South Carolina Woman Diagnosed With Flesh-Eating Bacteria
Lana Kuykendall, a South Carolina woman, was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis shortly after giving birth to twins.
The new mom was nervous when she discovered a red and black welt on the back of her leg last Thursday. According to Greenville Online, the woman’s husband, Darren stated:
“That scared her. She thought it was a blood clot. So we rushed immediately to Greenville Memorial Hospital…And the longer she sat there, the bigger that spot got. It was initially the size of a 3-by-5 index card. But it got bigger and bigger. It moved a quarter of an inch in half an hour. Then the high-risk OB physician had a suspicion of what it was.”
Lana, who gave birth to twins on May 7th, has had four surgeries in the span of 6 days, and is in critical condition, although doctors say she is stable.
YFF-4 reports that Krissy Davidson, a friend of Lana Kuykendall, stated that, following her most recent surgery, the flesh-eating bacteria has stopped spreading. She said:
“Right now, just very worried, very upset. Still in disbelief that here is my friend, who just had these two beautiful babies, and now she is intubated upstairs, and not able to enjoy the bonding experience, and enjoy the babies…We’re just asking people to pray for her, and lift her up at this point.”
According to Huffington Post, the risk of contracting necrotizing fasciitis is raised when a person’s immune system has been weakened. It is also more likely when a person has other health problems, there are cuts on the skin (such as the case of Aimee Copeland, who contracted the disease after a leg injury), and when the body has a lower resistance to infection because of medications.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reports that there are about 10,000 to 15,000 flesh-eating bacteria infections in the U.S. each year, and that 2,000 to 3,000 result in death.
Check out more information about necrotizing fasciitis here:
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