Woman Visits Doctor With Swollen Head And Two Maggots Are Dug Out
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Imagine going to the doctor's with a swollen head. You might be a little apprehensive to visit the GP for fear of it just being a bump.
You don't, however, expect them to find maggots underneath your skin. Did anyone else shiver reading that?
And if you're thinking well, that would never happen... read on my friend, read on.
Because one women who recently returned from a holiday in Uganda, Africa, noticed red swelling on her hairline which turned out to be a pair of maggots living underneath her skin.
According to the MailOnline, the 55-year-old woman went to the hospital with her problem. Doctors initially thought it was an infected insect bite and sent her home with a course of antibiotics.
Little did they know that the pesky maggots were doing their thing under the skin.
Three days later she went back with 'shooting pains' around her face and the swelling had spread down to her eyes. Tests were carried out and medics found that a maggot had dug its way inside her forehead.
Then further examinations revealed that the first maggot had another maggot mate under there as well.
The pair were removed and the woman made a full recovery.
Doctors believe that the ordeal began when she wrapped a towel around her head which contained fly eggs.
The MailOnline reports that the first animal was removed with the assistance of petroleum jelly, nice.
And in the British Medical Journal Case Reports, doctors explained how an ultrasound scan afterwards revealed one maggot was remaining.
The patient explained: "I returned to hospital after phoning up to say my symptoms had got worse, my face more swollen and I was in great pain. I was seen quickly and admitted to the maxillofacial ward where they were just great - extremely helpful.
"I have previously been used to having lots of things running through my mind - ideas, particularly, would often pop out [but] maggots were a first."
And the patient revealed that she wasn't the only person to get the rare infection, adding: "A friend of my son who joined us in Uganda had the same infestation on his back when he left to come home to UK.
"But the walk-in centre in London where he lives did not believe the lump on his back was anything more than an infected bite. He also had a maggot which came out when he took the Elastoplast off!"
Well, there's something you don't want to read while you're eating.
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