“They said parts of her muscles and tissue were dead and it was very important to remove them so as not to damage her body further,” her family said.
A Tennessee teenager who was hospitalized had to have both his legs amputated due to a rare bacterial infection.
The family of Anita Navas, 13, wrote in a recent Facebook post that she was hospitalized the day after Christmas when several limbs, including her foot, elbow and wrist, began to show signs of redness and irritation, and she felt tired and dizzy.
Doctors later determined she had strep A and influenza B, her family told local news station WTVC.
Navas needed additional care and was transferred to another hospital, where she “recovered” immediately upon arrival, her family said in a Facebook post.
“Her heart stopped. Her blood pressure dropped to rock bottom. She was immediately intubated by medical professionals so she could breathe,” her family wrote in their post.
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Navas’ family said it only got worse since then, as she had to be put into a medically induced coma as her body went into “septic shock” and was “fighting itself”.
The family noted in their post on social media that “bacteria from the septic shock quickly took over her body, and her limbs began to fail.”
To stabilize her, doctors put her on blood pressure medication, although it backfired as her limbs took in excess fluid. Doctors then made incisions on her right arm, left arm, left leg and two incisions on both feet, but for some of her limbs, the family said, “it was too late.”
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“They said that parts of her muscles and tissues were dead and it was very important to remove them so as not to further damage her body,” Navas’ family wrote.
Last week, doctors amputated Navas’ legs just below the knee to increase her chances of survival. Although doctors were able to save both of her arms, she lost about one-third of the muscle and tissue. The family told WTVC that the teenager had been in the hospital for two weeks and expected to remain there for the next six months.
In an update on Tuesday, the family said: “All the skin on her extremities has been destroyed by the infection. Her kidneys are still not working and she is on intermittent dialysis to try to get her kidney to work and filter her blood.”
“She is in a better position than before. However, she needs to do a skin graft as soon as possible. There is not enough viable skin on her body to do that,” they said. “The only option we have is to go through skin cell growth therapy.”
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Navas remains in a medically induced coma, but her family has found two hospitals that offer skin cell growth therapy. They created a GoFundMe page in hopes of raising money for her long road to recovery.
“We appreciate everyone’s continued prayers and support. We have a long way to go, but you all give us the hope and encouragement we need,” the family said.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education