a girl friend of mine, (a few years ago, when she was in her mid thirties) had a hangnail. it became infected, and while it hurt a bit, she wasn't worried about it.. then her hand became tender, and she could see red lines of inflamation traveling up her arm (following the line of her blood vessels.. so finally she went to the doctor. he sent her from office to hospital! the 'lines' were sign of 'blood poisoning'. (the inflamation was in her blood, and inflaming her blood vessels.) her arm was red upto the elbow!

she was scheduled for immediate surgery to drain the infection.. general anethstesia was used... she had an allergic reaction, and went into heart failure!

She survived the orderal (she was in the hospital for a full week!) Luckily, her infection was not anitbiotic resistant.

she was in generally good health, just unluck to get a small wound infected, and to not treat it promptly. most of us get hang nails more than once in our lives, and some of us have even gotten hangnails infected.. but very few of us have had a hang nail be a near cause of death (can you think of it? cause of death: untreated hang nail! but it can happen.


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