A man who suffered from shortness of breath and was thought to have COVID-19 instead had a half a walnut lodged in his lung all along.
Hasan Dursun Akduman, 65, said he began to experience shortness of breath after drinking walnut water to help his cholesterol levels and went to the Bursa City Hospital in the north-western Turkish province of the same name.
According to the news site Yerelin Gundemi, the hospital suspected he had COVID-19 and tested him despite informing them of the walnut.
Hasan said: “I was drinking walnut water at breakfast. A walnut went into my throat while drinking. After breakfast, I started wheezing. I realised I probably swallowed part of the walnut. I thought it would come out when I coughed, but it didn’t.
“I called my granddaughter who is a nurse and went to the hospital. They said I had liquid in my lungs and sent me to have a coronavirus test.
“They hospitalised me. They said that my test was negative, but I had to stay in the hospital for a few days.”
Hasan voluntarily discharged himself from Bursa City Hospital without further treatment and went straight to a private hospital where he underwent a bronchoscopy.
The pulmonary specialist at the private clinic, Arzu Ertem Cengiz said: “The patient came to us complaining of shortness of breath.
“We saw the walnut obstructing the left lung and removed it. Afterwards, the patient received antibiotic treatment for about two days. He was significantly better. The patient was discharged and sent home.”
The gastroenterology specialist who performed the operation, Irfan Uruc, said: “We were very happy as a team. If we did not do this, it might have cost the patient his life.”
Hasan, who said he drank the walnut water to regulate cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart attack, was sent home the same day and confirmed to the press: “I feel good right now.”
The walnut water of the 65-year old Hasan Dursun Akduman, who was treated with suspicion of coronavirus 
The 65-year old Hasan Dursun Akduman who was treated with suspicion of coronavirus, while having walnut in his lung
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Story By: Feza Uzay, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
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