Monday, March 26, 2007

Bringing back a souvenir...

A husband and his wife went to a beautiful island for a vacation. It was his gift to her to celebrate her 35th birthday. They sunbathed, played sports, splashed in the pool, ate well and drank some. What a wonderful time they had. They met new people from all over the world and truly enjoyed their time together. But the vacation was over and they had to come back.

Once they were back home, the wife was often scratching under her left foot. One night, while decorating their Christmas tree her big toe was really itchy. No matter how much she would scratch, no satisfaction was to be felt. During the night, she awoke having the very strong desire to scratch her foot again. She looked at it. He looked at it. They only could see a little red spot that looked a little like a miniscule blister.

That morning, since she didn’t sleep well, she decided to go see a doctor. While driving to the doctor's office she thought that it might be ridiculous for her to go there, if it was only athlete's foot or something like that. While driving, she remembered that during their vacation, while playing volleyball in the sand, she had cut herself on a little shell. On her left foot. Later that same day, while retrieving a lost ball, she had step in mud. She wondered about it, but did not think too much of it. Maybe it was simply an allergic reaction...

After waiting for about one hour at the doctor's office, which is quite good considering the actual health care status, she went in to see what was causing the itching.

She explained to the doctor, that while on vacation in the island, she cut herself, etc. The doctor looked very interested and quite excited.
She looked at the wife's foot and said: "It's a larva migratus".
The poor wife had goose bumps all over before she could ask: "What are you saying... exactly?"
The doctor smiled and said: "You have a larva that is moving under your skin. We can take care of this."
The wife's heart was beating so fast, her throat was shrinking and she looked at the doctor: "Are you saying that there's an actual bug in my foot?"
The doctor laughed and said: "Yes! It's a beautiful textbook case. A question for a dermatology exam! You cut yourself, which was the door opening for the larva to enter you body. The skin serves as a barrier, a protection against those bugs, but as soon as there's an opening, like a cut, they go in."
The wife was simply staring at the doctor, disgusted and yet fascinated: "How can we take it out?"
The doctor was still looking at the two little red spots, one in the center of the foot and the other under the big toe: "We can burn it with liquid nitrogen. It won't be pleasant, but it should take care of it."
The only thing the wife could think of was to get that thing out of her: "Let's do it!"

She sat on the table, while the doctor prepared everything. There was not much preparation to do, get the liquid nitrogen on a stick with a cotton ball, and then touch the foot a few times until the area goes white. It made a funny sound, and the sensation wasn't too pleasant, but the wife did not care, as long as it killed the bug!

After a few minutes, the doctor told her it was done and that everything should be all right. She was warned that blisters, and then scabs would appear, which is the normal process after a burn. She scheduled another appointment with the wife a week later and send her home.

During home, while in some pain, the wife could only think of the fact that a larva was living inside her foot! The simple thought of that made her quiver. She felt sick to her stomach. She called her husband to let him know that her little nothing, was in fact a larva moving around under her skin. That night, she did not sleep well. Her foot was sensitive, but it was mostly the nightmares she had that made it hard for her to enjoy her sleep. She could see bugs coming out of her, with antenna, and wings, and lots of gooey pus! It felt real to her, and she woke up scratching herself almost until she bled.

Her husband wanted to comfort her, and caressed her softly, but she said: "If you're going to touch me, don't be light in your touch - I don't want to feel anything that could feel like a bug!" The husband laughed and caressed her with a heavy hand.

To think that a bug, a parasite, is living inside of you is quite disgusting. Just writing about it gives me the creeps again. I'm so grossed out. I'm trying to reason myself, but there was a bug, a larva, in my toe!!!
That day, it looked pretty bad, a huge blister, that I've pierced a few times, but it kept filling up. Thinking about it, makes me itch all over!

That revolting story is mine. Of all the things I could come back with from Antigua, a larva was not my first choice!!! Especially not when they have really nice men with REALLY hard butts! (I know I've tested some!) Anyway, I thought I'd share one of my many vacation stories with you.

___

Image: Antigua

13 comments:

Jason Stockl said...

Gross!

Talk about a vacation souvenir!

Anonymous said...

A teacher at my school had the same thing happen to her in Florida. She was really infested however. She knelt in the sand for hours, causing little abrasions and creating little openings for the critters. She had swaths of skin that were infected.
I hardly believed her due to the extreme nature of her tale, but I know stuff like botfly's exist and how they work. Others were not too friendly or believing.
I am not squeemish about much, but this one got me a bit.
Thanks for posting your story.
This lady was a bit harrangued for hers. After sharing this, she will be validated.

lizgwiz said...

Yowza. Next time just get a t-shirt. ;)

Anonymous said...

Ewwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!! Yuck. That must have been awful. :-(

Seeker said...

Yikes! That's horrible! I never heard of such a thing!

Biddie said...

That would have driven me mad, the thought of a bug living under my skin. How awful for you!

stinkypaw said...

j67: It was the worst feeling I ever felt about a bug! The worst kind of souvenir!

wreckless: I wouldn't even think of making such a gross story, trust me!

lizgwiz: Since then I'm always wearing flip flops or sandals! T-Shirt would have been plenty!

ananke: Awful isn't strong enough to describe it! I'm itchy just thinking about it!

seeker: I have seen a tv reportage about something like that in Africa, not on a "civilized" beach in the Caribbeans!

biddie: Oh! I did the first night - just imagine, that thing was living therefore eating and shitting in my foot! Can you say F.R.E.A.K.I.N.G O.U.T?!

don't call me MA'AM said...

My stomach hurts now from reading that. I hate bugs so much!! I would have gone literally insane. Glad your story had a happy ending!!

Kala said...

that story is CRAZY! wow - Ive never heard of that - was that in Hawai'i??? What beach? Im avoiding that beach now what ever you tell me it is - I was waiting for a punchline thinking this was a joke but wow - its crazy true!

Kim said...

that sounds like the best incentive yet to buy a pair of those ugly water shoes ;)

stinkypaw said...

dcmm: I hate bugs too, and even five years later when I have an itch somewhere I can't help to think about it...

kala: That happened in Antigua. A Hawaiian friend told me it happened to her friend on her outrigger team - she stepped on a sea urchin and had the same type of larva... Not pleasant at all!

kim: I have 2 pairs of them and do wear them! Don't want that again!

Anonymous said...

OMG! That was YOU! That's such a strange story. I'm glad they were able to get you well. I hope it never happens again.

stinkypaw said...

shopper: Yep, that was me! According to the doctor, she knew of a patient who had cut herself while shaving her privates and then sat in the sand. She had the same type of larva and she had to have her "lips" burn, just like I did my foot! I much prefer my foot to my "lips" - aaw, that must of hurt!...