A 32-year-old man from China, who had been suffering from stomach pains, was shocked to discover that the cause of his discomfort was a thermometer he had accidentally swallowed about 20 years prior, which was still lodged inside his body. The man, named Wang, from the city of Wenzhou in Zhejiang province in southeastern China, had been undergoing treatment at a hospital affiliated with Wenzhou Medical University. He had accidentally swallowed the thermometer at the age of 12 but hid it from his parents out of fear. Over the years, he experienced only minor abdominal discomfort and did not pay much attention to it. Surgeons were able to remove the foreign object in just 20 minutes. According to the newspaper, the thermometer was largely intact, although its measurement marks were faded. Experts from the hospital's endoscopy center urged people who have swallowed foreign objects to immediately stop eating and drinking, minimize movement and speech, and seek urgent medical care without delay. According to Wenzhou Daily, over one million people in China receive treatment each year for accidentally swallowing foreign objects. Children account for more than 60% of such cases, while the elderly represent about 10%. Commonly swallowed items include fish and chicken bones, batteries, magnets, and dental prosthetics. In another case, last June, a 64-year-old man visited the hospital due to chest pain, which was later found to be caused by a toothbrush he had swallowed 52 years earlier.