We’ve all wolfed down a hearty meal as though we’re a contestant in some kind of speed eating contest before being struck down by a bout of indigestion and it’s safe to say, it’s not the nicest experience.
But it’s a great deal better than what this bloke went through after doctors informed him what was really going on inside of his body.
The 23-year-old, from New Delhi, India, decided he needed to go and get the once-over from a medical professional after being plagued by stomach pain and bloating for a few days.
And seen as though the man had reportedly chowed down on some street food at a night market earlier that week, he put two and two together and blamed his discomfort on indigestion.
But when his symptoms didn’t shift, he decided to get checked out by a doctor to get to the bottom of it.
The 23-year-old suspected he was suffering from indigestion before doctors informed him it was something much worse (Getty Stock Photo)
Medics at the Fortis Vasant Kunj Hospital ran a few tests on the fella and managed to find the source of his problem – a live three centimetre cockroach wriggling about inside of him.
Gross, we know.
Dr Shubham Vatsya, a senior consultant in gastroenterology, explained that the patient was just as shocked as they were when they informed him about the insect – especially as the critter was somehow still alive and kicking.
He told the Indian Express: “Even we were surprised as to how the cockroach managed to stay intact.
“For the last two-three days, the patient was suffering from indigestion and bloating after eating food. It was during routine inspections that we incidentally spotted the cockroach.”
The unnamed bloke had no clue as to how the cockroach had made its way inside of him, which is probably for the best, to be honest.
However, Dr Vatsya did float around the idea that it might have crawled down his throat while he was asleep.
A cockroach had somehow made its way inside of his body – and it was still alive (Getty Stock Photo)
The good news is though, the creepy-crawly got it’s marching orders and medics were able to remove it after carrying out a ten minute procedure.
The man underwent an upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy, which allows doctors to get a good look at the upper part of the GI tract to find out what was causing his abdominal pain and other indigestion-like symptoms.
Explaining how it went down, Dr Vatsya said: “We immediately proceeded to extract the insect.
“We activated the suction button on the scope, effectively sucking the cockroach into the suction channel, leading to its removal from the body and saving the man’s life.”
Although you might presume the latter part of that sentence sounds a bit dramatic, having one of those pests inside you can really put your health in peril.
The pesky bug was removed via a surgical procedure (Getty stock images)
According to the gastroenterologist, a live cockroach setting up camp in his small intestine could have quickly gone south as it may have passed on some pretty grisly infectious diseases to him.
The British Pest Control Association (BPCA) warn that these insects pose a ‘direct health risk to humans’, explaining that they are ‘vectors of disease’.
“Cockroaches carry the organisms which cause food poisoning in humans and many other bacteria, such as salmonella, staphylococcus and streptococcus,” it explains.
“Cockroaches move from sewers, drains into buildings and human habitats. This means that when they’re in your building, foraging for food and water, they will contaminate anything they come into contact with; food, utensils, and preparation surfaces.
“They disgorge portions of their partially digested food at intervals and drop faeces along the way.”
Thank god for modern medicine, eh?
