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Wang, from China's Wenzhou in Zhejiang province, visited the Longgang branch of The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University after suffering from persistent stomach pain
According to South China Morning Post, an X-ray scan quickly revealed the culprit: a mercury thermometer lodged in his duodenum.
Doctors warned that the mercury thermometer posed a high risk of perforation and internal bleeding.
The 32-year-old admitted that he had accidentally swallowed the thermometer when he was 12, but kept quiet because he was too afraid to tell his parents
Since he showed no immediate symptoms back then, the incident was eventually forgotten until his recent hospital visit.
Surgeons successfully removed the thermometer in a delicate 20-minute operation. The procedure was particularly risky as the object was positioned near his bile ducts.
The thermometer had been there for 20 years, which could have easily damaged the intestinal wall
"He is incredibly lucky. Thankfully the thermometer did not break and no mercury leaked," one netizen remarked on Weibo.
While the measurement markings on the retrieved device had faded, the glass casing remained miraculously intact.
Experts from the hospital's endoscopy centre advised that anyone who swallows a foreign object should stop eating and drinking immediately.
They also suggested minimising speaking and seeking urgent medical attention to avoid life-threatening complications.
