Posted on 10/29/2006 2:50:20 PM PST by neverdem
CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. (AP) - A teenager who decided to get her breasts pierced for her 18th birthday faces reconstructive surgery after a flesh-destroying infection forced doctors to remove her left breast.
Stephanie Edington of Crawfordsville remained hospitalized Friday at the Indiana University Medical Center in Indianapolis, where surgeons also removed lymph nodes and infected skin up to her collar bone.
Dr. Robert Goulet Jr., a professor at the Indiana University Cancer Center, said the piercing created an entry point for the bacteria, but the procedure likely did not cause the infection itself. Edington is diabetic, which left her susceptible to infection, he said.
Doctors diagnosed Edington, who had the piercings on Aug. 29, with necrotizing fasciitis, or gas gangrene - a rare condition that results from rapid bacteria growth and leads to tissue destruction. It is only the third documented case in the world of gas gangrene in the breast area, Goulet told The Paper of Montgomery County.
She was in critical condition by the time she arrived at the hospital Oct. 14, Goulet said.
"By the time she got here, the skin tissue was all pretty much completely dead," he said. "She was a very sick kid when she got here."
Edington is on an aggressive antibiotic regimen and has already undergone three surgeries. She faces several more, including eventual breast reconstruction.
She said she was eager to be discharged but worries about what awaits her.
"I would like to get out, but I am scared of what people are going to be thinking," she said.
Edington's mother, Pamela Osban, said her daughter's illness has shaken their entire family. She worries about her daughter's future.
"You have no idea what it's like to almost lose your daughter and then to make the decision to have one of her breasts removed," she said. "Some people say 'It's just a breast.' They aren't an 18-year old girl. It's devastating for her and for the family."
"...Dr. Robert Goulet..."
...and yet ANOTHER reason...
HA!
I remember that!!!
And what did you say, dear mom, when your 18 year old daughter came to you and told you that she was going to do this? "What a great idea? It will look soooo nice when you show all your friends and neighbours your breasts?" Sheeeesh.
I'm wondering if the mother even knew about it. Seems like the girl waited too long to get some medical attention - probably because she didn't want to tell her mom.
Just damn!
She's 18 years old. She didn't need to go to her mom and tell her she was doing this.
She's 18 years old. She didn't need to go to her mom and tell her she was doing this.
Fine... she didn't need to tell her Mom - so what? Does that mean the mom should have said nothing? At 18 she may be legally old enough but that doesn't mean that the mom should idly and quietly sit by when her daughter is about to do something totally stupid. I would hope that given what ultimately happened, the mom is able to say that she never knew what was going on because the daughter hid it from her until she was well and truly sick .... or she knew but couldn't persuade her daughter otherwise. Otherwise, she knew and approved of the initial piercings - and for both case was clueless on reading the signs when the daughter got sick. Both of these are not the signs of a decent mom.
She could star in a Vonage commercial.
I feel very sorry for her but DANG! How stupid can you be? Diabetics have trouble healing in the first place and should keep a careful eye on any wounds.
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A somewhat extreme example of the price kids pay to be "cool."
This is so cool......soon as I turn 18
Wow, my boyfriend is coming along to watch.
[Poor, poor girl. Hope she becomes a conservative.]
KIds do what they want anyway...and ask forgiveness after the fact. You're lucky if you get any sayso over what they do. At 18, she might not even have lived at home. You certainly don't have any legal control over them. Frequently your only choice is kick them out or deal with it when things hit the fan.
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