For Dana Smith, 37, of Hollis, Queens, the spontaneous decision to get a nose ring during a shopping trip last Thanksgiving resulted in a medical emergency that nearly claimed her life.
A few days later, Smith, who works as Northwell’s corporate payroll manager, noticed she wasn’t feeling very well.
The busy mother of a teenager brought him to acid reflux and stress for the upcoming Christmas holidays, but as the days turned into weeks, he could no longer tolerate food or water.
“I just drank water, I couldn’t contain the water,” he said. “I guess at some point I started bleeding.”
READ ALSO | See: A nurse who fought cancer through school surprises father with the news that she has no cancer
Finally, on January 12, she asked her sister to take her to the Long Island Jewish Medical Center. At that moment, she was so ill that she does not remember the events that happened.
He remembers an ultrasound at the hospital and then woke up with doctors telling him he had a new liver.
“That decision saved my life,” Smith said. “It’s very overwhelming. Emotionally, everything, mentally.”
Evidence had revealed that Smith was suffering from fulminant hepatitis B, a very rare condition in which the patient is sent to immediate liver failure.
Smith was taken to North Shore University Hospital, where she was cared for by Dr. Lewis Teperman, director of transplant services at Northwell.
The brain swelling resulting from hepatitis B caused seizures, so it was decided that Smith should be placed in a medically induced coma.
She was included in the list of transplants immediately and a match was discovered within 48 hours, which allowed her to perform her transplant surgery on January 17th.
He was able to return home on January 26th.
READ ALSO | 4 dogs need love at home after COVID-19 owners die
The mystery of what caused the young woman, who was otherwise healthy, to become so seriously ill, was solved when doctors removed Smith’s mask to uncover the small nose ring.
By ruling out the other variables, the medical team determined that the disease was an infection of this nasal ring that caused fulminant hepatitis B and, more importantly, waited too long to seek medical attention.
“That was the only change that took place in his life, that nose ring,” Dr. Teperman said. And it ‘s the perfect time to incubate the virus. “
Smith, who has not yet returned to work, wants to share his story in hopes of encouraging people to keep a close eye on their health and not avoid coming to the hospital for fear of COVID-19.
If he had waited even a day or two more to visit the emergency room, his story could have ended very differently.
Smith, who has scheduled regular appointments with Dr. Teperman every 10 days, says he doesn’t quite know what to say to his daughter if the debate over a nose ring comes up in the future.
———-
* Receive news from eyewitnesses
* Follow us on YouTube
* More local news
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app to receive last minute alerts Submit a news tip
Copyright © 2021 WABC-TV. All rights reserved.