Mom, 37, nearly dies and needs liver transplant after hepatitis B infection from $ 60 NOSE RING, leaving her unable to eat or even drink water
- Dana Smith, 37, of Queens, New York, bought a $ 60 nose piercing over Thanksgiving as a birthday treat
- After a few days, she started to feel unwell but did not go to the doctor
- In the end, she could not eat and spilled blood, and went to hospital
- Doctors at North Shore Hospital found the piercing had caused a deadly hepatitis B virus that destroyed the mother’s liver
- Dana was placed on the transplant list in January and a match was found within 48 hours
- Doctors warned that the infection had been made much more serious because Dana had waited so long to seek medical attention
A mother-of-one from New York was almost killed after a new nose piercing caused a deadly infection that destroyed her liver.
Dana Smith, 37, of Queens, spent $ 60 on the jewelry on a Thanksgiving shopping trip last year as a birthday treat for herself.
A few days later, the Northwell Health manager began to feel unwell, but she delayed her visit to the doctor, believing the problem was due to the stress caused by the holidays and the pandemic.
But by January 12, Smith was no longer able to drink or eat and eventually went to the Long Island Jewish Medical Center on January 12.
The doctors found she was suffering from fulminant hepatitis B, a rare infection that had caused her liver to fail – and she could be days away from death.
Dana Smith, 37, a mother and insurance manager from Queens, New York, nearly died of hepatitis B after her nose piercing became infected
Dana was rushed to hospital with the hepatitis B virus that destroyed her liver. She was put into a medically-induced coma (pictured) to prevent seizures as surgeons put her on the transplant list
She later told ABC7 News, ‘I was just drinking water, I couldn’t hold back the water. I think at some point I started vomiting blood. ‘
After being taken to North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, Dr. Lewis Teperman, director of Northwell’s Transplant Services, took over her care.
He decided to put Dana in a medically induced coma to reduce the risk of the infection swelling her brain or causing seizures.
It was then a race against time to put her on the transplant list for a new liver.
A match was found in just 48 hours and the operation took place on January 17th.
However, it wasn’t until after her surgery that Dr. Taperman saw the tiny stud in her nose and realized it could be the source of the infection.
Dana told New York Daily News: ‘I told him it was new, it’s not something I had for years. My health was otherwise good. I had just gone to the doctor, everything was fine before I got it. That was all that made sense. ‘
Dr. Teperman added, “This was the only unique change that had happened in her life, this nose ring. And it is the perfect time to let the virus breed. ‘
Dana returned home on January 26.
The surgeon and patients were later reunited after her recovery, where she thanked him for saving her life
Dana Smith imagined reuniting this week with Dr. Lewis Teperman, the Northwell Health surgeon who saved the Northwell Health manager’s life after her infected nose piercing
Dana Smith in the picture with her teenage daughter said she’s not sure how she would react if her daughter got a nose piercing in the future
After her recovery, she told ABC7News, “That one decision [to go to the hospital] saved my life. It’s very overwhelming. Emotional, everything, mental. ‘
Doctors warned that the infection had been made much more serious because Dana had waited so long to seek medical attention.
Smith warned others not to go to the hospital for fear of COVID-19.
Dr. Teperman said the hepatitis B virus is rare, causing only 5% of liver failure cases in the country each year.
He added that he cannot be sure that Dana contracted the deadly infection in the Valley Stream, Long Island mall salon where she got the piercing, or from improper care afterwards.