A woman who endured a horrific attack on her bottom from a flesh-eating bug says she's "lucky to be alive".
Tracy De Jongh Eglin was rendered terrified when the bacteria made its mark, carving a 20cm deep wound that left her behind looking like "a peach with a huge bite out of it".
On January 20 the 59-year-old, who's currently recovering from the ordeal, started to display flu-like symptoms that worsened over the following five days.
READ MORE:Brits shun Benidorm as they would rather head off to Blackpool instead
For the latest news from around the world from the Daily Star, click here.
Worryingly, the woman from Fife, Scotland, who now lives in the Netherlands, went into septic shock and collapsed, prompting the need to rush her to hospital. Upon investigation, medics discovered a huge black mass on her left buttock, diagnosing her with necrotising fasciitis — a life-threatening bacterial infection.
The mum-of-two was told she had just a 10% chance of survival and spent nine days in a coma, undergoing three surgeries. Thankfully she pulled through, remaining in hospital for three months before moving into a rehabilitation centre and then returning home.
The former events manager explained: "My husband had to drive behind the ambulance, not knowing whether I'd come out of it alive. My family were told to prepare for the worst – they didn't think I'd make it. The necrotising fasciitis had eaten the flesh on my left buttock, and it took three surgeries to remove all of the infected tissue and muscle.
"I spent nine days in a coma, and when I finally came to, I was incredibly disorientated and kept hallucinating. I woke up to a catheter, a stoma, and a 20cm deep wound – it took two hours every day for the nurses to change my bandages and clean my wounds.
"It's been so traumatic and changed my life forever. I've lost five stone and had to learn to walk again. Even now, I still can't sit down, and have to take a special pillow out with me wherever I go. 'My bottom looks like a peach that someone has taken a huge bite out of on one side."
Tracy, who has had to retire, went through three massive surgeries, each of which cut away more of her flesh and muscle to dispose of the bacteria. When she finally awoke from the coma, she started to suffer hallucinations and even forgot how to speak Dutch.
Tracy said: "I thought I was a teenager again – I forgot how to speak Dutch, and I was convinced that I was 17 and staying in a five-star hotel. I remember thinking that my dad – who passed away when I was 45 – had come to visit me, and he told me that it wasn't time for me to join him yet."
Tracy had to exhibit incredible fighting spirit after leaving hospital. She said: "I was left completely broken and had to rebuild my life. I was so weak, my voice changed, and I had to learn how to walk again. Even now, I have to walk with a stick, and I still sometimes struggle to find the right words. The physical recovery has been incredibly painful, but mentally I've struggled the most. It's been so traumatic – not just for me, but my family too."
While the situation is undeniably difficult, Tracy is showcasing remarkable courage and is focusing on the positive impact her ordeal has had on her relationship with her family.
She concluded: "I am so grateful to be alive and to have the support of my amazing. The only good thing to come from all of this, is that I feel closer to my husband than ever before. It's like we've fallen in love all over again – our relationship has improved immeasurably.
"Necrotising fasciitis is a dreadful illness which has one aim, to destroy as much tissue as possible, thereby destroying lives. Listen to your body and seek medical attention if a bad case of flu seems to turn into something else. Without the quick thinking of my husband and the speed of the doctors and ambulance service, I would not be here."
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.
Source: Read Full Article