A diehard Disney fan feared for her life after suffering an extreme allergic reaction from a tattoo of the Little Mermaid which saw scabs “burst through” her favourite character.
Heather Godfrey endured two weeks of unbearable agony after a suspected reaction to the numbing spray that she used on the new tattoo.
The subsequent infection from the reaction turned the once-colourful body art, for which the 25-year-old had paid £250, into a horrific scab-covered mess.
Speaking to the Daily Star , Heather, from Ashford, Kent, said she had feared for her life when doctors told her that she may have sepsis.
Luckily antibiotics have been effective in battling her infection and she is now on the mend.
Speaking of how the horror experience started, Heather said her temperature shot up within 24 hours of having the tattoo inked onto her leg. She also started to feel generally “really unwell”, she said.
"The morning after that, I looked at the tattoo and it had become very red and tender, hot and swollen. It quite dramatically went bad.
"Then as the days went by, the tattoo broke out in hives that were bursting open.”
Heather said the infection became increasingly painful and soon she couldn’t walk on that leg.
On the third day after the infection broke out she went to the hospital, where she received a round of antibiotics. But these didn’t work and the infection was still getting worse.
"It was really scary because at one point, sepsis was mentioned, and they were talking about putting me on an IV,” she said.
"My leg ballooned in size and there was concern I may have a blood clot. I was really down because I was in so much pain and it wasn't improving. Nobody knew what to do. I felt so helpless.
"They said it was like the infection was bursting out of my skin. They put antiseptic bandages and dressings on it and gave me antibiotics."
The tattoo, which showed Disney princess Ariel alongside her fish friends, remains scarred and damaged from the ordeal.
Heather said: "Initially, I'd thought the blue ink on the tattoo was the cause of the reaction. That's because the worst bits of the reaction came from the parts where the blue bubbles were. It seemed to originate from there.
"But we came to the conclusion that the allergic reaction was likely due to a numbing spray that had been used. I'd never had them on my tattoos before."
Heather has praised the tattoo artist for her continuous support throughout the ordeal.
The tattoo had been symbolic of her late grandfather, she said, who had watched The Little Mermaid movie with her when she was young.
He had since passed away from cancer, she said, which had led her to hold her memories of him close.
But now, she said the tattoo just reminds her of how much pain she was in.
But the painful experience has not put off Heather, who is a self-admitted 'tattoo enthusiast and addict'
Heather said: "I love the art of tattoos and how they help you express yourself. It's almost like collecting physical art. Some people go out and buy paintings, I put them on my body.”
