Since she was seven or eight, the 22-year-old woman, whose name isn’t revealed, had suffered from a persistent cough. The cause of her cough was difficult to determine, even after hospital scans. Medics just couldn’t see any anomalies, according to Unilad.

Breading problems and coughs continued to suffocate the young woman. She was repeatedly misdiagnosed with bronchiectasis, a disease in which there is a continual enlargement of parts of the airways of the lung.

Usually, this condition is treated with medication such as antibiotics. However, despite years of searching for a successful treatment, the woman’s symptoms would not subside. Recently, she decided to seek surgery for hyperhidrosis, a condition characterized by excessive sweating. But first, she needed to resolve her breathing difficulties.

The 22-year-old was admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine.

The Deputy Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery Wang Jiyong had previously ordered new CT scans for the university.

Scans revealed that there was a foreign body lying at the base of the woman’s lung.

Later on, surgeon Yang Ming performed a bronchoscopy in an attempt to identify the mystery object. On April 12th, Ming commented the surgery, explaining that his patient underwent a 30-minute procedure. In the process, he managed to remove a small bone fragment that he believes belonged to a chicken or duck.

The scans taken in the hospital show the bone was clearly visible in the Chinese resident’s lung. After the procedure, medics took photos of the bone, which seems to be a couple of centimeters in length.

Apparently, when she was little, the woman swallowed the bone without realizing it.

However, Dr. Jiyong speculated she managed to inhale the bone during a meal 14 years ago.

Finally, they discovered the cause of her persistent suffocating cough. The mysterious bone is thought to have become lodged in her lung. Fortunately, following the procedure, she appears to be doing just fine.