A woman says doctors told her she was fine after a fall into brambles, but her hip hurt for seven years until a surgeon found 2 inches of wood

In celebration of spooky season, Melanie Herrera (@itsmelanieherrera) reposted her strangest storytime, which had originally been shared on Instagram and TikTok. The three-part series, which originally surpassed two million views, told the story of a piece of wood that was lodged in her hip for seven years.

In a storytime video, Herrera dramatically acted along to a pre-recorded narration, sharing that she tripped and fell off a wall into brambles when she was 11. Although she landed on her feet, she said she felt an immense amount of pain. At the hospital, she said doctors took an X-ray and deemed everything fine, despite her inability to walk and a small wound on her hip.

For the next seven years, Herrera said she went to multiple doctors for localized pain in her hip. They repeatedly told her nothing was there and that it was likely some calcification from the fall. Then, a stage accident led to a persistent, weeping wound that she said kept expelling wood fragments.

She only learned of the interloper through surgery

In her final post, Herrera shared that she struggled to find medical help until she found a Pennsylvania plastic surgeon who actually listened to her. Upon waking from the procedure, she was shocked to learn that a 2-inch piece of wood had been inside her the entire time. She believes the wood was likely a piece of a garden stake that pierced her skin during the initial fall, eventually becoming encased in a calcified pocket that later ruptured.

eMedicine Health notes that small particles under the skin often work their way out on their own, but wood and other plant material carry an increased risk of infection and inflammation. Unexpected debris can strike in other ways, too, as a Pittsburgh driver found when his windshield smashed mid-drive.

According to the site, small, shallow splinters can often be removed carefully at home, but objects near the eyes, deeply embedded objects, or signs of infection like swelling or pus call for professional medical care.

The comments on Herrera’s post were mostly split between two camps. One group gushed over her entertaining storytelling. The other shared similar experiences, with one user calling the American healthcare system “a haunted house.”

One user shared that she had been hit in the face with a glass and that, like Herrera, doctors told her there were no foreign bodies. She claimed that when she cracked a tooth 14 years later, the antibiotics caused the glass in her face to push out.

Others shared stories of toothpicks and twigs that reappeared years later. Herrera told her viewers she had a few takeaways from the experience, the most important being to “advocate for yourself.”

Attack of the Fanboy was unable to independently verify Herrera’s doctors’ side of the story, as this account originates solely from her Instagram and TikTok posts.