Ammon News - Gabby Swierzewski has been a nail-biter for as long as she can remember. The habit began in childhood and followed her through adulthood, rarely causing more than the occasional sore finger or hangnail.

But in early February 2026, something felt different. What she assumed would be another minor irritation quickly turned into a painful and frightening medical ordeal.

“This began on Feb. 6; it initially began as a hangnail, and it was extremely painful,” Swierzewski tells PEOPLE. “Hang nails are a common occurrence for me, so of course, I thought it would go away, as I have been biting my nails since I was 8.”

Within a day, however, Swierzewski’s finger had become “extremely swollen,” and so she decided to call her primary doctor, assuming it was just another ingrown nail. At the appointment on Feb. 10, she was prescribed a dose of antibiotics and an ointment meant to help treat an infection.

Despite the medicine, her finger wasn’t getting any better, so on Feb. 12, she decided to visit an urgent care specializing in dealing with ingrown nails. “They went on to try and pop the abscess and cut under my nail, they could not get anything, other than blood,” Swierzewski explains. “They prescribed me a second antibiotic.”

When she finally removed the bandage, her finger had turned a deep shade of purple and was throbbing intensely.

After being taken in immediately, doctors cut into her finger and drained multiple cyst-like abscesses. Even after the procedure, the swelling remained severe, prompting doctors to refer her to a hand specialist for further evaluation.

There was also the frightening possibility she might lose her nail — or even her finger.

Fortunately, that fear was put to rest on March 4, when, at a follow-up appointment, doctors confirmed Swierzewski would not need another surgery or an amputation.

People