Allegedly cold patient lost after severe blood poisoning both legs and hands

Man thought he had a cold - then he loses his legs and hands

A man from Wales who thought he had a cold, had his legs and hands amputated. The 46-year-old had no cold, but suffered from a blood poisoning, which was caused by meningitis (meningitis).

Both feet and one hand amputated

According to a media report, a threefold father from Wales, who thought he was just a cold, had to have both legs and a hand amputated. The 46-year-old man, who also lost the fingers of the other hand, had no cold, but suffered from a blood poisoning, which was caused by meningitis (meningitis). Chris G. from Cardiff fought for his life because "his immune system caused the body to attack his own tissues and organs", according to the British Daily Mail newspaper..

In Wales, one man had both lower legs and his hands amputated. The father of three suffered from blood poisoning due to a meningococcal infection. The patient first thought he had just a cold. (Image: s_l / fotolia.com)

Flu-like symptoms

Hardly any illness is as underestimated as the blood poisoning. Not only people with a weakened immune system can hit a sepsis, even for healthy people there is danger.

To avoid the often lifelong consequences, fast action is required.

But all too often a blood poisoning is not recognized or recognized late, partly because the symptoms are similar to those of a flu.

Symptoms that can occur with a disease include fever, chills, accelerated heart rate, faster breathing, lower blood pressure and palpitations.

Often sufferers also feel greatly exhausted and have a restless sleep.

Pain in the head was unbearable

Also Chris G. from Cardiff felt very weak when he wanted in the middle of July with his three children and his wife in a swimming pool in the middle of July. He thought he caught a cold and preferred to go to bed.

When his wife looked after him a little later, she found that he had high temperature and was so weakened that he could no longer go to the bathroom.

"I could not walk straight and the pain in my head was unbearable, and that's the last thing I remember," the massage therapist told The Daily Mail..

Two weeks in a coma

Fortunately, his wife, Karran, who was undergoing a course to return to nursing, recognized the symptoms and called an ambulance to take him to the intensive care unit at Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport.

There, respiratory equipment was used for respiratory support and antibiotic treatment started.

"He talked to me at four o'clock, and at six o'clock he was close to death; literally. For four days, they told me he was going to die, so they prepared me for the worst, "Karran said.

Her husband had to be revived the first night. His condition finally stabilized, but he stayed in a coma for another two weeks.

The doctors explained to Karran that they had found in Chris an infection with meningococci, which had led to the septic reaction.

These bacteria can sometimes have deadly consequences, as a case from Mönchengladbach shows. Only a few weeks ago a teenager died there after a meningococcal infection.

Extremities did not get enough blood

Karran described the condition of her husband in the newspaper report: "His lungs had stopped working, his heart was not working well and his blood clotting did not work, so he was bleeding everywhere."

"Because his blood pressure was so low, of course, his body tried to maintain his vital organs. As a result, his limbs did not have enough blood. "

According to Karran, the doctors had talked about possible amputations for about a week, until they were told that both legs had to be removed under the knee.

She said, "I remember he said to me, please do not let her take my legs off because he loved walking on the beach and he was worried that he would never feel the sand under his feet again."

Patient wants to be at home Christmas

On August 30, he was finally amputated at the Morriston Hospital in Swansea both lower legs and his left arm below the elbow. The palm of his right hand and thumb could be saved.

Chris had asked the surgeons before surgery to "save everything that could be saved".

For the next seven weeks, Chris made faster progress with his recovery than the physicians originally thought.

He hopes to be taken to Cardiff hospital in the coming months for more intensive rehabilitation.

"My goal is to be home for three days at Christmas," Chris said. He is extremely grateful to his doctors. And he looks hopefully into the future:

"I'm looking forward to the future because I managed to survive a sepsis. I survived and got things done. I will be father and husband again. "(Ad)