A woman had to have her finger AMPUTATED after a manicure left her with a life-threatening infection.
Jose Jackson, 57, had to get the top of her index finger surgically removed and nearly lost her ‘whole arm’ after contracting a staph infection.
The gran-of-two was accidentally ‘jabbed’ in the cuticle while she got a set of acrylic nails at a salon in December 2017.
Jose thought nothing of it at the time, but her finger continued to swell until it was ‘purple’ and ‘weeping’ puss and she eventually went to the hospital to get it checked over.
Doctors had no choice but to amputate the affected area until the infection was completely removed – leaving her with a half a finger – in January 2018.
Jose, a pub manager, said: “Losing my finger has completely changed my life.”
Jose shares her story with RealFix below…
Walking through the town centre, I rested my heavy shopping bags before spotting a nail bar in the distance.
‘I think I deserve a treat,’ I thought to myself cheekily.
In December 2017, I spent the day dashing around town and buying some last minute Christmas presents for the family.
I was about to head home when I decided on a spontaneous visit to get my nails done.
‘Come on in,’ the technician said encouragingly, as I entered the salon.
After picking out a set of pink acrylic nails, I took a seat at one of the stations.
She got to work buffing and polishing my nails – it wasn’t long until the first hand was done.
‘They’re lovely,’ I beamed proudly, admiring her handiwork.
As she got to work on my right hand, the shop door suddenly opened and she was distracted by a customer.
Her hand slipped while using a cuticle pusher and the sharp, wood tool jabbed my index finger.
‘Ouch!’ I screeched, jumping out of my chair.
My finger started bleeding but it only drew a bit of blood.
After the shock had worn off I settled back and let her finish the set.
I didn’t want to make a fuss plus I thought I’d look silly with only one hand done.
After she’d finished, I paid-up and headed home.
My finger felt a bit sore but I didn’t think anything of it.
Although over the next week I noticed my finger getting more swollen.
‘That looks painful,’ my daughter Kelly, 37, winced.
‘I’ve been covering it in Savlon,’ I replied optimistically.
Unfortunately it wasn’t making much difference.
My finger started turning a purply colour, so I booked myself an appointment with the GP, just to be safe.
‘Looks like an infection,’ the GP suggested, examining my finger.
I was sent away with antibiotics and I was told they start to ‘kick in’ after five days.
However my finger was in agony and I could barely bring myself to remove the dressing.
It started weeping puss and I knew something wasn’t right.
Nearly two weeks after getting my nails done I went back to the doctors for a second opinion.
The GP peeled off the gauze as I wailed in pain.
‘You need to go to hospital,’ the doctors said with urgency. ‘Now.’
I headed straight to hospital with a note from the GP and I was seen within minutes of arriving.
The doctor’s mouth practically dropped to the floor when he saw my finger.
‘I don’t know how you’ve gone two weeks with this,’ he said in astonishment.
It was painful but I didn’t realise how bad it was until the x-ray came back.
I couldn’t work out what I was looking at…
‘That’s your finger,’ the surgeon explained, pointing to the image.
The top of my index finger was so misshapen – it looked like a jagged mountain range.
‘I can’t believe it,’ I scoffed in shock.
The doctor explained I had developed a serious staph infection.
It was caused by the bacteria ‘staphylococcus’ entering the skin through a cut.
It had literally eaten away at the bone.
‘I’m sorry but we have to amputate the tip of your finger,’ the surgeon explained.
If they didn’t act fast the infection could spread even further and I could lose my hand or even my whole arm.
It was a total shock but I knew I had no choice.
The next day, in January 2018, I was rushed for surgery.
After the two-hour op, the surgeon came to examine my fingers but he had some bad news.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said sincerely. ‘But we need to remove more of your finger.’
‘Remove as much as you need,’ I replied bravely.
Once again I went for more surgery and was left with half a finger.
The surgeons were incredible and I couldn’t fault their amazing work.
After getting over the shock, I suspected the cause of infection may have stemmed from my visit to the nail bar.
Six weeks after surgery, I contacted a health inspector to pay a visit to the shop
‘I can’t let this happen to anyone else,’ I said to Kelly in distress.
After investigating the bar, a letter arrived from them that confirmed my worst fears.
They concluded the tools had not been sterilised between uses.
‘What if that cuticle pusher wasn’t clean?’ I thought to myself in disgust.
There was enough evidence for me to seek advice from a solicitor who thought I had a good chance of winning.
After going back and forth for nearly two years I finally won a five figure payout in an out of court settlement.
Despite my victory, nothing would ever bring my finger back.
It completely changed my life and I had to learn to live with one less digit.
I couldn’t grip a pen, hold a toothbrush or do up buttons on my own.
I was constantly dropping things and couldn’t play guitar anymore.
It destroyed my confidence and I haven’t been able to set foot in a nail bar since.
The most I can handle are sticky nails I do on my own at home.
Even though it’s tough I’ve learnt to laugh.
I can’t ‘high five’ my grandchildren anymore.
‘High four,’ I giggled, holding out my hand. What used to be the occasional treat now fills me with dread.
No one deserves to go through what I did and I hope sharing my story can raise awareness – especially around the importance of cleanliness in nail bars and the need for a hygiene rating.
Despite everything I try to stay positive and have learnt to adjust.
There are so many people worse off than me so I won’t let one less digit get me down.