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Mysterious infection blamed on tongue piercing
Seattle PI ^

Posted on 09/24/2007 10:11:33 PM PDT by SoldierMedic

EVERETT, Wash. -- Cindi Reedes heard doctors tell her the same frightening words three times in eight days: Her teenage daughter's chances of survival were slim. It would take a near-miracle to save her from the aggressive infection ravaging her body.

The only cause doctors could guess at was the tongue piercing 18-year-old Lacey Filosa got without her mother knowing about it.

For weeks, Lacey wavered at the edge of death, kept in a drug-induced coma to give her struggling body every chance to heal. A tube kept her breathing. Operations to cut out the infection were needed nearly every day.

No one can say with certainty what triggered the infection.

Doctors suspect it was linked to a tongue piercing Filosa had gotten in Everett, a type of piercing popular with young adults. Their theory: Bacteria commonly found in the mouth and saliva possibly entered Lacey's bloodstream through the hole punched through the girl's tongue. Once inside, they flourished, triggering a firestorm of infection.

(Excerpt) Read more at seattlepi.nwsource.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; US: Washington
KEYWORDS: clintonlegacy; piercings; selfmutilation; tonguepiercing
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I've never found tongue piercings to be attractive,
1 posted on 09/24/2007 10:11:36 PM PDT by SoldierMedic
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To: SoldierMedic

Same here. I never found women with pierced tongues to be appealing. Ditto for pierced eyebrows.


2 posted on 09/24/2007 10:16:40 PM PDT by Army Air Corps (Four fried chickens and a coke)
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To: Army Air Corps

diamond stud earings and nothing more for me.


3 posted on 09/24/2007 10:18:07 PM PDT by LukeL
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To: Army Air Corps
I never found women with pierced tongues to be appealing. Ditto for pierced eyebrows.

So male tongue piercings are appealing? I'm here to tell you they are disgusting too.

4 posted on 09/24/2007 10:19:26 PM PDT by BunnySlippers (Buy a Mac ...)
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To: SoldierMedic
Next up tongue condoms.

An American Expat in Southeast Asia

5 posted on 09/24/2007 10:19:52 PM PDT by expatguy (Support Conservative Blogging - "An American Expat in Southeast Asia")
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To: SoldierMedic

It’s bad news when an infection goes really septic - a truly awful way to die. My grandfather says that sulfa drugs were the only thing that pulled him through his emergency appendectomy back in the 1910’s - otherwise he would have never have made it due to the gangrene.


6 posted on 09/24/2007 10:20:15 PM PDT by NotJustAnotherPrettyFace
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To: SoldierMedic

I always thought that this was going to be a problem. The human mouth is rife with little critters.


7 posted on 09/24/2007 10:22:04 PM PDT by Army Air Corps (Four fried chickens and a coke)
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To: SoldierMedic
Bacteria commonly found in the mouth and saliva possibly entered Lacey's bloodstream through the hole punched through the girl's tongue.

That's their story and they're sticking to it...

8 posted on 09/24/2007 10:23:37 PM PDT by snarks_when_bored
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To: SoldierMedic; NautiNurse; nikos1121
In reaction to this statement as part of this article:

At one point, Lacey had 16 tubes in her upper body to help drain away the infection. Tests showed the bacteria ravaging her body were types commonly found in the mouth.

My grandfather also gargled with Listerine just about every day of his life and lived to be 95 when he succumbed to prostate cancer. Otherwise, he was almost never sick and swore that Dr. Lister knew EXACTLY what he was doing.

This girl probably wouldn't have had this trouble if she had done a couple of mouth rinses of Listerine before she had her tongue pierced.

9 posted on 09/24/2007 10:23:53 PM PDT by NotJustAnotherPrettyFace
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To: BunnySlippers
So male tongue piercings are appealing?

Um, I was commenting on what piercings I do not find attractive in Women.
10 posted on 09/24/2007 10:24:01 PM PDT by Army Air Corps (Four fried chickens and a coke)
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To: Army Air Corps

The grossest ones are the studs below the lower lip. They look like they need better eating habits. I’m like, take a hanky and brush that dreck away.


11 posted on 09/24/2007 10:25:17 PM PDT by I still care ("Remember... for it is the doom of men that they forget" - Merlin, from Excalibur)
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To: Army Air Corps

The story I have read previously had a brain abscess caused by
the tongue piercing. I have had that one bookmarked in case any of my children completely loses his/her mind and starts talking about piercings. Now I have another to add to the file.

I am glad this girl survived.


12 posted on 09/24/2007 10:25:36 PM PDT by Politicalmom (Of the potential GOP front runners, FT has one of the better records on immigration.- NumbersUSA)
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To: I still care

Mouth piercings, in general, do nothing for me. I have seen some rather attractive women mangle their faces with all manner of hardware. I feel like asking them why they want to abuse what G-d gave to them.


13 posted on 09/24/2007 10:27:14 PM PDT by Army Air Corps (Four fried chickens and a coke)
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To: Army Air Corps

I don’t really mind tongue piercings in certain ladies, it mainly depends on how well they take care of it. Same thing with the lip. Tongue and nose are not appealling, however.

I used to have my cartilage pierced, and I sometimes miss it. I had a corkscrew shaped bar that I would play with. Someday I may take a catheter and just re-do the hole.


14 posted on 09/24/2007 10:28:23 PM PDT by SoldierMedic (Rowan Walter, 23 Feb 2007 Ramadi)
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To: Politicalmom

Indeed. She is fortunate that she has kept her life. Maybe, she’ll decide to not puntcure other areas of her mouth.


15 posted on 09/24/2007 10:29:27 PM PDT by Army Air Corps (Four fried chickens and a coke)
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To: Politicalmom
One hospital worker told Lacey's mom that Virginia Mason had treated five people in the previous four weeks with similar types of out-of-control infections. Only two survived. Lacey was one of them.
16 posted on 09/24/2007 10:30:17 PM PDT by SoldierMedic (Rowan Walter, 23 Feb 2007 Ramadi)
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To: Army Air Corps
I never found women with pierced tongues to be appealing.

Uh, my opinion differs.

17 posted on 09/24/2007 10:30:29 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Hillary Clinton is the most corrupt presidential candidate to ever run for office)
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To: NotJustAnotherPrettyFace

Yeah, except they didn’t have sulfa drugs until 1935.


18 posted on 09/24/2007 10:31:45 PM PDT by Scotsman will be Free (11C - Indirect fire, infantry - High angle hell - We will bring you, FIRE)
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To: SoldierMedic

Pierced cartilage! Those can be rather painful. I have known a couple women who had that done and changed their minds after a while.


19 posted on 09/24/2007 10:33:15 PM PDT by Army Air Corps (Four fried chickens and a coke)
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To: SoldierMedic

20 posted on 09/24/2007 10:33:16 PM PDT by ari-freedom (I am for traditional moral values, a strong national defense, and free markets.)
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