Urgent warning after student left looking like a Teletubby when she brushed against giant hogweed
A STUDENT was left looking like a ‘Teletubby’ after brushing against a dangerous plant while walking her dogs.
Tina Sabine woke up one morning in 2021 to discover she “physically couldn’t move” and her right hand had erupted in blisters.
The panicked 28-year-old called a friend who rushed her to Warwick A&E where she claims medics assumed someone had poured acid on her hand her injuries were so severe.
“I didn’t look in the mirror until the hospital and the right side of my face bulged out so much that I looked like a Teletubby,” Tina from Royal Leamington Spa, west Midlands explained.
Soon after, her face began blistering which left her in “a lot of pain”.
“My fingers [also] swelled up, they had to cut off my rings, they’re still swollen today,” she added.
The graphic design student says doctors then suspected an allergic reaction – but after she was transferred to Birmingham Hospital, she was told she had come into contact with toxic giant hogweed.
Tina suspects she’d touched the plant the day before when she’d been walking her dogs Mocha and Latte.
She was forced to stay in hospital for one month and it was two weeks until she was able to walk again and had to use a mobility scooter for six months.
The student was told she’d had such a bad reaction to the plant that it caused a blood clot on her spine which is why she couldn’t walk.
Tina said: “I wasn’t really conscious the first few days, they were putting cream on it and making sure I wasn’t in pain and waiting to see if I got better.”
Now, the young woman must use a walking stick to get around and still can’t use her right hand.
She has since returned to the place where she believes she came into contact with the plant and was shocked to discover it was still there.
“It’s scary to think that there are kids out playing and could touch it,” she said.
What is giant hogweed?
Giant hogweed, often dubbed “Britain’s most dangerous plant”is invasive and potentially harmful plant.
Chemicals in the sap can cause photodermatitis or photosensitivity, where the skin becomes very sensitive to sunlight and may suffer blistering, pigmentation and long-lasting scars.
If the hairs of the giant hogweed plant or its sap come into contact with your eyes they can even cause blindness.
How do I treat burns from giant hogweeds?
If you come into contact with giant hogweed, the NHS advises covering the affected area and washing it with soap and water.
If you begin to feel unwell after contact with giant hogweed, you should speak to your doctor.
The sap reacts with the melanin in your skin and removes any protection that patch has from UV light.
Hogweed can tower up to 25ft tall, with long green stems with purple blotches, huge branches of small white flowers and green leaves.
It is a close relative of cow parsley and the plant’s flower heads can reach 2ft across.