A dynamic and successful young man named Mike lives in the suburbs of the United States. He pays attention to health, keeps exercising, and eats a balanced diet. Mike always maintains an active lifestyle, often works out and runs, and lives a seemingly carefree life. However, recently he began to feel abnormalities in his body: long-term fatigue, abdominal discomfort, frequent digestive problems, and weight loss for unknown reasons.
At first, Mike thought it was just due to busy work and life pressure, and it might be just a short-term physical discomfort. However, after a few months, the symptoms not only did not alleviate, but became more severe. The gastrointestinal discomfort intensified, and strange changes began to appear in his skin, especially his legs, which gradually developed unexplained swelling, and the skin became rough and hard, as if wrapped in leather.
Mike began to become anxious. He tried to cope with these symptoms by changing his eating habits and getting more rest, but nothing seemed to improve. So he decided to see a doctor, hoping to find the root cause. After a series of examinations, the doctor's diagnosis shocked Mike: these symptoms are actually caused by parasitic infections, especially parasites like schistosomiasis, which enter the human body through the blood and suck the host's blood, causing a series of lesions in the body.
One of the most notable symptoms is the so-called "elephantiasis" - severe swelling and thickening of the skin on the limbs. Mike's legs are exactly like this. The skin becomes hard and rough like the skin of an elephant, and the swelling makes it almost impossible for him to walk. The doctor told him that elephantiasis is a chronic disease caused by parasites, and in severe cases, amputation may be required to control the disease. Mike realized that these minor symptoms may be early signs of parasitic infection, and if not treated in time, the condition may worsen further.