PUBLISHED ONSeptember 02, 2024 3:57 AMByKhoo Yi-HangFeeling a many-legged cockroach running down your skin is scary enough - but what would happen if it were to crawl down your throat?
That's exactly what this man from Hainan, China had to go through before a doctor managed to extract the dead insect from his trachea, Hi News reported last Wednesday (Aug 29).
This 58-year-old Chinese individual had visited a hospital in Hainan on Monday (Aug 14) after reporting being unwell.
"Doctor, I have a cough, my breath smells like cockroaches and I feel uncomfortable all over," the Chinese man told medical staff.
He also reported having yellow phlegm after a foreign object got stuck in his respiratory system.
According to the man, he had felt an insect crawl up his nose three days prior to his visit to the hospital.
Although he felt some irritation, it was minor, so he brushed it off at the time.
As his condition worsened, however, something needed to be done - the man decided to visit an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist but ultimately failed to find the cause in his upper respiratory tract.
He then turned his efforts towards the hospital where the doctor, Lin Ling (transliteration), performed a CT scan on his chest and found a foreign object lodged in his lower respiratory tract, China Press reported.
Because the man was feeling very uncomfortable at the time, the doctor decided to perform surgery on him the next day.
Amid operating on the patient, Lin said she very clearly saw a winged insect stuck in his throat, covered in thick layers of phlegm.
Efforts were made to remove the insect from the spot it was lodged in, but it required three attempts to clear out the fragile body of the cockroach.
Once the operation was completed, the patient felt relaxed and comfortable despite there still being a slight bad odour in his breath, Jimu News reported.
Five more days of treatment were required and the Chinese individual was able to recover and get discharged, being advised to visit a month later for a check-up.
ALSO READ: 'Traumatised for life': Passengers shaken after finding multiple cockroaches in private-hire vehicle
khooyihang@asiaone.com
