Sunday. The bites are still there and hurt a little more.
Monday. Still present. Now there are random stabbing pains. They are also a little larger.
Tuesday. I notice that there is some redness tracking up my thigh from one of the bites. I decide to go get it checked out, concerned about a superimposed infection. Prior to going to the ER I try to open it up in order to relieve some of the pressure from the bite. Out pops a maggot head.
After a moment of terror, I grabbed some tongs, pulled it out, and then went after the other bites.
I got two more, but couldn't get the last one. Given that I was not using a sterile kitchen knife, I went to the ER to get some antibiotics and the fourth maggot. Recommendations per the infectious disease physician were to wait on pathology results before treating the rest of the bites. I grabbed a suture removal kit and dug out the final one.
And now a teaching moment.
The Tumbu fly, mainly found in tropical Africa, lays its eggs on clothes left outside to dry. If the human then wears the clothes and gets wet, the eggs hatch into larvae. If the clothes are worn for a long enough period, the larvae burrow into the skin. Treatment is removal of the larvae with people either recovering fully or turning into the insect-Jeff Goldblum hybrid from 'The Fly'.
8 comments:
In the first picture, I first thought "what happened to Carson's nipples, they're so red?"...then I read some more. You went to Uganda? Wow. Are you doing ok now, have you recovered, or have you turned into the maggot fly? I hope not.
I've always been a bit hairy (not Black Forest Ham hairy) so it's hard to tell if I'm a Goldblum-fly, but I'm hedging on thinking 'no' currently.
Uganda was great, though, and I'm doing fine.
I forgot to not look at your blog. It's always a nice surprise when you are just casually checking your friends' blogs, looking at the pictures of the children in Uganda, thinking there will be one more pleasant one, only to find this. YUCK!! So in all the time you've been showing pictures, I've managed to avoid seeing it, until today. So thanks!!
Did you hang your underwear out to dry too?
Note to self #1: Don't post pictures on facebook in your underwear. Note to self #2: Don't send innocent people to google images to check out african infested boobs.
SICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm not sure by which I am the most disturbed: the maggots living in your hairy legs or the fact that you posted pictures of maggots living in your hairy legs for the world to see. SICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
CARSON! I just found your blog site on James' site. GROSS! I can't believe that happened to you. You look so calm in the photo of you knifing (not a word, i know) out the maggot. I would've FREAKED out! That is seriously the craziest thing I think I've ever seen...wow. Anyway, hope you're doing well. :) -case
and i'm officially grosed out! how did i spend a week with you in BC and not hear this story?!
on a lighter note, i hear chocolate-dipped larvae make for a tasty proteinaceous treat!
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