Celine McSweeney: Perth woman’s warning after infection strikes down partner following tattoo

A Perth woman has issued a grim health warning following a bizarre tattoo mishap that left her partner unable to “walk or talk” and turned his skin yellow.

Celine McSweeney said that her husband Ben was struck down with the mystery illness after having some tattoo work done at a “highly reputable” parlour in Perth.

He was so unwell that within hours, he couldn’t “walk or talk”.

“All his previous tattoos have been done in Bali, within hours he was so unwell he couldn’t walk or talk, his lips, feet and nose had turned white, and his skin and eyes were yellow,” McSweeney wrote on Facebook.

“Paramedics told me he had gastro, but the fact he had a tattoo the night prior made me second guess his symptoms — I unwrapped his tattoo and smelt his leg and insisted he was put in an ambulance.”

The 28-year-old entrepreneur said that her husband’s infection levels were so high when they got to hospital that he was septic.

“He spent 6 days in the hospital being pricked and poked, fed only through intravenous fluids, and pumped full of antibiotics; he couldn’t walk or eat. I even had to brush his teeth for him in bed,” she said.

It appeared as though he was getting worse when, on day three of being hospitalised, Ben tested positive for golden staph in his tattoo.

Golden staph, scientifically known as Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), can cause a range of mild to severe infections. It is a common bacterium that lives on the skin and in some people’s noses and is the most common infection related to tattoos.

“He seemed to be getting worse; his liver was shutting down, and he now had a heart murmur; his leg and foot had no pulse because of the swelling,” she said.

“We were told this was all caused by bacteria entering the bloodstream from the tattoo and that he was lucky to be alive.”

McSweeney said he has since made a full recovery thanks to the tireless efforts of the “incredible” doctors and nurses at Fiona Stanley.

She described the event as traumatising and something she will “never forget”.

“Next time you or someone you love gets a tattoo, be sure to call health direct if you experience any unusual symptoms; I hate to think what could’ve happened if I had left him in bed to rest.”