A Brisbane father of four was taken to the ICU after an ingrown hair caused him to be infected with a flesh-eating disease. Be warned, while we haven’t included any imagery of the disease, there will be written descriptions.
Shawn Dell, a military veteran from the Brissy suburb of North Lakes was rushed to the Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital in an ambo after waking up in a shocking state on Sunday morning.
After a medical examination, the doctors diagnosed Dell with necrotising fasciitis.
Per Queensland Health, “necrotising means causing the death of tissues. Fasciitis is inflammation of the fascia, collagen-based soft tissues that surrounds muscles, nerves, fat and blood vessels.”
Sounds like something ripped straight out of a horror movie…
Family friend Anna Richards said that, “cases are rare with an incidence of 1 per 100,000” and had taken three separate surgeries to remove the tissue infection per Yahoo News Australia.
“[The infection] started on Shawn’s neck from an ingrown hair”, she explained.
“From picking it, bacteria has entered into his body and this has released toxins into his bloodstream, causing Shawn to become extremely sick within a matter of hours.
“Shawn has had his skin removed from his collarbone to his neck, under the jaw, to the opposite collarbone and to his chest plate, this also included a bit of muscle from his neck.”
Far OUT. All from an ingrown hair!
Dell remains in hospital and is being supported by his family.
Although terrifying, his experience with the disease is more or less in line with Queensland Health’s assessment of just how serious it can be.
“If the bacteria have killed too much tissue and reduced blood flow in the area, antibiotics may not be able to reach all the infected areas,” it writes.
“Doctors will surgically remove the damaged infected tissue. Multiple surgeries are not unusual, and the patient may need blood transfusions. In some cases, amputations of one or more limbs may be necessary.”
The state’s health authority advises that “wound care” is one of the most effective ways to prevent necrotising fasciitis. You know the drill, keep everything clean, sanitised and free from dirt and other yucky bits and bobs. Even if its just an ingrown hair.
Our hearts go out to Dell and his family and we wish him the speediest of recoveries.
Infections like these are nothing to fuck around with.
Even Al Perkins from MAFS found this out the hard way when he copped a fungal infection from doing a shoey…
