Missouri Mom, fighting against infection, loses every 10 toes, hand, fingers

A mother in Missouri who spent more than a month in the hospital said she lost her ten toes, one hand and several fingers on the other.

Racheal Acuff, who reportedly was hospitalized in June 2018, noticed for the first time that there was blood in his urine. She said, "I did not have any symptoms of pneumonia and I only knew of kidney infection when I was peeing blood," according to The Sun.

"Once in the hospital, everything started very soon after the blood pressure was so low that it was almost not registered," 32-year-old Acuff told MDW Features.

She said that the hospital staff "immediately transferred me to a room and began to make a list of tests. The last thing I can remember is that I was told that they would move me upstairs, and then I was put in there. sedated for three weeks. When I woke up, my mother explained that I had septic shock, disseminated intravascular coagulation and toxic shock syndrome of unknown origin. "

The mother was told that she had suffered septic shock due to pneumonia, which had led to a blood clotting disorder, DIC.

Acuff said she had received four antibiotics in the hospital's intensive care unit, adding that she had also been placed in a feeding tube, a dialysis machine and a ventilator. She was transferred out of the ICU and sent home after 46 days.

"I was on a ventilator that helped me breathe, a feeding tube for all my nutrients, a port-a-cath for my dialysis because my kidneys were not working anymore and two IVs for access to the blood and give me all my meds, "she told the newspaper. "I remember hearing my family cry when the doctors told them to bring their family to say their last goodbyes, but I was sedated and I had no way of telling them about it. reply."

In this state, she recalled, "I felt totally helpless, but I knew I had to fight to prove to them that they were wrong. I did not feel like I was dying and I was not going. "

From August to May of this year, she underwent several amputation procedures.

Acuff said that her faith had become stronger and that she had adapted to "absorb every moment, be it good or bad".

"There is no medical reason for me to be alive," she told reporters. "So, something more powerful is in my corner for sure."

She shares her story to encourage others to defend their own health.

According to the Mayo Clinic, sepsis is a life-threatening illness caused by the body's response to an infection.

"The body normally releases chemicals into the blood to fight an infection. Sepsis occurs when the body's response to these chemicals is unbalanced, resulting in changes that can damage many organ systems, "according to the medical website.

Sepsis can progress to septic shock, which can be fatal, says the site.

"Most often, sepsis occurs in people who are hospitalized or have recently been hospitalized. People in the intensive care unit are particularly vulnerable to the development of infections that can later lead to sepsis. If you develop signs and symptoms of sepsis after surgery or after hospitalization, seek immediate medical attention, "says the clinic.

Toxic shock, on the other hand, is a rare disease that can also be fatal.

"Toxic shock syndrome is often the result of toxins produced by Staphylococcus aureus (Staphylococcus), but it can also be caused by toxins produced by a group A streptococcal bacteria," says Mayo Clinic.