Leeches are one of planet Earth's pinnacles of disgusting. The last time anyone actually wanted a leech on their skin, witches were still something to be feared and burned at the stake, and that was centuries ago.
Thankfully, in this day and age, falling victim to the parasite isn't easy. To even find one, you'd have to wander into the wilderness or swim through a swamp. Or, in the case of Daniela Liverani of Glasgow, Scotland, you could go backpacking through Southeast Asia. That way, you could have a three-inch-long leech living inside your nose for a few weeks.
Liverani first noticed the trouble in the form of recurring nosebleeds. At first, she brushed them off, as she thought the nosebleeds had been caused by a motorcycle crash weeks prior. Why someone wouldn't go to a doctor for nosebleeds of such a nature is anyone's guess, but what's even more astonishing is that Liverani could feel the leech moving around inside her face.
"Your initial reaction isn't to start thinking, oh god, there's obviously a leech in my face," Liverani told BBC Radio Scotland.
It wasn't until Liverani was taking a shower weeks later that she finally figured out what was going on with her nose. The heat and steam caused by the shower opened her nostrils the same way it does for everyone, but it also gave the leech more room to maneuver. According to Liverani, the parasite was able to reach her lower lips by the time her shower was over, but even then, she thought it was simply a blood clot. Liverani only realized the mass hanging from her nose was a leech when she was able to see the parasite's skin in the mirror.
Liverani was taken to a local hospital, where the leech was finally removed from her nasal cavity. After weeks of making a new home for itself, the leech wasn't ready to just leave: doctors had to forcefully remove the parasite with tweezers and forceps. For those who have never tried to pull a leech off their skin, think of a cat's claws getting stuck in a carpet as the cat is being picked up.
There are different ways leeches can make their way inside the human body. Most species are aquatic, and if any of the waters in which Liverani swam in were infested, the parasite could have entered through her nose or mouth. Considering the alternatives, Liverani should consider herself extremely lucky.
Following the parasite's removal, Liverani took the leech home. It wasn't about keeping a trophy but revenge: "He's in an Edinburgh City Council bin. He's probably long gone by now. I boiled him first."
Photos: John Douglas, Frank Vassen (cropped)
