A young man stunned surgeons when they removed a five-inch barbecue skewer from his intestines that had been stuck there for three months after he accidentally swallowed it, causing him to lose 260 lbs.

The 28-year-old patient, not identified in local media, showed up at the Xian People's Hospital in Shaanxi province, China, barely able to walk.

A CT scan revealed he had a metal skewer lodged in his abdomen that had pierced the intestinal tract, causing a large abscess to form.

Incredibly, he told doctors he had accidentally swallowed the barbecue stick more than three months ago during a drinking session with friends.

The next morning, he did not feel any pain or discomfort and decided to ignore it.

The skewer had gradually travelled from his oesophagus through the small intestine and wound up in the colon, piercing the intestinal tract and reaching the abdominal wall.

Weeks later, he began experiencing pain in his left thigh, which left him unable to walk.

He also began losing his appetite, which led to him losing a staggering 260 lbs in just a few months.

A medical team led by Dr Cao Yanbing devised a surgical plan and extracted the 13-centimetre (five-inch) long metal object from the abdominal cavity.

Doctors also drained 180 millilitres of foul-smelling dark grey pus from the abscess.

The patient remained hospitalised for 16 days for post-op care until he was finally able to go home until he fully recovered.

The doctors reminded everyone not to trust their luck if they accidentally swallowed a foreign object.

Instead, they warned them to seek immediate medical attention, even if they do not notice any symptoms.