A GRAN had to have her finger amputated after a manicure left her with a life-threatening infection.
Jose Jackson, 57, from Carmarthen, Wales, to get the top of her index finger removed and nearly lost her 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.
“The lady doing my nails had completed one hand when she moved onto the next, she was suddenly distracted by the door opening,” she said.
“Her hand slipped and she jabbed my nail which drew a bit of blood. I jumped out of my seat from the sharp pain and although it bled a little, it wasn’t too bad.
“Also I didn’t want to make a fuss and thought I’d look silly with just one hand done so I let her carry on. I had no idea how bad it would turn out to be.”
Pub manager Jose thought nothing of it at the time, but her finger continued to swell and she eventually went to the hospital to get it checked over.
When doctors removed the bandage Jose claims her finger was so misshapen, it looked like a “jagged mountain range”.
“When I got to hospital, they bought medical students in because they’d never seen an infection so bad,” she said.
She underwent two one-hour operations in January 2018.
“The doctors removed over half my finger, it was either that, or I lose my whole arm,” said Jose.
“Without that finger I can’t grip or do up buttons – it’s changed the way I do everything.”
Six weeks after surgery, she contacted a health inspector in her area who conducted a check of the bar.
They concluded the tools used on nails were not disinfected between uses and Jose contacted a solicitor who helped her seek compensation against her bar.
She won an out of court settlement and received a five figure pay out and is hoping to raise awareness for the importance of cleanliness in nail bars.
“I wanted to treat myself to a manicure so I felt nice, but it ended up ruining my life and costing me a finger,” she said.
