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A grieving sister seeking to keep her deceased brother near suffered a severe health crisis after her in memoriam tattoo became infected and began oozing green and yellow pus.
Quiniece Washburn said her brother died from an overdose and she ‘wanted to get the tattoo so I knew that he would be with me.’
She added: ‘We were pretty close and grew up in the same household, so he and my brothers would look after me.’
The 36-year-old mom of two paid $350 to ink her brother’s face on her left calf. During the session, she felt a minor burning sensation and experienced some pain when the artist wiped down her tattoo.
After leaving the appointment, however, she noticed the tattoo leaking ink. Soon after, it began oozing a bloody and yellow pus, while she developed such severe pain she was forced her to drag her leg behind her as she walked.
‘When it got worse, I was having to drag my leg to walk, and I was limping. It was a horrible time for me. The pain was traumatizing, and it was upsetting because it was the face of my brother,’ Washburn said.
She went to the hospital where she received antibiotics but would wind up needing to return for IV treatments around 10 times before she was finally admitted to the ICU
for the infection
.
There, doctors diagnosed her
with bacterial cellulitis
, which can cause high fevers, chills, numbness, burning, and a host of other painful effects.
Getting treated quickly is crucial to stop cellulitis from spreading and causing serious complications.
Doctors often start with antibiotics — either pills, injections, or IV drips for severe infections.
In tougher cases, surgery may be needed to drain pus or cut away dead tissue.
Washburn said: ‘There’s a picture where it looks like there’s green infected stuff oozing out of me. That was taken while I was in the hospital.’
While not exactly sure what the source of the infection was, Washburn said: ‘
The hospital never said it was from dirty products, and I watched him unpack my needles, but people say if the gun isn’t properly wiped, then that can cause infection as well,’ she added.
‘Someone else’s fluids may still have been on the gun.’
The most common bacterial infections that can result from a tattoo are
Staphylococcus
or
Streptococcus
, which include strains that lead to necrotizing fasciitis (decaying flesh) and toxic shock syndrome.
The artist she saw was new to her, but she had done her research and liked his work.
But during her session, she felt a burning sensation, especially when the artist wiped his work to clean away excess ink, blood, and plasma (the clear fluid your body leaks when it’s injured).
When the ink penetrates the skin, a mix of ink and bodily fluids rises to the surface.
After Washburn’s session with the artist, plasma began leaking from the tattoo more than what is typical.
Fluid began to leak beneath the surface of her swollen skin, forming oozing blisters until her brother’s face became unrecognizable.
‘I could stick a white paper towel on the tattoo and the whole picture would be on it,’ she said.
After around two weeks of aggressive treatment with oral and IV antibiotics, ‘it’s pretty ruined.’
She added: ‘It has a lot of scar tissue on it and it’s cracked. His face doesn’t look the same at all, and it’s kind of dark.
‘I’ve been told not to touch it for a year, so I’m going to leave it as it is.’
Ultimately, the artist refunded Washburn the full price of the work and gave her an additional $200.
‘I’d tell people to watch your tattoo artist and make sure everything is clean,’ she said.
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