Flesh eating bacteria, necrotizing fasciitis. I am not sure of the exact date, but it was 10 years ago this week that I was diagnosed with severe Streptococcus pyogenes bacterial infection in my right foot. I had been traveling in California, where I got a strep throat that eventually went septic (into my bloodstream) and apparently escaped from there into my foot. I went to the doctor once I got to La Crosse, and they had trouble diagnosing, at first thinking it was gout. But a very astute nurse suggested flesh eating bacteria, and a clinical lab scientist who would become my student correctly identified it. By that time I was delirious from the 104 F fever. so they gave me two IV doses of 25 million units of Penicillin G, along with huge doses of another antibiotic. They operated to scrape out all the dead tissue and bacteria from my foot, creating huge gashes on both sides. They had to cut vertical fasciotomies in both legs to keep them from bursting. But I survived. After three wees at La Crosse hospital, I developed some complications from my weak heart (this was 16 months before my heart transplant). For a few days I was the most interesting patient at the Mayo Clinic (in case you were wondering, this is not good). I went home about month after the initial infection to have lots of physical therapy with at least 11 people picking dead material out of my wound, I missed about half the semester. The wound has not completely healed, and I still have to treat and bandage it each day. Thanks to for Bernadette Deutz for taking care of me. Thanks to all the people who drove me to PT.
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 21:05:57 +0000