Claudia just wanted a fancy manicure – but surgeons had to AMPUTATE her thumb as she fought for life in intensive care when it all went horribly wrong

A young Sydney woman has revealed how a routine manicure at a fancy nail salon left her fighting for life after contracting a flesh-eating sepsis infection.

Claudia Ruffin had booked a manicure in the eastern suburbs, wanting ‘cute nails’, but within hours she was struggling to breathe, suffering blurry vision, and numbness in her toes.

She was rushed to hospital where she underwent six surgeries in 18 days, with doctors forced to partially amputate her thumb to stop the spread of blood poisoning.

Now the property development manager is urging others to be vigilant when booking beauty treatments, warning ‘it could happen to anyone’.

‘I think it’s really important that I spread awareness of sepsis and make sure we go to good, certified nail salons,’ she said.

‘Essentially, I’m in the position I’m in because of a strep infection I got from a manicure. 

‘It has been hell. I don’t want anyone else to go through this.’

Ms Ruffin said she fell dangerously ill just hours after her appointment.

‘I started to feel really off. My heart felt like it was going to explode out of my chest. I had blurry vision. My toes felt numb,’ she said.

A friend rushed her to the emergency department and doctors kept her in overnight after concerning blood test results, but the next morning she noticed her thumb was slightly swollen.

‘At first they weren’t too concerned, then they saw red tracking lines running from my thumb all the way up my arm to my neck,’ she said.

Within an hour her thumb had turned black and the infection was rapidly spreading.

‘I went into surgery thinking they would just remove my nail,’ she said.

Instead, doctors were forced to cut away infected tissue to stop the aggressive bacteria from destroying her hand.

Over the next two weeks Ms Ruffin endured six surgeries along with 48 stitches, a skin graft and was left barely conscious in agonising pain.

‘I was in excruciating pain. I had fevers, migraines, numbness. I barely remember the first week in hospital. Sepsis is a race against the clock,’ she said.

Ms Ruffin believes the infection began when her nail technician, who she cannot name for legal reasons, failed to sterilise equipment between customers.

‘They cut my cuticle and I remember flinching,’ she said. 

‘The nail tech was sharing tools with the colleague next to her. That’s where I caught the strep infection that turned into sepsis.’

If a technician accidentally cuts the cuticle or uses unsterilised tools, staph bacteria can enter the bloodstream, which in turn can cause sepsis. 

Doctors say early treatment is vital to prevent the infection from spreading and causing permanent damage.

Getting medical help within hours undoubtedly saved Ms Ruffin’s life but unfortunately her thumb down to the nail bed couldn’t be saved. 

Ms Ruffin has since undergone plastic surgery to reconstruct it.

‘I still can’t fully use my thumb or feel anything in it, and doing up buttons or putting earrings in is impossible,’ she said.

According to a recent Finders survey, Aussies spend around $158million a month on nail appointments and with the Christmas party season underway, some popular salons are already booked out for the rest of the year.  

But Ms Riffin warned: ‘Anyone who goes to get manicures, please make sure you go to safe, certified places and that they are using sterile practices.’