In a shocking incident, an Ohio man had a close brush with death after consuming four poisonous mushrooms that he foraged from his backyard.
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William Hickman,55, relied on an app called Plant Identifier on his smartphone, which mistakenly identified the mushrooms as edible. While mowing his lawn in Windham, Ohio, William Hickman stumbled upon a cluster of mushrooms. Intrigued, he used a plant identifier app on his phone to determine their credibility.
To his surprise, the app identified the mushrooms as “giant puffballs,” a variety known to be safe for consumption. Hickman incorporated the mushrooms into his tortellini dinner that evening, trusting the app’s recommendation. Unfortunately, the mushrooms turned out to be poisonous “destroying angels,” a deadly variety that can cause severe health complications, the Daily Mail reported.
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Eight hours after consuming the mushrooms, Hickman started experiencing uncontrollable vomiting and excruciating pain. Despite hoping for relief, the pain persisted, prompting his wife, Tammy, to contact poison control for assistance.
Poison control workers quickly recognized the severity of the situation and advised the couple to seek immediate medical attention. Hickman, realizing the gravity of his condition, did not hesitate to go to the hospital. Upon arrival, doctors informed him that his kidney and liver were at risk of failing, and his prognosis seemed grim. However, Dr. Pierre Gholam, a hepatologist at University Hospital in Cleveland, stepped in to help.
Having treated numerous mushroom poisoning cases, Dr. Gholam facilitated the administration of an experimental antidote called silibinin. Derived from a milk thistle plant, silibinin has shown promising results in countering the effects of mushroom toxins on the liver. Time was of the essence, as the antidote needed to be administered within 72 hours of ingestion. Fortunately, Hickman received the antidote, setting the stage for his recovery.
Following the administration of the antidote, Hickman embarked on a long and arduous six-month recovery process. The support and expertise of medical professionals played a crucial role in his survival. Reflecting on his ordeal, Hickman expressed gratitude for the collective effort that saved his life.
‘There are a lot of people involved to make it happen to save me,’ he explained to CNN.
