A few years back, Jason told me that my body has the marks of an interesting life. It's a nice way of saying that I've had the crap beaten out of me and survived to talk about it and complain whenever a thunderstorm is incoming. Maybe you can claim the same: poor decisions and too many donnybrooks get the best of many of us. But I'm betting no matter how many scars you're nursing, the chance that you've unknowingly lived with the blade of a knife in your chest for close to a decade is very, very low.
As an article in the National Library of Medicine explains, a 44-year-old man from Tanzania went to the hospital after he noticed that one of his nipples was producing pus. And well …
…(Eight) years after sustaining multiple stab wounds treated with primary first aid only. Imaging performed during the current presentation revealed a retained knife blade within the right hemi thorax. A right thoracotomy was performed, and the foreign body was successfully removed. The patient had an uncomplicated postoperative recovery.
How much pain does the rest of your body have to be in order to be oblivious to a knife blade snapped off in your chest for eight years before you feel like maybe you should get it checked out? The takeaway here is that, even in an austere environment like Tanzania, where medical aid can be elusive, if you're stabbed multiple times (or even once) in the chest, you're gonna want to do more than slap a bandage on it. Take care of yourselves, friendos, no one else will.
Previously:
