This situation takes the phrase “pain in the neck” to a whole new level.

In China, a man under the influence of alcohol managed to swallow a metal chopstick during dinner eight years ago and astonishingly chose to live with it lodged in his throat until last month when a surgeon finally removed it, as per a remarkable report.

The patient, known only as Mr. Wang, visited a doctor for a check-up soon after the incident in 2018. However, he declined to have the five-inch chopstick removed, as detailed in a hospital case study published in March.

At 46, Wang was apprehensive about undergoing surgery that would require cutting into his neck, so he endured the unusual sensation and discomfort for years, according to the South China Morning Post.

Recently, escalating pain made swallowing difficult, prompting Wang to seek medical attention at Dalian Municipal Central Hospital in Liaoning Province.

In a minimally invasive procedure, surgeons successfully extracted the chopstick through Wang’s mouth, avoiding the need to make an incision in his neck, as stated in the hospital report.

“He told us a chopstick was trapped in his throat,” said Dr. Huang Weipeng.

“I thought it happened just now, but he said this was eight years ago.”

His vocal cords and nearby mucous membrane were luckily not injured and functioned normally after the surgery, according to the report. 

Wang was discharged from the hospital days later and is expected to make a full recovery.