Horror Acupuncture Mishap Leaves Woman With a Needle in Her Neck as Doctors Dismiss Her Symptoms as Anxiety
A TikTok user, Natalia, who posts as @thenataliaverse, says she found an acupuncture needle in her neck more than 10 hours after her appointment and that emergency department staff attributed her symptoms to anxiety. She described the experience in several videos. Her account has not been independently verified, and the practitioner has not been named in the reports reviewed.
Needle Found Hours After the Appointment
Key facts: Natalia says she found the needle more than 10 hours after treatment, pulled it out herself, went to an emergency department, was told it was anxiety and was given an antihistamine. Her own videos are the main source, and neither the hospital nor the practitioner has commented on the coverage reviewed.
In her first clip, she wrote 'Just found a needle in my neck' and said she had pulled it out and felt nauseated and unwell.
The video attracted widespread attention, with commenters describing the story as unnerving and some saying they had seen similar accounts of needles allegedly being left in patients.
Viewers urged her to seek care, with one commenter warning of a possible infection. She then went to hospital, with a second video appearing to have been filmed in the emergency department.
Staff Blamed Anxiety, She Says
Natalia said she then began shaking and sweating, with tingling in her hands and legs, and felt the physical symptoms of anxiety while remaining mentally calm. She said the nurse and doctor, both men, were 'lowkey condescendingly' telling her that her brain was reacting to the sight of the needle, and gave her Benadryl.
She later said the antihistamine had been given for anxiety. She added that she was drowsy with unusual pain, and that neither the doctor nor the acupuncturist had called her.
In a further video, she said she had spoken to her own doctor and planned to collect a prescription she hoped would help. She has also explained why she does not want to sue. According to one report, she believes proving the incident caused her symptoms would be difficult, partly because some pain is expected in the week after treatment and her reactions are hard to measure.
What Medical Literature Says About Retained Needles
Acupuncture is generally considered safe when performed by appropriately trained practitioners using clean techniques and single-use needles. Retained needles are rare, though documented, and the published cases show how differently they can present, from months of unexplained pain to a rapid infection.
A case report in the Western Journal of Emergency Medicine described a healthy 46-year-old woman who attended hospital with a sensation of something lodged in her throat. Doctors discovered a broken acupuncture needle that had migrated from her neck into her throat area. She had experienced persistent neck pain for six months after acupuncture and had attributed it to a car accident.
A report in the Medical Journal of Australia described a 16-year-old who developed an abscess that progressed to sepsis after one needle stayed in her neck for almost 24 hours. The authors said the long retention time most likely contributed to the infection.
Natalia's account has not been independently verified, and the clinic involved has not been publicly identified. She has said she does not know whether her symptoms will persist. No public response from the emergency department or the practitioner was identified in the reports reviewed.