A 16-year-old Scottish boy developed an orange-sized bump on his hand after he touched “the most dangerous plant in Britain”.
Ross McPherson has been in contact with toxic Giant hogweed while riding his bicycle in his home town of Dunbar, Scotland.
A few hours after touching the plant, he says, he noticed the organ began to turn red and, soon after, fill with bubbles—one of which had grown until it was gigantic. They caused great pain to the young man, which led him to hospitalization.
The bubbles had to be removed without anesthesia, as reported by the British Daily Mail. The pain was such that, according to the newspaper, the young man fainted. Learn more about the case!
The teenager touched a poisonous plant for a few seconds
In an interview, Ross said he must have only touched the poisonous plant for a few seconds. “I was riding my bike and I must have passed,” he told the Mail.
He added, “When I noticed that my hand was red and a little sore, but I didn’t know what it was,” noting that he felt the member begin to heat up.
Soon after, blisters began to appear, small at first and then larger. I could not put clothes under the wounds, and how [as bolhas] They were on my knuckles, I couldn’t use my left hand, ”the teenager recalled.
He compared the blisters to a “giant balloon” and revealed that he had smaller rashes on his knuckles, which limited his movements.
Warning: The image below, which contains an actual photo of Ross McPherson’s hand, may be disturbing to some people.
Burners of the second and third order
The first doctor to examine Ross diagnosed contact dermatitis. However, after going to another hospital, it turned out to be in addition burns Second and third grade. It was absolute hell. He commented.
He needed to drain the blisters, which is a relatively simple process: you just cut them open and drain the liquid. According to the teen, the liquid was jelly-like. Next, health workers cut off the dead skin.
Since they needed to see if nerves were damaged, the operation had to be performed without anesthesia.
Ross’ hand is on the mend. According to doctors, the organ will remain sensitive for many years and there is no expectation of when it will return to normal.
“They asked to wear SPF 50 sunscreen for the next two years or a glove in the winter, if possible,” said the teen.
