Necrotizing fasciitis

[pita839]

I'm sure that people have heard about Aimee Copeland in Georgia. I'm not here to talk about her but to make people aware of this horrible bacteria. It is so rare that by the time doctors realize what's going on, amputation and/or death occurs.

I know from experience because my mother had contracted the bacteria in September 2004. What started as a small pimple on her thigh ended up to the surgeon removing the entire inner thigh of the dead tissue to the bone. She was only given a 10% chance to live after the surgery. She passed away Oct 31st 2004.

Every time I hear about one of these cases, it reminds me of the horror that we went through with my mother. Flesh eating bacteria, that's something that you read about in tabloids, science fiction, but believe me, it's very real. So please take a few minutes and look it up on the internet. People do survive this, and I do wish Aimee the best of luck, she has a long road to recovery ahead of her.

 

[Megan]

My husband and I just had a good discussion about this. He works as an rn in the er. It's actually getting quite common these days. When he was working for the larger hospital he said it was coming in almost weekly

Not many people are aware of it, so thank you for posting! If nothing more maybe her case will raise awareness.

 

[Spoof]

A lady I rented from got this in 2006, she was pregnant and came down with it either when after she delivered. She did survive and the baby was fine though she ended in the hospital for three months sloughing off all of her skin. She had a great sense of humor, was mad that she had gotten through two births including twins with no stretch marks and ended up with them due to this in the end...

For a long time I felt bad, she asked me if I thought she might have gotten it from my chinchillas as them and I were the only things that had changed in her house. Obviously I don't think that was the case, and the Dr. told her it was random but it still made me feel terrible...

 

[Jenn]

We had a local boy playing basketball run into a pole and cut his lip. He contracted the bacteria which almost killed him. It has disfigured his face, but he is lucky to be alive. I have since followed Aimee Copeland's story.

This really scares me as we really don't seem to know where it lives and why some people contract it and others don't.

 

[Riven]

Very scary!

 

[Lynn & The Chins]

If all the uneducated people who request antibiotics like they were candy for every little thing, many of which are NOT helped by antibiotics (including colds, which are caused by a VIRUS, not a bacteria), bacteria would not have evolved into the super bacteria which cannot be controlled by any of the antibiotics that we have invented so far.

Several years ago I developed cellulitis in my left leg, reason unknown. I was in the hospital on the strongest IV antibiotics for 4 days. Thank God they worked, because they were the strongest ones available.

Believe me, a cold is just a cold -- you won't die from it and antibiotics will not help you get better faster!!!

I know there are several nurses and people with medical backgrounds on here, so if they can add to this, it would be appreciated.

 

[pita839]

Megan,
I remember the surgeon telling us that she had only seen 3-4 cases a year. We had flooding in this area in 2004 and I read that a fireman, who was diabetic, had died from contracting the bacteria. I"m assuming that he got it from the flood waters while rescuing people trapped by the flood waters. Every week? Now that's scary.

Spoof
That sounds like my dad when he first saw my chinchillas. He said "Don't they carry diseases? I've had mine for 9 years and I'm fine.

Jenn
That's one reason that I posted this hoping that people would become more aware. I wished now that I would have posted this in 2004 when it happened.

Lynn
I totally agree with you. What angered me was when Aimee Copeland went back to the ER complaining of leg pain after she had gotten the staples in and they gave her pain pills and sent her home. I understand that they probably followed standard procedure, but the girl ended up having her leg amputated. I'm glad to hear that you are okay now.

I wanted to thank everyone for reading and posting their thoughts. Take nothing for granted, this is a fast acting bacteria that destroys tissue. How do you get it? Who knows. My mother had no cuts, but my sister and I did do clean-up after the flood so perhaps we transferred it to her. I'll never know the answers but every time I hear of this bacteria, it takes me back to Sept of 2004. It's like a nightmare that you can't forget. Sorry for the long post.

 

[Megan]

Cindy,

Yep he said he was seeing a case nearly every week, and thought for sure he would end up with it. It was one of his worries.

I really think the conditions need to be "perfect". Perfect temp for the bacteria to thrive, the water for the bacteria to thrive in, contact at the right time for the bacteria to take its "host" and the "host" being able to carry and let the bacteria develope... It's clear that not everyone gets it, and it has to be the "perfect" conditions for it...very scary, indeed!!

 

[pita839]

After I posted on here yesterday, I went back to the Yahoo main page and there in the headlines was a story of a South Carolina woman who had this.

Meagan
I'm beginning to think that we may all carry the bacteria but like you said, the conditions have to be perfect for it to thrive. I'm not trying to scare anyone, I just want to people to be aware of this and don't hesitate seeking treatment