An Arizona mom is now fighting for her life after doctors mistook deadly flesh-eating bacteria for the flu. After multiple surgeries, doctors removed 30 percent of the woman’s body tissue to contain the infection.
Experts claim that the misdiagnosis cost the woman crucial time as the medics treated her as if she had the flu, when her body was struggling to fight off necrotizing fasciitis, a highly aggressive flesh-eating bug.
The Litchfield Park woman was taken to the hospital Jan. 11 because of a prolonged episode of achiness, which the doctors believed was a symptom of the flu. When the pain got worse, the woman was taken to a nearby trauma center where health professionals were able to give her a correct diagnosis.
Her family wrote on a GoFundMe page that if the woman had not been misdiagnosed, the bacterial infection would not have morphed into necrotizing fasciitis, a very rare condition triggered by a flesh-eating bacterium.
- The death rates for necrotizing fasciitis stand at 30% or more.
- The family is now trying to raise money to cover the woman’s current and future medical expenses.
Woman’s Condition Still Critical
According to the list on the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention’s website, necrotizing fasciitis’s symptoms include fatigue, fever, nausea, and vomiting. These symptoms are very similar to those of the influenza virus.
After learning about the condition, the woman was operated twice. Surgeons were able to discard 30 percent of the tissue in her body to contain the infection.
According to her family, the mom of three is now in a stable condition, but her situation is still critical. She is expected to face “a long road to recovery” which will include reconstructive surgery, skin graft surgeries, and physical therapy.
Image Source: GoFundMe
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