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Surgeon leaves forceps in woman

A pair of forceps, via Wikimedia Commons.
A pair of forceps, via Wikimedia Commons.

LYON, France, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- A French woman said the surgeon who left a pair of forceps in her stomach tried to laugh off the matter, telling her their removal was a Valentine's Day gift.

The woman, identified only as Anne who lives in Lyon, developed severe stomach pains six months after abdominal surgery and learned through a scan the problem was caused by a pair of forceps, Radio France International reported Wednesday.

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"I felt as if my stomach was being torn open and I discovered a piece of steel poking out of my belly button," she said.

When she called the clinic where the surgery had been performed, Anne was told removal of the forceps wasn't an urgent matter.

It took a call from her lawyer to get the clinic to operate the next day.

She said the surgeon found the situation amusing, telling her she didn't have to pay for the operation because it was a Valentine's Day present, the report said.

Her lawyer is considering legal action.

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