hair. its what's for supper.

She was scared. She was only 18 years old and had been suffering from chronic pain and swelling for five months. The pain was so severe that it caused her to vomit anything she ate. As a result, she lost nearly 40 pounds (18kg).

Doctors were perplexed. So, they ordered a scan on her abdomen. The scan confirmed her fears-- she had a large mass in her stomach.

To further investigate, doctors at a Chicago hospital lowered a scope into her stomach to get a closer look. What they found was a 10 pound (4.5kg), 15 inch long (38cm)... hairball.

Doctors said it looked like a big pile of poop.

The woman, who has long black curly hair, had the habit of biting on her hair and eating it. At the time it didn't seem to be a problem, just a bad habit. Unfortunately, the hairball was blocking her stomach.

The hairball has been removed. The unnamed woman has returned home.... and isn't eating her hair anymore.

I'll bet if they wash it up they could make a dandy wig.

story

This post was updated on December 05 with a picture of the hairball that was removed. The picture appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine.