How I found out I had Necrotizing Faciitis
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Flesh eating bacteria! The headlines are horrifying. The realities and outcomes are even worse. We just got done with a viral pandemic but what’s up with Flesh eating bacteria? I know a little about this situation as I almost died from it this week. Relatively rare and exceptionally lethal is what the medical books say but my Doctor said that our local hospital has had four such cases in the last six months. The proverbial “widow maker”.
Here’s the story. Patty and I were in Washington DC the last two weeks. First week for work (CPCU Convention) and the second week for vacation. Patty has never visited before so I wanted to show her a good time in D.C. and we had that except for this last week. Literally the week from hell.
Monday as we changed hotels I started feeling puny. Fever, body aches, malaise so I figured COVID alas no respiratory issues. I would have been so lucky if it had been COVID. What I had was much worse and many more times lethal.
A spot appeared on my back? Was it a bug bite or perhaps something else but little did I know a deadly bacteria was inside my body eating and consuming itself. The medical term is necrotizing fasciitis. I had the gas gangrene variety. Google both and be prepared to learn about some very lethal bugs.That probably saved my life as my surgeon and his team here at LMH noticed on my CT scan Thirsday night as they prepared me for emergency surgery 4:00 am Friday morning. The infection was full of air and not pus and fluid. Not good! There was a deadly bacteria quickly multiplying and decaying my body as I took each breath.
Wait, how did we get back to Lawrence, you ask. We started home on Wednesday morning but by then I was failing quickly. Decision time, do I check myself in a hospital in D.C. or even John Hopkins in Baltimore. World class healthcare but 1,000.miles from home and I had enough foresight to know I was going to probably need some massive wound care ongoing. That option was not what I chose. Perhaps it would have been the wisest decision given that this stuff works incredibly fast and by working I mean killing.
Thursday was the trip from hell. My back infection was on fire, my temperature was spiking and I am starting to hallucinate. I had to drive 13 hours from Tridelphia, WV to Lawrence, KS and make a beeline for Lawrence Memorial Hospital. I managed to do that (Patty helped with the driving but is challenged in large city traffic.large is a relative term for a NE ranchers daughter). I drove most the way and was driving like my life depended on it because it did.
I have a long road ahead of me and wound care will be my next new hobby but man it is good to be alive so I could taste that yummy hospital food (insert sarcasm). I will be in the hospital for a week starting the wound vac and getting some “closure” on this thing.
This week presented the big guy with one of the biggest challenges he has faced. It is not totally whipped yet but I am on that road to recovery.
How did I get this bacteria? Not a clue. The doctor suspected a bug bite but some break in the skin allowed this nasty little bug in. Killing it is a hard task. I’ve had more antibiotics in the last two days than most people get in two lifetimes. Combine the scalpel of my surgeon, Dr. Blake Conklin with the massive barrage of antibiotics and perhaps we can finally kill this nasty bugger. Oh yeah, I have an 8x3 inch hole in my back that needs closed up and the wound vac will do that this week.
Scary, scary stuff and my surgery occurred on Friday the 13th, very fitting.
Love and Light, Frank.
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