WARNING: SOME IMAGES CONTAIN GRAPHIC CONTENT
Maria Scholz never expected her gardening hobby could put her in the hospital.
But it did – in the form of a bacteria-ridden wound that spread across her left shin.
Last December, 85-year-old Scholz was gardening at the rental property she resides at in downtown Langley, when she poked her shin on the prickly tip of a yucca plant.
Scholz, who has a compromised immune system due to prior health issues, said she didn’t think much of the wound initially because “it wasn’t bleeding.”
“Two hours later, it was a dollar-size and like a ball, getting very hard. My son took me to emergency and the doctor said it’ll go away after awhile,” explained Scholz.
Within two to three days, things quickly worsened. The size of the wound grew and became severely infected.
Scholz explained she was put on antibiotic therapy, and then admitted to Langley Memorial Hospital on Dec. 27, where she stayed to fight the infection until Jan. 7.
Now out of the hospital, Scholz is left with a large scab on her shin, that she can only hope will eventually go away.
“The leg may never go back to normal,” said Scholz.
“I knew they [yucca] stab you, but I never knew how poisonous they are.”
Scholz said since she’s spotted yucca plants elsewhere throughout Langley, she wants to warn the public to “not go near” the yucca plant.
“People say ‘why not, they’re green all year round,’ but they don’t know how poisonous they are. It all depends on how your health is. I have no immune system and I have a blood transfusion every month, so when you’re not healthy, it attacks you more,” added Scholz.
She has also suggested to her property manager to remove the yucca plants from the area to prevent further injury.
“I just want people who don’t know about it to be more careful,” Scholz said.
According to Dr. Grace Park, regional medical director for Fraser Health’s in-home health department, seniors are at an increased risk for infection.
“It has to do with skin and circulation, [and] other medications in their system,” Park said.
Park explained since many seniors are on blood thinners, trauma to the skin can cause excess bleeding, resulting in a hematoma.
As for the yucca plant, Park said she’s “not aware of anything in the plant itself to cause the infection, although you never know.”
“Skin itself has a lot of bacteria naturally, so when you break down that barrier, the surface bacteria can invade and go down deeper to cause infection.”
Park added “seniors need to ensure the wound stays clean and expect it to heal in a couple days,” but if signs of infection show up – redness, increased pain, swelling – they should seek medical attention.
Siân Krannitz, a retired forester and biologist, also said she’s not aware of the yucca plant being poisonous, and added Scholz’s injury is likely due to bacteria found in the soil.
“Any cut in the garden really needs to be taken care of,” she added.
Krannitz explained soil is “not a lifeless environment,” so gardeners need to take precaution when working around soil.
An important piece of advice Krannitz gives to gardeners before exposing themselves to soil is to get a tetanus vaccine, or ensure their vaccination is up-to-date.
Scholz has been on the mend, although she had to take multiple rounds of antibiotics, and still requires a nurse to clean the wound and change the dressing twice a week.
“I’m afraid to get out now,” added Scholz.
According to Scholz, the wound size has decreased, but she still feels pain in her lower leg.
