Urgent warning as flesh-eating bug leaves mum, 27, facing death just days after giving birth
A NEW mum is lucky to be alive after contracting a rare and deadly flesh-eating disease just a week after giving birth.
Charleigh Chatterton, 27, welcomed her daughter Alessia into the world on April 22 with no initial complications.
But six days later, she was overcome with a huge, piping hot rash across her stomach.
This eventually developed into necrotising fasciitis – a flesh-eating bacterial infection with a mortality rate between 11 and 22 per cent.
Charleigh, from Harwich, Essex, said: “We left the rash for a day as it looked normal at first but it got a lot worse.
“My fiancé Liam called the midwives and they recommended I go in to be checked.
“With multiple tests carried out in Colchester Hospital, I was getting clear results but my health was rapidly declining and I was struggling to remain conscious.
“They sent me down for a CT scan and very quickly after this I was given the news of a possible flesh eating bacteria, necrotising fasciitis, and I needed surgery immediately.
“The doctors said my chances of survival were slim. I think I got diagnosed just in time.”
The finance administrator was rushed down on May 1 for an operation and she then had another surgery the next day.
She was kept sedated until the Wednesday when doctors were able to wake her up, but Charleigh still had two large open wounds on her abdomen.
As a result, a significant amount of dead tissue had to be removed to stop the continuously growing flesh-eating bacteria.
The wounds were left open until May 8 when she then had medical vacuum pumps fitted around her body.
Once they were in place, Charleigh had a further week of physiotherapy treatment before heading home.
Describing how she was feeling during the potentially fatal ordeal, the new mum said: “I was so frightened, I didn’t think I’d ever be able to see my daughter.
“Liam’s biggest fear was losing me or my daughter and knowing that it was potentially going to be me made me feel quite guilty.
“I always told him that would never happen and receiving potentially fatal news made me feel guilty.”
Charleigh thanked doctors and nurses for being “fantastic” and keeping her comfortable during treatment.
She added: “I’ll definitely have scars but I don’t care how many I live with, I’m just happy to be alive.
“I just want to get the message out because most people have never heard of it and early diagnosis can be the difference between life and death.”
What is necrotising fasciitis?
Necrotising fasciitis is a flesh-eating disease that happens if a wound gets infected.
It’s rare, and needs to be treated in hospital straight away.
The first signs of the illness are:
- 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 may include:
- Vomiting and diarrhoea
- Confusion
- Black, purple or grey blotches and blisters on the skin (these may be less obvious on black or brown skin)
You should go to A&E or call 999 if you have a cut which is more painful than expected, you have a wound and symptoms like a temperature or headache, you suddenly feel confused, or you have black, purple or grey blotches near a cut or wound.
Necrotising fasciitis gets worse quickly and can be fatal.
Treatments usually include antibiotics and surgery to remove the infected area.
Source: NHS