to retract the wire, doctors resolved to send the man to neighbouring hospital whose specialist colorectal ward might be better equipped to handle its removal. There, an X-ray image was taken which revealed that the wire had become completely bent over, lodging itself firmly inside the man. It soon became clear that no amount of lubrication and pulling would work; it was time to operate.

After making a small incision in the man’s belly, surgeons were able to locate the wire inside him. The decision was made to enter the hole in his stomach and cut the wire in two, removing one half through the incision while pulling the remainder back the way it had originally been inserted.

According to Mr. Yang’s family, this was the second time that he had inserted a foreign object into his body, suggesting that he may be suffering from stress or some form of mental anguish. Let’s hope that this incident has taught the man that counselling and the full and frank discussion of our problems will always be far less painful and embarrassing than actions that result in major surgery.

Source: 長江商報 (Chinese)



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