A 32-year-old man in China who sought treatment for persistent stomach pain was stunned to learn the cause was a mercury thermometer he had swallowed as a child.
The man, surnamed Wang, revealed he accidentally swallowed the thermometer at age 12 but was too afraid to tell his parents, worrying about disrupting their busy lives. Despite the incident, he experienced no symptoms for years and continued living normally.
It wasn’t until spring 2026 that he began feeling discomfort, prompting him to seek medical help. Doctors at The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University conducted imaging scans and discovered the thermometer still intact inside his body.
The object was found lodged in the duodenum, the first part of the small intestine, positioned dangerously close to the bile ducts and pressing against the intestinal wall. Its location made the removal procedure delicate, as any mistake could have caused internal damage.
Surgeons were able to successfully extract the thermometer without complications. Remarkably, it had remained unbroken for around 20 years, with its markings faded after prolonged exposure inside the body.
Doctors noted that if the thermometer had shattered, it could have posed serious health risks. However, because it stayed intact, the man avoided potential mercury exposure, which in such devices is typically in elemental form and less likely to be absorbed by the digestive system.
The case quickly drew attention online, with many highlighting how unusual it was for a foreign object to remain inside the body for so long without causing symptoms.