Man Had Toothpick Lodged in Stomach for 25 Years

LYCKSELE, Sweden -- A Swedish man suffering from stomach pains for a quarter of a century recently found the cause of his troubles -- a wooden toothpick wedged in his abdomen, news website The Local reported Thursday.

Ove Sohlberg, 65, told the Vasterbottens-Kuriren daily that the pains began 25 years ago following surgery for stomach ulcers.

"I felt like there was something in there and I was in constant pain," he said, adding that he had been admitted to the hospital more than 100 times since.

Last weekend, surgeons removed a 2.4 inch (six centimeter) wooden object -- which resembled a toothpick with sharp edges -- from his abdomen.

Sohlberg, from Lycksele in northern Sweden, said he believed the object was left in his body from the operation a quarter of a decade ago.

"It seems a pity I had to live with it for so many years," he said.