A forty-five-year-old woman from Tunisia began experiencing the typical symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI).
But, after visiting the Academic Hospital Habib Bourguiba, even medical staff were fooled by her common complaints.
After conducting x-ray scans, the doctors realized her symptoms were no result of a UTI. Instead, the scan “showed an opaque shadow of rectangular form inside the form of a glass.” In other words, a drinking glass was inside the woman’s bladder.
Stunned by the woman’s case, doctors have since published an official report of her diagnosis in ScienceDirect.
It turned out that the woman had the glass cup inside her bladder for nearly four years. Due to its long presence inside her body, the glass became encased by a massive bladder stone.
Bladder stones are typically minuscule, so tiny that they can be challenging to see in plain sight. On the other hand, the woman’s stone was three inches wide and, once split, revealed a fully in-tact glass.
It is unclear exactly how a glass ended up in the woman’s bladder. However, this may have been a case of “urethral sounding.”
According to WebMD, urethral sounding– in a medical environment– can refer to “inserting an object into the urethra for urological surgery.”
Outside of the OR, though, some people participate in urethral sounding in order to have a good time.
“It encompasses a…habit to heighten…pleasure. There is a high risk of injury associated with the practice,” WebMD reported.
For instance, individuals may not be able to retrieve their sounding device after it has retreated into the urethra.
Shockingly, people use various everyday household items, and the list includes wires, screws, pencils, clips, and even fruits and vegetables.
Thankfully, this woman did not suffer from any internal broken glass or urinary blockages. After doctors removed her bladder stone, she recovered within two days.
Still, the woman was undoubtedly lucky. To read the complete case report, visit the link here.
