Doctors stunned as 18-year-old girl has 2kg plastic bag in her stomach; parents shocked to learn daughter’s secret
Doctors stunned as 18-year-old girl finds 2kg plastic bag in stomach. Parents shocked to discover daughter’s ‘secret’ that has been hidden for 6 years
Whenever Xiaoli, a young woman from Hubei Province, China, complained of stomachache, her parents would assume it was due to irregular eating or “feminine symptoms.” Until they learned the truth: their daughter had been eating plastic bags like snacks for nearly six years. They were shocked and deeply saddened.
At a hospital in Xi’an, Hubei Province, China, doctors performed an incredible operation. They removed 2 kilograms of stringy plastic bags from the stomach of 18-year-old schoolgirl Xiao Li. She had been rushed to the สมัคร ufabet กับเรา รับโบนัสทันที hospital with severe stomach pain. Her family thought it was food poisoning or gastroenteritis. But tests showed it was a serious condition caused by her unexpected eating habits.
Xiaoli said that she started eating plastic bags as a snack when she was 12 years old. Although she felt strange, she could not stop. Even though she was not hungry, she often ate them secretly without telling anyone, including her family.
After receiving treatment, doctors found that Xiao Li’s stomach was severely deformed. Full of plastic, causing intestinal obstruction and a risk of bloodstream infection. She had to undergo three endoscopy sessions and a nine-hour surgery before all the plastic bags in her body were removed. After the surgery, she still needed to be hospitalized and undergo gastrointestinal physical therapy for several months. It took her half a year to be able to eat normally again.
Doctors say Xiaoli suffers from pica, or “non-food eating disorder ,” a severe eating disorder that causes sufferers to crave non-food items such as dirt, rocks, hair or plastic. The condition is often caused by physical or psychological factors.
Warnings about Pica
One common cause of pica is malnutrition. “Xiao Li has iron deficiency anemia, which can give her body the false signal that chewing on plastic can help compensate for the lack of this mineral,” explains her doctor, Dr. Shi Yupeng. In some cultures, such as some tribes in Africa, pregnant women believe that eating clay helps replenish minerals. But in today’s society, consuming plastic or metal can be very dangerous.
However, Dr. Shi Yupeng believes that the real cause of the condition is related to psychological stress. Just like children suck their thumbs to feel safe. Teenagers who are under high pressure may turn to abnormal behaviors such as eating plastic to relieve stress. Statistics show that more than 60% of teenagers with pica come from families with relationship problems or are concerned about their academic performance. Xiaoli admits that she often eats plastic bags when she feels stressed or anxious.
Doctors also warn that a significant number of people die from pica. 38% of patients die from intestinal obstruction, 25% from heavy metal poisoning. And the rest from stomach perforation caused by accidentally swallowing dangerous objects such as magnets. The scary thing is that pica patients often seek medical attention when their symptoms are already severe. Like Xiaoli, if she had not received treatment any later, she might have gone into shock from septicemia.
“Treating this condition is not difficult, but the big problem is the society’s understanding. Behavioral therapy can help 60% of patients control their symptoms. But many families see it as just strange behaviors instead of a disease that needs to be treated. This is not just a medical problem. But a warning sign about the mental health of today’s teenagers,” said Dr. Shi Yupeng.