Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Caution!

I must warn you that the following video is...gross! My son found it at You tube and we were all so excited to see someone else who had experienced the famous "NIGUA" ! I must say, I never thought to video the extraction of one.

I posted about all the critters one finds in the jungle
and mentioned how that I once had several of these egg sacks embedded under my toe nail which resulted in having to remove the toenail, cut out the eggs and required stitches to close the wound.

Here is what I wrote about niguas:
Another most annoying bug is the nigua. The nigua is everywhere. Due to the dirt floors and the constant contact one has with the dirt and with others who also happen to have niguas, you can never truly avoid this bug. Some refer to it as a burrowing tic, but it is rightly, a sand flea. It is almost impossible to see with the naked eye, but it makes itself known!!!


The nigua will burrow into any exposed skin, most commonly the toes, but also the hands and in small children who play on the floor, I have seen them on the babies bottoms. They must be removed. This is best done with a small thorn from a bush the indians use for this very purpose. I used a needle so that it could be disinfected. Another way to prevent them, is to step in kerosene daily. During dry season, I would keep a shallow pan near the door for this purpose. We also would wash our chancletas (flip flops) in kerosene. Kerosene has no lead so was safe to use in this way.


An indian boy was brought to us once who had both feet so infected by niguas, he could not walk. We had to clean and remove infectious tissue for several days. The Sanema of a certain village were so inundated with niguas, that every member of the village could show you scarred and missing digits from their feet, caused by niguas.





I would love to know how many of you actually watch the entire video!

34 comments:

Kristi said...

OK, I have a very weak stomach and this was almost too much for me, but I did watch the entire video. UGH! GROSS! Come about the second pull on that thing, I felt my tummy begin churning and my supper move up a bit in my esophagus. Ewww!

~Kristi

marine's words said...

thank you for stoping by and keeping me in your prayer it means a lot to me.
I have to say I could not bring myself to see the video I am scared it looks bad but maybe I will be strong and bring myself to see it I will let you know.
blessing,marina

marine's words said...

ok I saw it ,it's gross but how can you stay away form them can you wear closed shoe's can you spray something to kill those things that is awfull,I can't belive I saw that egg.marina

Anonymous said...

I think I'll pass on the video! :)

I'm so sorry you're not coming by the church for this visit! I was so looking forward to meeting you. The last time you all were on furlough I believe just Clint and Jackie came. I'm sorry about your back -- hope you feel better soon!

Anonymous said...

WOW! That was quite interesting---I think I could do that for someone....or help you to help them!!

Was it really painful for you (not the surgery...the egg sac and the bugs!!)

Thanks for another peek at your life in the jungle!!

Terri said...

I watched it all, but if I had been standing instead of sitting, my knees might have given out!! That is just creepy!

We take so much comfort for granted in the States.

Pastor Erik DiVietro said...

I watched it. Gross. Thanks.

Starla said...

I watched it all, it didn't bother me. LOL!!!

Anonymous said...

I think I'll keep ministering in the urban jungle ;)

MightyMom said...

OK, I watched the video...I'm still waiting for the gross part?? When does it get gross?? Let me know, cuz then I might put down the pizza I'm currently eating.

Sarah Joy said...

Wow, that looks painful! Yes, I watched the whole thing-I've got some strange fascination with such things.

That did give me heebie jeebies.

Tori Leslie said...

Oh Rita,

I was just showing my kids your blog and the "real" mission field you live in. I was being a bit naughty and talking about how I would rather be in a place like the jungle so we would be "real" missionaries. Well I have CHANGED MY MIND!!!

I did watch the entire video or at least until the sack was out but I started to feel a bit ill and thought it best to stop the video just in case it got worse. GROSS and YUCK!!

I think I now have a new appreciation for Europe and the lifestyle here, you have fixed my lack of contentment!

Unknown said...

Well I must say that this was the last thing I thought I'd be seeing before heading to bed! I wonder what I might dream about?

I can't imagine having one of those under my toenail Rita. Ouch!

Thursday's Child said...

I watched it all. It was gross. I'm glad my girls were practicing reciting the Koran so I had something else to peek at. LOL Sometimes I'm glad their teacher lets them get so loud.

BTW, I really want to meet you too. Any chance of you starting a church in Kuwait?

Glenn B said...

That was not much different than taking out an ingrown nail, or removing an ingrown hair, or lancing a boyle and draining it, or even popping a large nasty blackhead. I am really surprised at how many people usually find stuff like that to be extreme in grossness. Was this video grosser than those things because it was an insect's egg? I would ask folks who find it very nasty: Haven't any of you ever swam in a lake and gotten leeches, or walked in the woods and gotten ticks, or had lice as a child (or as an adult), or had to pull out a bee's stinger, or lanced a cyst, or popped a zit?

All the best,
GB

CrimeSceneFairy said...

EW. I watched the whole thing and gagged at the end and my eyes started watering like when you throw up. ACK. I'm glad the only wildlife here in Ukraine is pigeons and stray cats and dogs. I forgot about my soar throat for a while though. GROSS!

Jackie said...

I'm not even pushing play. I've seen plenty of Nigua extractions in my life that I just don't feel led of the Lord to watch another one.

Jane said...

All I can say is YUCK!!!!

I have a new appreciation and love for missionaries who serve in the Amazon. I don't know how you dealt with that!

God knew what he was doing when he DIDN'T call me to be a missionary along the Amazon!!! I would have been throwing up on a regular basis!

P said...

Again, I'm commenting in P's stead, as she is still unable to herself access the Web. She loves you all and can't wait till she can directly participate with everyone!

Liz said...

I'M NOT WATCHING THAT RITA!
:-«
yikes...

Gayle said...

I haven't had anything to eat yet this morning, Rita, so I think I'll pass. I don't want to ruin my breakfast!

I really think I'd rather put up with the Water Moccasins I'm fighting than these critters. At least I can see them!

Unknown said...

I watched it and then watched it again to make sure I didn't miss anything. lol

yes, it was gross but it had to be painful and that is what got me the most.

Liz said...

To Glen:
Oh dear.. how do I start? if everybody was the same, the world would be such a boring place!

Thus, some of us belong in the silly, woopsy, cowardly lion side.

Still... we give birth, we take care of broken knees, we give inyections, we live in cities like New York, Mexico DF or Caracas were big roaches and mice are very common, we take care of the elderly and sometimes have had to go the morgue and identify dead people.

Oh.. I forgot, I'm not afraid of the dentist! just hate the bill.

But snakes or niguas.. I'll pass on those.
:-)

MaMa Vaughn said...

Okay that was gross! Looks like warts or something...He just kept pulling stuff out of his poor little toe! Yuck! Should I say "thanks" for posting that??=) I don't know!

Mrs. Who said...

Cool, in a gross kind of way.

crazy4danes said...

I am so glad that I already have eaten because I don't think I'll be able to stomach anything for a while here! LOL GROSS!!!! Wow...makes me grateful for my living conditions!!! :)

FeathersMcGraw said...

I am not watching. Noooooo.... this is worst than any horror movie.

I am traumatized of the account you gives us a couple of months ago.

:P

Kimberly said...

yep, I watched but muted the sound just in case!

MightyMom said...

for the record...I'm with Glenn! (but I'm a nurse and he's a cop so go figure)

Brenda said...

I did not watch the video. . .to much of this in real life for me. But I do want to warn you that we have something like this in Paraguay. Even if you wear flip flops, they climb up and dig into your feet.

I like the kerosene idea actually. I used to clean my wood floors with kerosene to keep the bugs away.

Anonymous said...

I have a very squeamish stomach- even conversation can set it off- but I watched the whole thing, without much problem.

Good to get those eggs out of you! People who live in wintry climates do not appreciate how the winter freezes help kill off insects.

Anonymous said...

I watched it...I was more grossed out by his toes than the wound! heheeehee.
But I love stuff like this.
Cooooool.

Bob's Blog said...

I feel toward bugs like you feel about snow! My four-year-old, Sara, screams bloody murder if she sees a grasshopper, for crying out loud.

groovyoldlady said...

I watched it and I actually laughed when he said, "yummy..."

I know. I'm a sicko.

I couldn't help wondering if he has numbed his toe or if he was just tough.