A gardener was left with slurred speech and a swollen tongue , with her arms feeling 'like they were on fire' after coming across a poisonous plant while doing some routine pruning. Kenzie Kizer said her first symptoms started after she finished weeding, which caused her to have terrible sensations on her arms.
Her tongue began to swell, she felt dizzy and her speech became slurred after coming into contact with poison hemlock. The poisonous plant has tiny white flowers which can prove fatal to humans, dogs and livestock.
She has since set-up a Facebook to warn others of the dangers of the plant. “I took a shower to wash out what I believed to be splinters,” Ms Kizer wrote.
“Less than an hour later my tongue started swelling, my skin was burning, my speech was slurred, I was dizzy, confused and very shaky.
"It started to feel as though my chest was tightening and I was struggling to breathe.”
As the symptoms started to escalate, she headed to her nearest hospital where medics confirmed she had been in contact with poison hemlock. Doctors said she saved her life by showering as this helped mitigate the plant's poison, reports The Mirror.
On Facebook, she has continued to warn others of the dangers of the plant. Angie Rodriguez, who is on the Facebook page, commented she also had similar symptoms to Kenzie after she encountered the plant while in a creek.
She and her 11-year-old were playing on a swing when her hands started to swell and her skin became incredibly itchy. She wrote: "Ten mintues after we came inside, my son came to me saying his skin was burning pretty bad. I noticed he had a rash all over his body. Not long after, my throat felt as if it was closing and made it hard to swallow.
"Last two days I've had my eyes watery and super irritated, face swollen, no taste in my mouth, hot sweats, short of breath, nauseated, and what to me felt like flu."
Angie revealed she has since made a recovery and warned others "this weed is no joke, please be careful."
Poison hemlock can grow throughout the year, but it is normally found in the spring. The stem of a hemlock has purple spots and the plant can grow up to nine feet tall.
The roots of poison hemlock can easily be mistaken for wild parsnips, while the leaves can be mistaken for parsley, and this is the primary reason for accidental poisoning.
Poison hemlock is often found on roadsides, in waste areas and near fences.
Experts say people should be cautious when attempting to remove the poisonous plant as cutting or moving it can release more of its dangerous fumes.
In order to get rid of the plant, the hemlock should be dug from the ground or herbicides should be sprayed if the plant is not yet sprouting flowers.
In addition, protective clothing such as gloves and face masks should also be worn when handling poison hemlock.
Common symptoms of hemlock poisoning may include: trembling, burning in the digestive tract, increased salivation, dilated pupils, muscle pain, muscle weakness or muscle paralysis, rapid heart rate followed by a decreased heart rate, loss of speech, convulsions, unconsciousness or coma.
