A mum who fell into a plant that has been nicknamed the ‘suicide plant’ because of the incredible pain it causes has spoken out about her six-month ordeal and says that the pain is way worse than childbirth.
Naomi Lewis had an unfortunate encounter with the Gympie-Gympie plant after falling off her bike while out in North Queensland last June.
She came off her bike and rolled off the trail, crashing into one of the world’s most venomous plants shortly after.
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It’s called the Gympie-Gympie, but as you’ve already seen it has some other nicknames that people call it.
Science calls it the Dendrocnide Moroides, but it’s sometimes called the 'suicide plant' because of the horrendous pain it causes, or the ‘giant Australian stinging tree’ for obvious reasons.
Basically, the plant injects venom into the skin of people who touch it, and it can leave them in excruciating pain for up to nine-months.
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That’s what happened to Lewis.
She told ABC that the pain was ‘100 percent the worst pain ever’, continuing: “The pain was just beyond unbearable.
“The body gets to a pain threshold and then I started vomiting,
“I've had four kids - three caesareans and one natural.
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“Childbirth, none of them even come close.”
After the accident, she was driven to a pharmacy by her husband, where he bought hair removal strips to remove the stinging hairs in her skin whilst they waited for the ambulance to arrive.
During one moment, she remembers telling him that she ‘can’t deal with this’.
Eventually, she managed to get to hospital in Cairns - near to where the accident took place - before being moved to another hospital for pain treatment.
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Seven days later, she was able to go home.
Then, it was six months of painkillers and heat packs to keep the horrific pain out of her legs, but it wasn’t until that December that she was able to finally come off the pain medication.
She still experiences pain in parts of her legs under certain conditions even to this day.
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If you’re ever in that part of the world, you can identify the Gympie-Gympie because it looks a bit like a big nettle and has wide, oval or heart-shaped leaves.
It’s also got a fruit that looks a bit like a raspberry, but don’t be tempted - it’s also covered in tiny hairs.
Strangely enough, some creatures do actually eat that fruit, but it really isn’t good for others.
It’s probably best that you just give the Gympie-Gympie a wide berth.
Topics: Australia, Health, Weird, Environment, Science
Tom Wood