A 13-year-old schoolboy in China inserted a four-inch-long acupuncture needle up his penis to stop himself from falling asleep while doing homework.
His mother noticed that he was “walking unusually slowly” and she became concerned.
Photos from Xi’an Children’s Hospital showed that the boy managed to shove the sharp needle deep into his urethra, where it remained for 15 hours before being surgically removed.
The boy was reported to have struggled with how to confess this to his parents in the city of Weinan, capital of north-western China’s Shaanxi Province.
“He was walking unusually slowly, so I told him to speed up, but he kept walking slowly,” said his mother.
“He finally said: ‘Mum, I have to tell you something.
“‘I kept falling asleep while doing homework, so I tried to wake myself up by putting a needle up my urethra.’
“I asked him why he hadn’t told me sooner, and he said: ‘I tried to tell you earlier, but I didn’t know how to’.”
Deputy head of urology, Wang Shengxing examined the boy after he was referred from a smaller local hospital.
The consultant said: “It hurt when he walked and when he urinated.
“His parents were quite distressed.
“The needle measured 10 centimetres (four inches) and was completely inside his urethra, nearing his bladder.
“He was at risk of infection or bleeding; if it had moved, it could’ve ruptured his bladder or arteries.”
This incident is one of the more extreme cases in China.
China is known for its obsession with success and young students are pressured to do well in examinations to enter top universities. -/TISG