Teen shocked after surgery to treat her incontinence reveals foreign object lodged in vagina for 3 YEARS
BELGRADE, SERBIA: A teenager, who was left incontinent, needed a cork pulled out of her vagina in a bizarre case. The woman, 19, from Serbia, reportedly realized she was unable to control her bladder, after which she sought help. She went on to confess to medics that she had shoved the cork from a bottle of hairspray in her vagina during "a state of impaired judgement" while having sex.
This happened three-and-half-years ago. "She did not ask for medical help due to her sense of shame and fear of judgement from the environment," medics said. She even tried to remove the cork herself, but was unsuccessful.
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Doctors found swollen tissue
"She went to the first examination after the development of incontinence. Informed consent was obtained from patient. Menstrual cycles were regular for 28 days, lasting 5 days, of normal intensity," medics wrote in the Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Doctors found swollen tissue when they examined, around the cork stuck inside her vagina.
"During the examination, the presence of a foreign body in the vagina with granulation tissue and tumefaction above the foreign body, in the area of the urethra, was noted. The foreign body was extracted with standard gynecological instruments, and then, by placing a urinary catheter, the amputation of the urethra and the presence of a vesico-vaginal fistula were confirmed. The patient was referred to adult urologists for further diagnosis and treatment," the medics wrote.
What is vesicovaginal fistula?
A fistula is described as an unwanted opening in the body that is caused by infections injuries and inflammation. It can occur in various parts of the body.
According to Cleveland Clinic, "A vesicovaginal fistula is an opening that develops between the bladder and the wall of the vagina. The result is that urine leaks out of the vagina, sometimes lightly but it can be steady if the fistula is large."
"Vesicovaginal fistulas are often a complication after surgery to treat problems in the bladder or vagina. They also can be linked to gynecological cancer, either from the disease or sometimes as a side effect of radiation therapy or surgery to treat the cancer. Particularly bad or repeat urinary tract infections can sometimes lead to fistulas too, but this is rare," it adds.
'Foreign body may cause a huge damage in vagina'
"The range of potential complications due to the long-term presence of a foreign body in the vagina is extremely wide, while the treatment of some, requires extensive and mutilating surgical interventions," the medics wrote in the beginning of their report.
They added in the end, "Foreign body may cause a huge damage in vagina of adolescents. The situation is additionally complicated by the usually asymptomatic initial course."