Posted on 11/17/2003 7:38:29 PM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
Malaysian surgeons treating a man for an eye infection said they were surprised to find part of a chopstick embedded in his face — the result of an assault five years ago. Doctors at a government hospital in the northern city of Ipoh said they found the section of a wooden chopstick lodged in tissue between his eyes during exploratory surgery to remove an unknown foreign object, the national new agency, Bernama, reported. Dr. Gurdeep Singh Mann, the hospital's senior eye, nose and throat specialist, said the man, Ng Keng Choon, was lucky to be alive because the chopstick had been nudging against his brain. Ng, 30, a carpark attendant, was beaten up five years ago by attackers who threw a shroud over his head. But he didn't seek medical attention until recently, when he developed an eye infection that left him unable to move his right eye, Gurdeep said. "Someone stabbed him with the chopstick after covering his face with a gunny sack," Bernama quoted Gurdeep as telling reporters in Ipoh. "A portion of the chopstick broke and was stuck across from his right eye to the left eye near the nose, and touched the brain." "If the stick had gone another half-centimeter (0.2 inch) deeper, he could be dead," he said. Doctors detected a foreign object in Ng's face and he underwent surgery on Oct. 29, when they found the piece of chopstick and removed it in a one-hour operation which Gurdeep described as routine — except for the nature of the object. "We have checked medical journals and found out that this could well be the first time in the world where a chopstick was found inside a patient's face," Gurdeep said. Ng said that after the initial attack, he had no pain or other clue that there was a lasting injury, until the infection developed. "I really didn't know there was a chopstick in my eye," Ng said. "I am feeling better now."
"I'm feeling much better now"
Doctor:"Next time, remove the spoon."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.