Doctors at the Santander University Hospital in Bucaramanga managed to save $5700 after cleaning and drying the notes in the operating theatre.
Chief surgeon Juan Pablo Serrano said his first they thought was that Almeida was a drugs mule as the objects in the X-ray images were similar to bags of narcotics.
He told Colombia's Radio Caracol: "We took the patient into surgery for two procedures to clear the blockage, on her stomach and intestine.
"The dollar notes were washed and are in good condition, but the rest of the money was lost because of the gastric fluids."