lOuise Fawcett, 58, had a near-death experience due to a small scrape she received while gardening. at his home in Chesterfield, England.
The woman told ‘The Sun’ that in April this year she scratched her foot on some tiles. At first she didn’t give it much importance, because it didn’t seem serious. However, the situation quickly became complicated when her foot began to swell alarmingly. After a few days, Louise, who is a vision rehabilitation professional, began to feel “pretty bad.”
“I couldn’t wear shoes to Mark’s birthday dinner. I couldn’t put any weight on them.”Louise said. In addition, from the swelling her foot also became quite red.
Louise decided to wait a few days before consulting her GP. But upon seeing the state of her foot, he prescribed antibiotics to treat an infection known as cellulitis. Unfortunately, these medications did not work and the next morning he woke up in agony, discovering that his foot was “very purple.”
“I noticed that the ankle seemed to have a port wine-colored birthmark,” he explained, recalling that at the time he was afraid he had developed sepsis.
Worried about his wife’s condition, Mark, 59, rushed her to Chesterfield Royal Hospital for blood tests. At the hospital, tests revealed that Louise had contracted necrotizing fasciitis, an extremely serious flesh-eating bacterial infection. “They took me to a small room. The redness was creeping in. It was changing before their eyes,” he said.
His foot became swollen and purple.
Photo:iStock
Given the seriousness of the situation, the surgeons decided to intervene immediately. Louise was taken to the operating room, where her foot was opened to remove the infected tissue. During his stay in hospital, he spent three days in intensive care and underwent a total of seven operations, including a skin graft taken from his thigh.
After three weeks of intensive treatment, Louise was finally discharged on May 16, 2024. What she believes happened was that the bacteria entered her bloodstream through the small cut in her foot, probably coming from the ground. from your garden.
“I’m unlucky to have contracted this infection, but lucky to be alive,” Louise told ‘The Sun’.
Now, with the help of a pair of crutches, he is learning to walk again and is following a strict physical therapy regimen.. Despite her physical recovery, Louise still finds it difficult to look at her foot after multiple surgeries. “I can’t look at it. It doesn’t feel like my foot. It feels like a mannequin’s foot,” she confessed.
Louise, with the help of a pair of crutches, is learning to walk again and is following a strict physiotherapy regime.
Photo:iStock
“I’m glad to be alive,” she said. “I was crying with joy. I’m here. I’m glad to be alive,” she said, while remembering the moment when the doctors confirmed that she was out of danger.
To aid her recovery, Louise wears a brace that holds her ankle at a 90-degree angle when sitting. Although the process has been long and painful, Louise is grateful for the care she received and for having the opportunity to recover at home.
DANIELA LARRARTE ASAAD
DIGITAL SCOPE EDITORIAL
TIME
