Californian ravaged by flesh-eating bacteria loses almost all the muscle and skin of her foot

A California mother has lost almost all the muscle and skin of her left foot after contracting a flesh-eating bacteria – but she has no idea how she was infected.

Noelle Guastucci, of San Diego, explains that she had no cuts or scrapes on her foot and that she was not in the water, where most people catch the often deadly bacterium, necrotizing fasciitis.

But on July 4, apparently out of nowhere, her foot began to blush and swell, she told Fox.

It was only in a few minutes that the swelling started to bite his toes – and the pain was unbearable.

"The pain was so excruciating. On a scale of one to ten, it was one of 11. I have the impression that someone poured some acid on foot, "said Guastucci.

Noelle Guastucci, of San Diego, said she had no cuts or foot marks on her foot and that she had never been in the water, where most people catch often deadly bacteria, necrotizing fasciitis

"Her doctor said that she would have died in about twelve hours if she had not been operated on immediately," said the family.

A team of 14 doctors from the Kaiser Permanente operated on Guastucci to hunt the rapidly evolving bacteria that was ravaging his tissues and threatening to spread along his leg.

For 12 days, they continued their efforts with antibiotics.

Fortunately, they managed to contain it, saving Guastucci from the fate of a third of the victims: amputation or death.

According to relatives who have launched a GoFundMe to support Guastucci: "Her doctor stated that she would have died twelve hours later if she had not undergone the operation immediately.

The mystery of his case makes it one of the most alarming with the increasing number of people contracting flesh-eating bacteria.

According to relatives, Guastucci was able to go home last night to celebrate her birthday and spend time with her five-year-old daughter, Grace, who has Down syndrome and needs constant care – one of the reasons why GoFundMe

Necrotizing fasciitis is a type of fast-moving bacterium that ravages soft tissues

"I retraced my steps and the origin of this mystery remains mysterious," she says.

Necrotizing fasciitis enters the body through cuts or burns, and very often in fresh water, an environment conducive to this type of bacteria.

It is possible that the case of Guastucci has been linked to a streptococcal infection, but the doctors are still uncertain.

According to relatives, Guastucci was able to return home last night to celebrate her birthday and spend time with her five-year-old daughter, Grace, who suffers from Down syndrome and needs constant care, which is one of the reasons of the success of GoFundMe.

"Grace is a child with special needs, it is expensive to find care providers with the skills to help them," they wrote.

"Noelle has also lost all her income because she is independent and unable to work at the moment. Any contribution you can make will be greatly appreciated and will go directly to help Noelle during her difficult moments. Thank you very much for your thoughts, your prayers and all possible donations. & # 39;