Unluckiest Patient Seen as Human Bomb

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 3 January 2011)

In Aydın province, Nihat Çelebi had two remote-controlled devices
implanted under his skin to relieve the pain caused by a hernia.
However, his life turned into a nightmare when the doctor
mistakenly cut a cable during the operation. Çelebi, who said
that he has had 19 operations up to now, experienced severe
pain in his foot because of the hernia and he explained the
situation as follows:

'The decision was made to implant a 47 thousand dollar device
imported from abroad under the skin at my hip in order to
ease the pain. Two devices that stop the pain with vibrations
were placed under the skin but shortly afterwards the pain
increased. It turned out during an examination that the devices
had been situated close to the right hip bone resulting in
unbearable pain. The doctor decided to place the devices a
bit higher up and did so during an operation 20 days later.
But in the course of the operation the doctor cut a cable
with a lance.'

Prof. Dr. Osman Nuri Aydın, head of the Adnan Menderes
University Medical Department Hospital's Algology (pain)
Section, remarked that Çelebi is one of the unluckiest patients
he has ever seen, promising that 'this week we'll operate again
and relieve the patient's pain.'

Nihat Çelebi related the problems he's had after the operation
that cut the cable of the pain-killing device as follows: 'Adnan
Menderes University called for bids from companies for the
1500 Turkish Lira cable but there was no response. I wanted
to explain my problem to Health Minister Recep Akdağ when
he came to Aydın but when his security guards checked me
the device under my skin gave off a signal. They thought I was
a human bomb and took me into custody. I have a document
that says that I'm 70 percent handicapped by my application
for retirement was rejected. I can't take it any more. My
wife had a heart attack from the stress.'