Natalie Carroll, 24, suffered blistering down her legs after she believes to have come into contact with a tiny but terrifying creature while on holiday in Indonesia
A woman who was enjoying her holiday on the Indonesian island of Bali was left with horror injuries after she came into contact with a terrifying creature.
Natalie Carroll, 24, shared her injury with her 24,000 TikTok followers after she woke up with blisters on her leg on November 7. At first she thought it could be from a jellyfish sting after she swam in the ocean the day before.
She then noticed streaks that went down her legs that were “extremely painful.” She said in a post: “When I woke up, I had some little blisters and I was like, ‘I need to call a doctor.”
Natalie said she was given oral antibiotics in order to prevent the wound from becoming infected. As the welts got larger, so did the pain.
“I kept having to put this ointment on it to keep it concealed from the Balinese air because it’s dirty here,” she continued. “Honestly the worst part about this is just not being able to swim for my entire trip and Bali is so hot … and I can’t even shower properly.
“I can’t get it wet at all. 24 hours of that red mark and then this is what I then had on my leg…these, I can’t even describe the pain.”
Natalie said her doctor thought she had come into contact with a Rowe beetle, News.au reported. She said she believes the beetle might have crawled on her leg as she slept and that she brushed it away without noticing.
The Rowe beetle, also known as the Tomcat beetle, does not bite or sting its victims. Instead it can release toxins that can cause severe burning or blistering, the Australian Department of Health said.
People who come into contact with the beetle should immediately wash the site with warm soapy water and apply a cold compress, antiseptic lotion or antihistamine cream to reduce the contamination.
