5 Shocking Medical Stories From 2017

CBS Local -- The field of medicine has made tremendous strides in 2017. Here's a list of shocking stories from this year that shows just how far science has come and how unbelievable (and a little gross!) it can be. Laymen beware: the following may contain highly technical terminology for procedures (like swallowing balloons) and medical recommendations (like not to swallow coins).

New Procedure Has People Swallowing Balloons To Lose Weight

Having trouble hitting your goal weight? With the help of her doctor and a few gas-filled balloons, Bronx-resident Suzy Soto found out how to get rid of those last few pounds.

Scientists Say Your Brain Still Works After Death, And You Know When You're Dead

This one will have your mind racing. Researchers are studying patients whose hearts temporarily stopped to understand the strange phenomena that takes place in the brain at the time of death. According to Dr. Sam Parnia of New York University's Langone School of Medicine, these patients "describe watching doctors and nurses working; they'll describe having awareness of full conversations, of visual things that were going on, that would otherwise not be known to them."

Minneapolis Man Burned Squeezing Limes In The Sun

When life gives you limes, squeeze them in an air-conditioned room. File this one under Things You Didn't Know You Should Worry About But Don't Want To Find Out The Hard Way. Warning: This one is very graphic.

Mayo Clinic Performs 1st Facial Transplant

No, this isn't a chapter out of a science fiction novel. Read about Andy Sandness's new face, one that had belonged to another man.

Surgeons Remove 263 Coins, 100 Nails From Man's Stomach

Doctors thought this man was suffering from food poisoning until they took an X-ray of his stomach. What they found was "bolts, chains, 263 coins and around 100 nails."