A woman who went into hospital for a routine operation lost 'half of her left bum cheek' to a deadly flesh-eating infection.
Lesley Mangnall, 45, began to experience pain earlier this year from what she believed to be an abscess. She was admitted to the Royal Derby Hospital in April to deal with the problem.
However, Lesley said she knew something wasn't quite right when she woke up in recovery and noticed a swollen red lump near the abscess which had "moved positions" overnight, DerbyshireLive reports. She was told by doctors she needed further surgery straight away, which led to her needing a large portion of her left buttock removed.
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This was because Lesley had necrotising fasciitis - a flesh eating infection. According to the Lee Sparks Foundation, necrotising fasciitis can be caused by a number of bacteria and may begin in an established wound. The NHS says necrotising fasciitis is also known as the "flesh-eating disease".
Excessive pain is an early warning symptom, but despite the best treatment, the infection is so severe that the death rate is still around 30 to 50%. Survivors may need amputation because of extensive areas of tissue being destroyed.
Lesley said: "I was told by the nurse not to Google it, but of course that makes you want to, I realised how lucky I had been." She added: "It is not common, and that is why people haven't heard about it as much as they should. People have had chunks of their legs removed, or even had limbs amputated because of this infection."
Lesley is one in around 500 people a year in the UK who get necrotising fasciitis and she wants to share her story to raise awareness of the deadly bacterial infection. She urged people to check out the Lee Sparks Foundation, which is a charity set up to help people who have suffered from the infection, as well as knowing the early signs and symptoms.
The 45-year-old said: "I was still on morphine from the first operation so I didn't feel the pain of the infection as much but it is meant to be really, really painful". Lesley had surgery to remove the infected area at the end of April, but is still feeling the effects now.
She added: "I have got horrendous scar tissue on the affected area and it still hurts to sit down. I would say if you are showing symptoms to go straight to A and E, and do not risk it."
Signs and symptoms
Symptoms of necrotising fasciitis, also known as the "flesh-eating disease", can develop quickly within hours or over a few days. It is a rare and life-threatening infection that can happen if a wound gets infected and it needs to be treated in hospital straight away.
At first you may have:
- intense pain or loss of feeling near to a cut or wound – the pain may seem much worse than you would usually expect from a cut or wound
- swelling of the skin around the affected area
- flu-like symptoms, such as a high temperature, headache and tiredness
Later symptoms can include:
- being sick (vomiting) and diarrhoea
- confusion
- black, purple or grey blotches and blisters on the skin (these may be less obvious on black or brown skin)
Necrotising fasciitis is an infection that can happen after getting a wound. It causes damage to the deep layers of your skin. The infection may get into the body through:
- cuts and scratches
- burns and scalds
- insect bites
- surgery
- injecting drugs
You may also be more at risk from developing necrotising fasciitis if you have diabetes or a weakened immune system.
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