'I contracted horror skin infection and don't know if I'll ever look normal again'

Margaret McGurrin, 59, was diagnosed with eczema herpeticum, a potentially serious infection, days after rushing to A&E at Manchester Royal Infirmary and being given antibiotics

A woman says she fears she will never "look normal" again after contracting a rare skin infection last month.

Margaret McGurrin, 59, said her GP told her to go to A&E immediately, so she rushed to Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI), where she claims she was given antibiotics. However, the woman claims her condition worsened as her condition was not initially diagnosed.

The patient, from east Manchester, said that six days later, she called NHS 111 and spoke to an emergency doctor, who diagnosed her with the rare infection eczema herpeticum. Symptoms of the condition include small blisters that are itchy and painful, blisters that look red, purple or black, or blisters that ooze pus when broken open.

Other symptoms can include high fever and chills, swollen lymph glands, and not feeling well overall, according to the US National Eczema Association. More than two weeks on, Margaret says she is still taking antivirals for the infection. She says she fears she may never fully recover.

"It breaks my heart to look at [old photos]," Margaret told the Manchester Evening News. "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 as she was concerned about a skin condition affecting her face. She claims her GP was immediately concerned about her appearance and advised her to go to A&E. When she arrived at the hospital "in a heightened state", she said she was taken to a "side room" before being told to go to the eye hospital at MRI.

She claims the hospital 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 Mirror 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.

According to the British Association of Dermatologists, eczema herpeticum 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.