A mum who suffered excruciating pain for 11 years was baffled to discover that she had a needle and thread inside her.
María Aderlinda Forero had an operation after giving birth to her fourth child.
The 39-year-old, from Colombia, had her fallopian tubes tied so she couldn't fall pregnant any more.
But the needle and thread were accidentally left inside her body after the surgery in 2012.
Just days after the tubal ligation procedure, María started to experience severe pain which gradually got worse.
She was prescribed acetaminophen to help her cope but the pain still grew and doctors eventually put her on stronger painkillers such as meloxicam.
María, who lives in the rural village of San Isidro, near Medellín, said the pain was so strong that she was often unable to sleep or move around.
The situation upended her life and led to a number of job changes.
She ended up living with the painful condition for over a decade before the cause was found.
María explained that she had to travel into town on her husband’s motorcycle to see her doctor due to economic reasons and the long distance involved.
The couple was often unable to travel in the winter months because of the state of the roads in her rural municipality.
Her condition was eventually diagnosed when an ultrasound and MRI scan showed the cause of her pain, leaving María and the doctors stunned.
She had apparently spent over 4,000 days in pain due to the needle and thread being left in her body.
Tubal ligation, also known as having your tubes tied, is a type of permanent birth control.
During the procedure, the fallopian tubes are cut, tied or permanently blocked.
To carry out the surgery, a needle is inserted or a cut is made through the belly button so that the abdomen can be inflated with gas.
In most cases, the doctor uses instruments to seal the tubes by destroying parts of the walls or blocking them with plastic rings or clips.
