Other remedies for heartburn
To avoid heartburn, it is recommended to avoid or limit fatty foods such as sauces, processed meats, pastries, and alcohol. If you prefer not to consume these, marshmallow tea or plantain can also relieve the symptoms.
Sensation of intestinal rumbling
The woman also admitted to doctors that she felt a rumbling in her intestines after eating. The doctors conducted various tests to understand the source of the complaints.
It was a lithopedion
They made a horrifying discovery: the woman had a lithopedion in her abdomen — a dead fetus that had calcified and fossilized.
A dead fetus in her belly
The story began a few years earlier in a refugee camp in Tanzania. The woman had already had eight pregnancies, including three stillbirths, and became pregnant again.
The fetus died at 7 months
In the seventh month of pregnancy, doctors at the camp gave her terrible news — her fetus had died. They told her to return home so that labor could occur naturally.
She was accused of killing the baby
A few days later, when she returned, doctors accused her of taking drugs to kill the baby. She lost all trust in the medical staff. Nine years later, she moved to the United States.
The woman refused surgery
When she went to the emergency room, doctors found the dead fetus in her abdomen. They told her surgery was urgently needed, but she refused.
Bowel obstruction
She was referred to a gynecologic oncology department due to bowel obstruction. The woman, however, declined all offered procedures. Sadly, a few months later, the woman from Congo died.
She died of starvation
“Unfortunately, 14 months after resettlement, she died of severe malnutrition due to recurrent bowel obstructions and persistent fear of medical treatment,” reported the scientific journal BMC Women’s Health.
Extremely rare cases
The presence of a lithopedion in the body is extremely rare — only about 0.00045% of all pregnancies. The first case in France was reported in 1582.
Only 300 cases in France
Since then, only 300 lithopedion cases have been documented in France. These rare pregnancies usually occur in countries with limited medical infrastructure.
Countries with limited healthcare access
People in these regions have far less access to medical care than in developed countries. The health journal’s research also explained how lithopedions develop.
How does a lithopedion form?
“When a fetus dies and is too large to be absorbed, the immune system treats it as a foreign object and starts depositing calcium-rich material, turning the fetus into stone,” the article states.
Women who were saved in time
Fortunately, not all women share the same fate. One Indian woman, for example, carried a dead fetus in her body for more than 30 years. She had it removed in her 60s after reporting abdominal pain. She would never have known otherwise.
