For Dana Smith, 37, of Hollis, Queens, a spontaneous decision to get a nose ring during a shopping trip on the last day of Thanksgiving resulted in a medical emergency that almost cost her life.
A few days after that, Smith, who works as Northwell’s corporate payroll manager, realized that she was not feeling very well.
The busy mother of a teenager attributed this to the acid reflux and the stress of the upcoming Christmas holiday, but as the days turned into weeks, she was no longer able to tolerate food or water.
“I was just drinking water, I couldn’t handle the water,” she said. “I think at some point I started to vomit blood.”
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Finally, on January 12, she asked her sister to bring her to the Long Island Jewish Medical Center. At that point, she was so sick that she cannot remember the events that followed.
She remembers an ultrasound at the hospital, after waking up with doctors saying she had a new liver.
“That decision saved my life,” said Smith. “It’s very overwhelming. Emotionally, everything, mentally.”
Tests revealed that Smith was suffering from fulminant hepatitis B, a very rare condition in which the patient has immediate liver failure.
Smith was then taken to North Shore University Hospital, where he was cared for by Dr. Lewis Teperman, director of Transplant Services at Northwell.
The brain swelling resulting from hepatitis B caused seizures, so it was decided that Smith should be placed in an induced coma.
She was placed on the transplant list immediately, and a match was discovered within 48 hours, allowing her transplant surgery to take place on January 17.
She was able to return home on 26 January.
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The mystery of what made the healthy young woman so seriously ill was solved when doctors removed Smith’s mask to discover the small nose ring.
By discarding all other variables, the medical team determined that the disease was an infection of that nose ring that resulted in fulminant hepatitis B and, more importantly, she waited a long time to seek medical attention.
“That was the only unique change that ever occurred in his life, that nose ring, said Teperman.” And it’s the perfect time for the virus to incubate.
Smith, who has not yet returned to work, wants to share his story in the hope of encouraging people to monitor their health closely and not to avoid coming to the hospital for fear of COVID-19.
If she had waited another day or two to visit the ER, her story could have ended very differently.
Smith, who has regular appointments with Dr. Teperman every 10 days, says he is unsure of what to say to his daughter if the discussion about a nose ring comes up in the future.
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