'I don't know if I'll ever look normal again'

A woman says she fears she may never 'get back to looking normal again' after contracting a terrible skin infection. Margaret McGurrin, from east Manchester, claims she was told to go to A&E immediately after seeing her GP earlier this month.

The 59-year-old rushed to Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI), where she claims she given antibiotics. She claims her condition worsened after her condition was not initially diagnosed.

Margaret says that six days later, she called NHS 111 and spoke to an emergency doctor, who diagnosed her with the rare infection eczema herpeticum. More than two weeks on, Margaret says she is still taking antivirals for the infection. She says she fears she may never fully recover.

READ MORE: 'The school is outing our children with this new rule... it's disgusting'

"It breaks my heart to look at [old photos]," Margaret said. "I don't know if I will ever get back to looking normal again. It's just one of those very freak things that happens."

Margaret says she visited her GP on October 7 with concerns about a skin condition affecting her face. She claims her GP was immediately concerned about her appearance.

"She took one look at my face and said I had to go immediately to A&E," Margaret added. "I said that I have a dog. She said 'put it this way, if you don't go now you might not be in a fit state to look after your dog'."

Margaret, who lives in Abbey Hey with her French bulldog Jakey-Moon, rushed to A&E at MRI 'in a heightened state'. She claims she was taken to a 'side room' before being told to go to the eye hospital at MRI.

Margaret claims MFT had no notes for her following her admission and was given no discharge notes. She claims she was allowed to leave the hospital without a diagnosis after being prescribed antibiotics, which did not help.

Margaret has lodged a formal complaint with the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, which runs MRI. The trust told the Manchester Evening News it was unable to comment while investigating her complaint.

"It was just absolutely horrendous," said Margaret. "You hear about these things, but you never think it's going to happen to you."

With the condition spreading across her face and down her arm in the days that followed, Margaret says she decided to call NHS 111. She spoke to an emergency doctor on October 13, who diagnosed her with eczema herpeticum.

"He took one look at my face and he immediately diagnosed it," said Margaret. Eczema herpeticum is an infection usually caused by the same virus as cold sores.

According to the British Association of Dermatologists, it is 'potentially serious' and can spread to 'affect large areas of the skin'. Margaret is now taking antivirals, but is still affected by the condition on her face.

Patients with severe eczema herpeticum can receive antiviral treatment on a drip at hospital. Margaret believes she may have had more effective treatment if she had been diagnosed on her visit at MRI.