Seventy-year-old Navsari based fish lover Viraf Kasad will be more careful the next time he samples fish he is unfamiliar with. A two cm fishbone pierced his tongue and lodged itself in his throat this February and had to be removed surgically. "I was in great pain then… I am okay now,” he told us on July 2, 2023. "Being a fish-lover and having spent eight months in Canada where I only had ‘Western’ preparations, I didn’t hesitate when it was served… I immediately regretted eating the large piece all at once, as it was full of sharp thorns that injured my mouth, gums, and tongue,” he mentioned. Called marghi-machhi (chicken fish) locally, reportedly because of its taste, the marine creature is dark grey and its "nose” is tilted slightly upwards.
Viraf Kasad (right):"caution over unknown fish (left)" Photo: Rohinton Contractor
An erstwhile customer service executive, Kasad who spends his retirement shuttling between Canada, Navsari and Bombay was operated at Nanavati Max Super Specialty Hospital in Bombay in February 2023 after experiencing three weeks of agony, noted the mid-day (MD) of June 6. While attempting to remove the last stubbornly lodged fishbone, it broke and a piece of it pierced his tongue. "Due to the fishbone being inside his tongue, he suffered pain and decided to travel from Navsari to Bombay,” noted MD.
Consultant ear-nose-throat surgeon Dr Sanjay Helale told the daily, "The fishbone had pierced the tongue, and the initial scan located it near the base of the tongue. However, during the surgery, we were surprised to find that the fishbone… had migrated deeper into the neck. It had pierced the tongue and moved to the base of the tongue within three weeks, but in just three days, it travelled an equal distance deeper into the neck. If there had been any further delay, locating it would have been impossible, and it could have caused damage to internal organs or veins.”
Kasad’s advice: "Be cautious and avoid eating unknown fish altogether.”