Patna: Doctors in Bihar are perplexed as sewing needles have allegedly been coming out of the body of an 18-year-old girl, leaving her bed-ridden.
Family members said around 20 needles, measuring four centimetres to eight centimetres, have come out of her body in the past three years since 2011. Three more needles are still stuck in different parts of her body.
The girl, Jyoti Kumar, a resident of Shivnar village under Mokala police station in Patna district, is still waiting for the state government to act despite her bringing up her case to the then chief minister Nitish Kumar at his weekly Junta Durbar held in 2011 when she first encountered this problem.
The symptoms are bizarre. Initially, the girl feels severe burning in her body followed by unbearable pain. Then her skin goes black. In the next four to five days, the needle becomes visible and in another 10 to 15 days it comes out of her body. The family removes them when they are in less delicate parts such as the hands, thighs and back but this time the needles are allegedly stuck in her throat.
“The local doctors to whom we took her for treatment told us her problem was beyond their control and referred her case to the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) but we are too poor to bear her medical expenses. We can barely reach Patna but just can’t afford to bear her medical expenses,” the girl’s cousin Chandan Kumar told Gulf News over the phone on Sunday.
According to him, the family has tried everything, including seeking help from sorcerers. On September 11, the family admitted her to the local referral hospital at Mokama but the doctors referred her to the PMCH for better treatment.
“Needles coming out from neck... History of needle coming out every year from different parts of the body,” says a description of the patient’s symptoms while being referred to Patna for treatment.
Family members have said the girl has had needles come out from her hands, back and thighs. “We are just amazed at it. It appears the needles were pushed [earlier] inside her body,” said a cousin.
The girl’s family says needles are now stuck in her throat, preventing her from eating solid food. She is currently living on liquid food with saline water being administered at intervals.
“We have no knowledge of needles being manufactured in the body. It appears they [the needles] were pushed inside her body or she may have devoured them. We are really puzzled to know her case,” said a Patna-based doctor Dr Ashok Kumar adding that things would be made clear only after a proper examination.
