A mum-of-two nearly lost her leg after contracting a flesh-eating 'hot tub rash' on holiday.
Taylor Bryant, 26, went on her first family trip away in March this year.
When she returned back home to Indiana, USA, her health began to deteriorate.
She soon started feeling excruciating pain in her leg and struggled to walk.
The mother-of-two went to the doctor who prescribed her a 10-day antibiotic course - but her condition worsened.
Taylor told WISH-TV News 8: "Our first family vacation — what kind of luck is this?”
She added: “I would say [the pain was] worse than labour. I don’t know what could be worse than that.”
A huge blue and purple rash began spreading across her leg and she became increasingly unwell as the days passed.
Her skin began to turn black and eventually peeled off as the rash spread upwards, causing her leg to swell and blister.
Taylor went to hospital where doctors diagnosed her with pseudomonas folliculitis — a common skin infection that can become lethal if left untreated.
She said: “Every night, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, we were in the hot tub and [my doctor] was like, ‘That’s the only way I thought you could get this infection was from a hot tub.’ ”
The doctors said amputation was a possibility if the infection failed to clear up.
However, Taylor was cured after two weeks on IV antibiotics.
She is now walking again but feels emotional when she recalls the pain she had to endure.
Taylor added: "At first I was thankful to have my leg but more so, thankful to be alive.”
Folliculitis, also known as "hot tub rash", is a common skin infection causing hair follicles to become inflamed.
The rash is usually caused by a bacterial or fungal infection, but if left untreated, can spread and eat away one's flesh.
It is reccommended to make an appointment with your doctor if the condition is widespread and if symptoms fail to go away within a few days.
Taylor said her specialist told her shaving could allow the bacteria to easily enter the skin: “When you shave your legs you are breaking skin so that’s opening areas on your legs.”
