My encounter with the flesh eating disease Streptococcus aka necrotizing fasciitis
77We had just buried my father a few days before and I was helping my brother-in-law pull the fender back on my truck. A drunk had hit the truck while it was parked at my parents house. I stooped down and felt a sharp pain in my right foot just above my toes. I had been nursing the foot for what I thought was a serious case of athletes foot.
There were little red sores all over the top of my toes. I limped back in the house and took my shoe off. The pain was excruciating by then. My wife, Tammy, gave me Tylenol and propped up my foot on the couch. Later that evening we decided that I should go have it checked at the local hospital. The ER doctor checked my foot which was beginning to turn very dark, wrote me a prescription for antibiotics and sent me home.
By early the next morning, I had become delirious and had a high fever. Tammy and her dad. , rushed me back to the hospital. By the time I was admitted in my room, red streaks were climbing up my chest. A shift doctor came in to look at me and told me that I could probably go home at the end of the day. I have no idea why he told me that?
My nurse, Jeanetta Sorrell, told me that I wasn't going anywhere and she was going to get Dr. Michael Henshaw to look at me.
Similar to what my foot and leg looked like.
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Dr. Henshaw came in, took one look at my leg and the red streaks on my chest and said "You are not going anywhere." He ordered up 4 different antibiotics to be given to me through IVs. He told me that he had to control the infection before he could perform surgery. He told me that my infection started with streptococcus and had turned into necrotizing fasciitis. It was eating the flesh in my foot.
Days later, the blackness on the top of my foot got better and the pain was easing a bit. Dr. Henshaw came in to talk with me about the surgery. He told me that he would do his absolute best to save my foot but couldn't guarantee anything. I didn't tell Tammy what the doctor said because at the time she was going through so much already.
When I woke up from surgery, I looked down and saw my toes. I wiggled them in pain but I thanked God, Docs and Nurses they were there!
I will never forget the names, Doctor Michael Henshaw and Nurse Jeanetta Sorrell. Dr. Henshaw had an amazing confidence about him that gave me faith I needed. Nurse Jeanetta Sorrell was an angel at my bedside. She made me behave with her wonderful smile.
Ten days after being admitted, I was finally sent home. Tammy had to be my nurse now. They trained her on how to put the packing in my foot. The cavity went five inches back from the opening on top. It had to be packed with gauze. She had to do it 4 times a day at first and then lessened until my final surgery.
Tammy had to put gauze in my foot every day
After about six weeks, I went in to have a skin graft. Dr. Henshaw told me that it was his first skin graft on my type of wound. He removed a 3 inch by 3 inch patch from my hip and grafted it to my foot. The surgery was successful and the hole in the top of my foot was gone.
I am so thankful to Dr. Henshaw, Nurse Jeanetta and wife/nurse Tammy. I am also thankful for the staff at Reid Memorial Hospital in Richmond Indiana. They were all wonderful.
This was a 3 inch by 1 inch wound. Cavity went back 5 inches.
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Comments
Fascinating story, Tom. When I learned about the flesh-eating disease some years ago I was under the impression that it not treatable. I'm delighted to hear otherwise. I guess you can consider yourself a very lucky guy to have had such good care.
Amany...thank you very much. It all worked out fine.
William...thank you....I am very lucky...A guy that lives in the next town lost both legs because of it. There are many wonderful medical professionals out there. Thanks again!
Oh my, Tom, from Health care to umm, I am glad you are better. You are made of steel!
AIDY....Sometimes I think God keeps folks like me around just to mess with the angels. Thanks much! :)
This just gives me the chills, reading this and remembering...We were so lucky that we had such a wonderful doctor, and a caring and knowledgable nurse, for you!
Tammy...and a sweet wife! :)
Uh uh, that's scary. I'm glad you have recovered from that.
Thank you for sharing this. It's an eye opener.
Sorry to hear about your father.
Tom,
I've never heard of this condition but appreciate the information so I can now be aware. What a terrible thing to have gone through. I just had open heart surgery, very unexpected, in April, and know very well how comforting it is to have quality professionals and family surround you. Thanks for sharing this story!
You had a lucky escape, Tom. The son of a family friend lost his life over this just a few years ago, and in just a matter of days after contracting it. Thanks for sharing your story.
Wow that's scary. A tip of the hat to Nurse Sorrell for being a lot more professional than the first doctor.
jill....thank you.
toby....thank you...it is a comfort to have quality doctors and nurses. They make such a big difference in healing.
Connie....Thanks...I was very lucky to be in the hands of competence.
Pete....thanks ...I think that many times, nurses influence the right decisions. Had I gone home, I probably wouldn't be here.
Good thing somebody in that hospital was thinking straight! That nurse should be on your Christmas card list for sure!
What a scary thing to happen I am so glad that you made a complete recovery.
Enelle....I will always be thankful to her....always.
maggs....thanks....it sure was scary at the time....even tho it was 18 years ago...I still remember many details.
This Hub will help people become more familiar with how flesh-eating bacteria can first show up. I've known about the existence of the bacteria for years, and I've known how quickly it can spread and turn deadly. It never occurred to me to look up what it looks like when it first shows up. A month or so ago I developed a very weird skin "situation", and the first thing I did was to finally learn what a flesh-eating-bacteria infection looks like when it first starts. Ordinarily, I'm a pretty well informed person; but it took a "weird skin thing" to make me learn more about the bacteria.
This is information everybody needs to learn about before they have a "weird skin thing" show up, and your Hub will help. (My "weird skin thing" was, essentially, "nothing", but it made me realize how poorly informed I had been on this subject.)
Lisa...thanks...there are many pics and information on google for people to see and research. At first, I thought mine was just a minor irritation. Had I gone to the doctor sooner, it may have saved me lots of pain and trouble.
The key is "Don't wait!" Have it checked out. Thanks again for commenting.
OUCH - what a string of unfortunate events but it's good to hear that all ended well. You did not mention the origin of the disease. Did the doctor explain it's origin and how to prevent it from happening again? Perhaps you mentioned it in the comments and I missed it.
My hats off to your wife. With all due respect and credit to your doctor and nurse it was your wife who made the real difference. Imagine coming home in that condition to someone who did not care. Please offer her my humblest respect and admiration!
jxb...thanks so much....I don't really know where it originated. I thought it was a bad case of athletes foot. I had been going barefoot around the house and yard because of the pain. I could have gotten it then? Thanks for asking. I have the deepest respect for people who care....they make the world such a better place. Thanks again!
I've never studied medicine, Tom, but one thing I know for certain: Running around in bare feet is a very bad idea. The cuts and scratches that are inevitable can lead to diseases of all kinds, many of them very serious.
William....thanks....it is true...I am proof of it.
Tom, thank you for sharing. I have a weak stomach, so I rushed over the pictures. Sorry to hear about your dad, but glad to hear you're doing well.
jiberish...thanks so much! I don't blame you for skipping over the pics at all. Thanks again! :)
thanks for shearing
moti-k...you are quite welcome...thank you.
Thank goodness you were saved, I have always had the fear of getting this, and when I was 18 something similiar happened and I got an infection in my blood. Both legs broke out and sores and for one month I had to take steroids to get rid of it. To this day Im scared. Im glad you made it through
Teshana...thanks much....I had heard that it can infect the blood also....it is some scary stuff isn't it....glad you got rid of it....thanks again! :)
Thanks for sharing, sorry for your dad..nice to hear that you survived this. How many surgeries did you have? two plus the grafting?
Mezo..thanks...I had one surgery to remove the dead tissue and one for the skin graft. A 3" x 3 " square was taken from my hip and placed on my foot.
Amany Ibrahim says:
4 months ago
I'm sorry Tom for your dad, and for what happened to your truck, and I'm glad your foot problem has been recovered. some times bad things come together in a punch but we should remember that it's just a faith and we have to accept it.