In what appears to be a bizarre medical case, Rebecca Hiller took to social media, sharing that she stepped into a sewing needle about 10 years ago and only managed to take half of it out, and gone with her life without paying attention to it.
The 23-year-old Canadian TikToker captured the attention of over 10 million viewers with her medical story, claiming she thought a sewing needle had been stuck in her foot for 10 years, reported The Insider.
She recounted her medical mystery in a viral video posted on Tik Tok, saying, “ I’m currently at the doctor right now because 10 years ago, I stepped on a sewing needle in my basement and I only got half of it out.”
She continued, “ I was like oh whatever we’ll deal with it, I’ve had a tetanus shot I’m good. But lately, half of my foot has been going numb and I’ve been getting this weird pain. I think that the other half of the needle that I believe remains in my foot is being rejected so we’ll see what we find.”
Foreign body ingestion is a common complaint and occurs in both adults and children.
As Hiller documented her doctor visits in real-time on social media, many users speculated that the needle may have moved from her foot to other areas of her body, even though X-rays didn't reveal anything.
Sitetelele Daca, a registered nurse, and specialist in HIV and Sexual Reproductive Health told IOL Lifestyle that there were several myths surrounding such ingestions.
However, she said, that medical attention was necessary to determine the needle’s location but warned that if the object was in the muscles it was likely to remain there.
“As long as the needle sticks to the muscle if it pinches you, it is unlikely that it migrated.
My only recommendation would’ve been to get an X-ray to see where it is located immediately.“
Daca said that if an object was inserted too deeply into the muscle, there were two options: leave it there since it wasn’t causing any issue or risk surgery.
“Although Hiller’s case might be different one thing remains, a health practitioner's opinion should be your first point of departure, ” said Daca.
As expected the sewing needle saga went viral on Tik Tok, with users asking for an update on her foot health.
She shared how the needle came to remain in her body, in one of her updates. “We all don’t make the best decisions at 13, although I regret not going to the hospital to have the rest of it removed.
“ I was disgusted at the fact that there could be a sewing needle in my foot but I was really good at minimising my own anxiety”
Some of her followers wondered why she did not seek medical attention. They postulated that perhaps she did not go to a hospital because American healthcare was expensive.
Hiller responded that as a Canadian she had every ability to go to a hospital and have her foot checked out.
However, the 23-year-old content creator has both a diagnosis and a treatment plan: She had scar tissue from the needle that had led to two neuromas (benign growths of nerve tissue) between her toes.
Hiller claimed that as a result, her doctor recommended eight rounds of injectable therapy, a topical ointment, and personalised orthotics (a device or support used to relieve or correct an orthopaedic problem.
Read the latest issue of IOL Health digital magazine here.