00:00Few things are more romantic than a walk on the beach, unless you have the same experience as
00:04this couple. When they got home and saw their feet, they gasped. When you see the photos,
00:09you just might too. The worst part? Doctors refused to help them after they realized what
00:14caused it. When Eddie Zittner and Katie Stevens took a romantic trip to the Dominican Republic,
00:20they never imagined a trip to somewhere tropical would leave them in agony. They had no idea how
00:26walking barefoot on the beach put them at risk. But when they returned home, they found out
00:30firsthand just how bad the beaches can be. We've all heard countless goosebump-inducing stories of
00:36people coming back from vacation with mysterious and unfortunate ailments. But we never think it's
00:41going to happen to us. When Eddie and Katie were quickly overcome with incredibly itchy feet,
00:46however, the couple soon realized that this was no ordinary itch. To their horror, it was a full-blown
00:52infestation. It might sound like the stuff of urban legend, but it was all too real,
00:57as photos proved. Sadly, their troubles were just beginning. Following her trip to Punta Cana with
01:03her 25-year-old boyfriend Eddie, 22-year-old Katie Stevens returned home to Canada, where her nightmare
01:10first began to unfold. Wanting to warn others, she took to Facebook with some pretty disturbing pictures
01:15that are hard to look at if you are even the tiniest bit squeamish. Addressing the post to anyone
01:20traveling somewhere tropical. Katie quickly warned, please be careful when in the sand and advise
01:26them to wear shoes. She wasted no time getting to the point. My boyfriend and I recently got back
01:33from Punta Cana to discover that we both have larva migraines, in other terms worms in our feet,
01:38she wrote. If your feet become incredibly itchy please, get checked out right away since we simply
01:43thought it was just bud bites and it became worse as each day passed. Cutaneous larva migraines,
01:49CLM, is a skin disease caused by the larvae of various nematode parasites of the microscopic
01:55hookworm family. The parasites penetrate the skin resulting in CLM, the most common tropically
02:00acquired dermatosis, according to Medscape. Hookworms are most frequently found in tropical
02:06and subtropical environments, as well as the southern region of the US, but they are no longer
02:11contained to these areas alone, thanks to international travel. The worms can be contracted while walking on
02:17warm, moist stand, where they have the opportunity to enter the skin. The early symptoms include itching.
02:23Although Eddie and Katie initially attributed the annoying sensation to butt bites, the irritation got
02:29much worse. After a few days, it eventually erupting into a much more severe condition. The couple soon
02:35noticed major swelling, bumps, and blisters on their feet, according to Elite Daily. This was still just the
02:41beginning of their nightmare, however. The couple went to the hospital and ended up seeing three different
02:45doctors before they were correctly diagnosed and prescribed a course of treatment, CTV News reported.
02:51The doctor who finally diagnosed the couple had recently seen a similar case with another international
02:56traveler. Still, their problems were far from over.
03:00I have dozens of worms in my feet, and so does Katie. It's kind of sickening to think about, Eddie
03:05said,
03:06according to Windsor Star. It's pretty gross. It's something living in your body that's not supposed to be there.
03:12Making matters worse, even once properly diagnosed, getting treatment wouldn't be easy.
03:17To top it all off, Health Canada denied our request to receive the medicine, Ivermectin, we needed to treat
03:24our infection, and we were forced to get medicine from the States, Katie explained. Eddie's mom reportedly drove
03:30to America to get the medication the couple needed, causing Katie to sarcastically add,
03:35Thank you Canada for your lovely health care you provide for us. As Daniel Kaplivsky, MD, associate
03:41professor of infectious diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told Cosmopolitan,
03:47People should wear shoes to protect their feet when they walk the beach. The sand in your toes might
03:52feel nice, but the parasitic infestation that could result certainly does not. What's more, as the couple
03:58recovered, they were forced to use crutches, another painful inconvenience that hardly made the
04:04barefoot walk on the beach worth it. Although they certainly are difficult to look at, the couple
04:08shared the photos on social media to alert the public and raise awareness of the possibility of
04:13parasitic infections while traveling. They also hope the post will help others recognize the symptoms
04:19early so that, should anyone ever go through the same thing, they will know to act fast and seek
04:24medical attention. Hopefully, their country won't deny them the medication.
