After 18 years under treatment for asthma, patient realises a pen nib was villain
KOCHI: After spending up to 18 years getting treated for asthma, it was only recently that 32-year-old Sooraj came to understand the actual cause of his breathing difficulties. The nib of the pen he had accidentally swallowed back in 2003 had been the villain all along.
The Aluva resident, who was a Class 9 student at the time, was trying to whistle using his pen when the nib suddenly separated from the pen and slipped into his mouth. Though he was rushed to a private hospital in Kochi and made to undergo an X-ray scan on the same day, nothing unusual was detected. Hence, the family assumed the nib might have been egested from the stomach. A few days later, however, the boy started to experience lung-related ailments, including chronic cough and shortness of breath. Ever since, he had been under treatment for asthma.
In December last year, Sooraj tested positive for Covid and his symptoms worsened. Due to his persistent cough and breathing issues, he consulted Dr Aziz K S, pulmonologist with Apollo hospitals. A subsequent CT scan of the chest revealed the presence of the foreign body in the lower lobe of his right lung. For further treatment, he was referred to Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), where the nib — trapped in the lower part of the right lung —was extracted by a team led by Dr Tinku Joseph, Chief of Interventional Pulmonology, along with Dr Thushara Madathil, Cardiac Anaesthesiologist.
The nib was removed through a relatively complex rigid bronchoscopic procedure. As it had been trapped in the lungs for 18 years, tissues had built up over it. The first and most arduous task was to remove the accumulated tissue, which was followed by the rigid bronchoscopy. After being admitted under observation for a day, Sooraj returned home from the hospital on Thursday. He was breathing freely. “I am relieved that my suffering of 18 years has come to an end,” said Sooraj.
“The removal of the trapped part was made possible not with any major surgery, but through rigid bronchoscopy. If it had remained in the lung any longer, it would have led to many more complications. Then, the only option would have been to remove a part of the lung through surgery,” said Dr Tinku. Symptoms such as shortness of breath and cough may not always be due to asthma, but can also occur when minuscule objects get trapped inside the lungs, he added.