I was left with ‘holes’ in my hand and no ring finger after spotting a tiny cut at work
A MAN was left with no ring finger and holes in his hand after a tiny cut turned into a flesh-eating form of strep A.
Jamie Constable suffered a minor scratch while working as a carpenter – then found himself fighting for his life in hospital.
The 21-year-old recalled how a saw fell on top of his hand, causing a small scrape on his knuckle.
He ignored the wound for several days, and this soon developed into a dangerous bacterial infection.
Now, he’s got several holes in his left hand, and he’s missing a ring finger.
He said he’s sharing his harrowing ideal to raise awareness about the life-threatening risks of not getting injuries immediately checked out.
Jamie, from Lancashire, said: “It’s completely turned my life upside down – all because of a small cut.
“I wouldn’t wish this upon my worst enemy.
“I have holes in my hand and fingers where the infection has destroyed all the tissue.
“In a bid to save parts of my hand, they had to amputate my ring finger and scrape skin off my thigh to do a skin graft.
“I’m left with webbed hands and an electric shock feeling going through my hand from the amputated finger.”
Jamie said he knew when he started his career that general scrapes and scratches were all part of the hands-on job.
But he couldn’t have predicted how a slight scuff in November 2022 could have almost killed him.
When he returned home from work that day, he showed his mum Anne, 64, his graze.
She told him to get it looked at right away, but he ignored her wishes and went about his week as normal.
Four days later his sister Catherine, 40, spotted him vomiting and slipping out of consciousness.
Jamie’s entire arm then flared up, doubled in size and began leaking pus.
He was rushed to Bradford Royal Infirmary – but in a state of deliriousness, it all became a blur.
It’s completely turned my life upside down – all because of a small cut.
Jamie Constable
He said: “I don’t really remember much, as I was completely out of it.
“All I can remember thinking was that I hope they can sort this out, as I wanted to get back to my job – that was my main concern.
“It was so severely infected that my fingers were starting to turn purple and black because the infection was cutting off the blood flow.”
Doctors confirmed his hand was being attacked by a form of strep A and cellulitis – both flesh-eating bacterial infections.
In a bid to save his hand, and his life, he was rushed into surgery to cut open the wound and flush the infection out.
Jamie said: “If I hadn’t gone into surgery then, I would have died in the next few hours due to blood poisoning.
“I genuinely didn’t think there was anything wrong when I noticed the cut as it was so tiny, but now I was fighting for my life.”
‘THANKFUL TO BE ALIVE’
Over the next 10 days, Jamie had his hand repeatedly flushed and placed into an iodine bath to help squeeze as much liquid out as possible.
After three weeks, the infection had passed.
While he’s had to adapt to a hand with holes and an amputated finger, he’s thankful to be alive.
Jamie is now hoping to educate others of the dangers of leaving cuts, as well as working towards going back to the career he loves.
He said: “I’ve tried to stay positive, but there’s definitely been a few war days where I’ve been inside and stuck not being able to do anything.
“I can’t see my friends or go to work which has got me really depressed and I often have nightmares about my hand.
“But knowing I’ll be going back to work one day is getting me through, as I love it so much.
“I need to have a few more surgeries to reconstruct my hand, as I still have no tendon in my index finger – but time will get me there.”
He added: “My advice to anyone is just to be patient, as it doesn’t take a couple of months to heal from a trauma like this.
“Allow yourself time and be kind – and most importantly, be thankful for the gift of life.”
What are strep A and cellulitis?
GROUP A Streptococcus (GAS), also known as strep A, are bacteria commonly found on the skin or in the throat which can cause disease.
Infection commonly presents as a mild sore throat (‘strep throat’) and skin or soft tissue infections such as impetigo and cellulitis.
Cellulitis is an infection of the deeper layers of skin and the underlying tissue which can be serious if not treated promptly.
The infection develops suddenly and can spread through the body quickly, and it can be life-threatening.
The skin can be hot, red, swollen, painful and tender, and these symptoms are often accompanied by a fever, shaking, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and confusion.
Cellulitis is usually treated with antibiotics.
In more serious cases, GAS can cause septic arthritis, meningitis, necrotising fasciitis and Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome.
Source: NHS