Every mother needs some time alone to recharge the batteries and be in a good place to continue providing unconditional love to her children.
That’s why this mom decided to take an afternoon off to go get a pedicure.
What she never expected was that this relaxing hour away would cost her years of suffering.
Kandis Saville-Parsons is a dedicated mom to her five-year old son Kao.
On July 24, 2018, Kandis went out for a little bit to unwind, ultimately deciding to get a pedicure.
Everything was going well until the nail technician filed too hard on her left foot and accidentally cut it open, causing “bleeding everywhere,” reports Women’s Health.
This isn’t too terribly uncommon, however, Kandis is a diabetic so she thought to herself, “Darn, it probably won’t heal well—that’s not good.”
And she was right!
By the time the newly refreshed mom arrived home her toe was already swollen and red.
Being a former nurse, Kandis figured she probably had an infection so she hopped in the car with her freaked out husband Kurt and went straight to the hospital.
At the hospital they took swabs from around the wound and ran blood tests, according to Women’s Health, to determine the type of bacteria that was causing the infection.
In the meantime, Kandis was sent home on antibiotics and told to return if the toe got any worse- which was hard to imagine in its current state.
Well, that night the toe turned black along with an accompanying 106-degree Fahrenheit temperature.
Definitely classifying her case as “worse.”
“Two days after my pedicure, I had to have my toe amputated,” Kandis writes on her instagram post explaining the horrific event.
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A specialist was sent in immediately, the toe was taken that night, and the next day Kandis was sent home with more antibiotics to heal at home.
As healing on the toe area got better, the rest of her body got much worse.
Kandis recalls the horrible feeling as her body began to deteriorate, as Women’s Health reports:
“My back hurt really badly, and it was hard to pee. Only a little dribble came out when I tried to go, and it was the color of cola.”
A trip back to the hospital showed increased creatinine levels, which signifies the kidneys are working optimally.
Although the tests confirmed her kidneys were failing, the doctors could find no reason for this to occur.
That is until one doctor decided to go back to the basics and do a full-body check to see if there were any symptoms they were missing.
And that is where the key lay hidden!
Her doctor noticed Kandis’ skin peeling in her ears and belly button as well as a rash over a large portion of her body.
“Holy crap. You have toxic shock syndrome,” she remembers him saying.
An agonizing three months after the innocent trip to the nail salon, Kandis was officially diagnosed with Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS).
This is more widely known to be associated with leaving a tampon in too long, but its underlying cause is toxins being released in the bloodstream most commonly from strains of Group A Streptococcus bacteria.
The reason the doctors didn’t catch the toxic bacteria earlier is because cases like this are “extremely rare”, infecting only 1 to 3 people per 100,000 in the U.S., according to Kandis’ report to Women’s Health.
Sadly, TSS has a poor prognosis and no cure, leaving Kandis on a dialysis machine for her kidneys until a transplant comes through.
Fighting through the waves of nausea and vomiting has been taxing on Kandis emotionally to say the least, but she draws strength from her son and husband.
She writes on Instagram:
“I also get lots of migraines, have to deal with nausea and vomiting, and spend a lot of time sleeping and crying. But every day I remind myself that I have to keep fighting for my little boy and my husband.”
Kandis knew that she was more at risk for infection being a diabetic, but she never thought she would lose a toe and possibly her life from trying to get a pedicure.
This isn’t to say to never take time to pamper yourself, but make sure the nail salon you visit is clean and uses all mandatory safety protocols to protect yourself.
Or better yet, just opt for a latte and a good book.