A Nigerian man who gave himself a pedicure at home had to have his leg amputated when the treatment went wrong. 

Olubiyi Jibowu ran a bath, added Himalayan salt and soaked his feet, but the 57-year-old didn’t realise how hot the water was until he pulled his feet out and saw angry blisters all over them. 

Instead of seeing a doctor, he treated the burns himself with Dettol, hoping they would heal fast. But the skin kept peeling off, and the wound refused to close up. 

“They wrapped it up and pumped me full of antibiotics, but there was no healing.” 

Doctors told Olubiyi the sepsis could spread to his organs and kill him if he didn’t act fast. After weeks in the hospital and endless antibiotics, he was given the shocking news that there was no choice but to amputate below the knee. 

The dad said: “I was in a state of shock; my mind was all over the place. I didn’t want the consultant who talked about that anywhere near me. I really believed there could be a better solution, not amputation straight away. I said, ‘Are you telling me there’s no plan B to turn this around?’ I was just so taken aback.” 

The life-changing operation went ahead on August 8, 2023, around one month after Olubiyi first burnt his feet. And while the procedure finally stopped the pain, it left him facing a whole new life learning to walk again on a prosthetic. He said: “The moment the amputation happened, it relieved the pain I was feeling, but I was struggling with acceptance. 

“It’s really important to get it checked out as soon as you see anything that’s bloody or an open wound. The doctors have specific antibiotics that will get rid of the infection, and it’s much better to let a specialist handle it. If I had had a little bit of insight, if I knew I was diabetic, it would have alleviated everything I went through. It’s an adaptation, and it feels like life threw me a curveball. 

“I’m going to be rational and positive, it’s going to be okay.” 

Olubiyi is now raising money for a lighter, high-quality titanium prosthetic leg that will help him walk more comfortably, stay active and get his independence back.