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FOR three years, he endured what he thought were terrible hunger pangs.
His abdominal pain and muscle spasms were so intense it felt as if he was being stabbed by a sharp object.
But it was only last month that Mr Amri Mohd Samat, 44, finally found out what he believes was the cause of the pain.
On Sept 23, Mr Amri, who had his lower body amputated, sought treatment for his bed sores at the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.
When doctors suspected that kidney stones were the cause of the pain, a scan and an X-ray were carried out.
What they found were not kidney stones, but a 25cm medical tube in his stomach. The tube was subsequently removed in a 15-minute procedure.
Relieved after removal
Mr Amri told The New Paper on Sunday: "I feel very relieved that the tube has been removed, but I want to know how it was left in my stomach in the first place."
It's believed that the tube was left in his body from a previous medical procedure done at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).
A motorcycle accident in 1986 had left Mr Amri paralysed from the waist down.
On May 8, 2007, he had the lower half of his body amputated in a 15-hour surgery at TTSH.
The infections caused by severe bed sores from being constantly in a wheelchair and lying down for long hours were threatening his life.
He then underwent four more operations over the following three weeks to help his surgical wounds heal.
TTSH has since contacted Mr Amri to apologise for the incident.
The chairman of the medical board at TTSH, Professor Philip Choo said: "We apologise for this incident and have contacted Mr Amri to express our apologies. This should not have happened.
"We are conducting a detailed investigation to prevent such occurrences from happening again. We are glad to know that Mr Amri did not suffer from any injuries as a result of our lapse."
Mr Amri said he is not angry over the incident.
He said: "How can I get angry? The doctors at Tan Tock Seng Hospital saved my life by performing that surgery on me.
"Without them, I wouldn't be alive today."
"I am very grateful... but I want an explanation"
Before the surgery in 2007, his bed sores had became infected and ate away at the flesh on his buttocks and thighs.
The infection spread to his pelvic and thigh bones, leaving them exposed, blackened and decaying. His condition was so severe that Mr Amri was drifting in and out of consciousness for two weeks before the operation.
The amputation procedure is called hemicorporectomy, and it involves the removal of the legs, genitalia, bladder, pelvic bones, anus and rectum.
The hemicorporectomy performed on Mr Amri was carried out by a team of 10 doctors - including orthopaedic surgeons, urologists, general surgeons, anaesthetists - and 10 nurses.
Said Mr Amri: "I am very grateful to the staff at Tan Tock Seng Hospital for all they have done for me.
"But I want an explanation of how the tube got into my stomach. I hope they can find out who made the mistake and take more care in preventing similar incidents."
Mr Amri recovered from the operations in 2007, and he did not have any bed sores until January this year. But the abdominal pains and muscle spasms were constant.
Said Mr Amri: "Sometimes the pain disturbed my sleep. But I didn't think much of it. I thought it was normal."
But the pain intensified in August this year when he fasted during the month of Ramadan.
He recalled: "I had not fasted for many years. When I felt the pain in my stomach getting sharper during the day, I thought it was because I was no longer used to fasting."
The discovery of the medical tube, however, did not worry Mr Amri at all.
"I wasn't afraid at all. After having my body cut in half, what is there to be scared of?" he said. He was conscious throughout the 15-minute removal procedure.
"They sprayed my throat with an anaesthetic but I could still feel the tube as it passed through my throat when it was pulled out from my stomach.
"I felt a very sharp pain in my stomach during the procedure but once the tube was out, I felt alright."
Mr Amri said his appetite has also returned since having the tube removed and he no longer feels discomfort when eating, allowing him to fully enjoy his meals these days.
This article was first published in The New Paper.
