A 74-year old man living with prostate cancer endured a painful surgery in 2009 only to be told he needed two more to remove the items the surgeons had left inside his body.

Dirk Schroeder of Germany was initially given a promising diagnosis when he came through the first surgery with no major problems; doctors said he could have up to six years if he took care of himself. However, once he was sent home he began to have problems, and when a home-healthcare provider paid a visit, she discovered a large piece of gauze trying to work its way out of his wound.

After being sent back to the hospital twice, doctors removed some 16 items from Schroeder’s body, including a needle, pieces of a surgical glove, and several inches of gauze. He survived the surgeries but later died after his cancer spread, and his family says they think he might have had a longer life had he not been subjected to the trauma of foreign objects being removed. They are now suing the hospital for damages.

“I hope the hospital will settle but otherwise the family are prepared to go all the way and sue in court,” the family’s attorney, Annette Corinth said. “The family of the deceased spent lots of money on care, medicines and reconstruction of their home to look after this man. There has been gross negligence here which most probably had led to complications and possibly a quicker death.”