And they were big.
This is the stomach-churning moment surgeons discovered 14 live worms wriggling between a woman's internal organs.
The woman, named in reports only as 38-year-old Sunita, visited an India hospital complaining of severe abdominal pain, fever, vomiting and episodes of jaundice for six months.
A CT scan revealed more than a dozen live roundworms in the bile duct, which connects the liver and intestines.
Some of the writhing parasites measured nearly eight inches long.
Surgeons at Fortis Hospital in New Delhi removed the creatures using snares and forceps endoscopically, without surgery.
Roundworms reproduce in the human gut after eggs from adult worms enter the human food chain via contaminated soil.
"My pain was so bad that I could barely stand on my feet," Sunita said after the operation. "I had lost over 12 kilos (26lbs) in a span of a month. Thankfully they were able to diagnose my condition."
Sunita said she was "completely pain-free" immediately following the surgery.
"This was a daunting task," Dr. Arvind Khurana, head of gastroenterology at the hospital, told SWNS. "All worms were removed using snares and forceps. While it is common to find worms in intestines, it is uncommon for them to be found in the bile duct.
India has the highest number of cases related to worms because deworming medication is not routinely administered, according to Khurana.
"However, to see 14 worms is extremely rare," he said.
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