The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Source:
Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:38 PM
Texas Man Has Leg Amputated After Being Infected Flesh-Eating Bacteria
Raul Reyes, 26, sought treatment at a clinic for what he thought was a blister on the foot after an injury at work, but instead was diagnosed with the flesh-eating bacteria, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Doctors had no choice but to remove the foot to save Reyes' life, his wife Joseline Reyes said.
“The blister was covering his entire foot,” she said.
Losing a foot was a terrible outcome for
her husband, but things could have been much worse, she added.
“I think about it every day – every day he’s been here [in the
hospital],” Joseline told Fox 19 Houston, “I think about how I could
have lost him.”
“I think about it every day – every day he’s been here [in the
hospital]. I think about how I could have lost him.”
- Joseline Reyes, wife of amputee Raul Reyes
Doctors believe Reyes contracted the infection through an open wound
from an ingrown toenail, but they are unsure where he first caught the
infection.
Salt or brackish water are common places for infection, the station
reported.
Last September, a Hurricane Harvey first responder contracted a
flesh-eating bacteria during rescue efforts, Fox News reported, and
would have died if he hadn’t sought immediate help.
In October, a Texas woman died of flesh-eating bacteria after a raw
oysters banquet, Fox News reported. She and friend ate about two dozen
raw oysters each before the woman became ill.
The woman was “crabbing” with her friends and family on the Louisiana
coast when she contracted the infection, the report said.
Most infections happen between May and October and common symptoms
include diarrhea, nausea, fever and chills, while more severe infections
can lead to death, Fox News reported.
However, Joseline Reyes told Fox 19 that the couple had not gone to the
beach in a year.
"He's perfectly healthy,” she said. “So, it's just weird how all of this
happened.”
She told the Chronicle that the couple's attitude toward recovery
remains positive.
“He is very eager to start therapy for a prosthetic,” she said.