STRANGE STORIES 14-pound hairball removed from woman’s stomach
A woman who visited the doctor for inexplicable stomach pain had a 14-pound hairball removed surgically, The Huffington Post reports.
Brit Sophie Cox was diagnosed with trichotillomania and trichophagia six years ago, admitting to news sources that her compulsive urge to pull out and eat her hair caused the giant ball to build over seven years.
After experiencing severe stomach pain and dramatic weight loss--even through the birth of her child--doctors suspected gallstones or stomach cancer until they discovered the hairball.
"When they showed me the scan I was speechless. It looked like something from a horror film," Cox said. "The specialist hadn't seen anything like it in 30 years."
Since her surgery, Cox has been monitored to make sure she doesn't develop any other hairballs.