Woman Says Her 'Gut Instinct' Saved Her from Losing Foot to Flesh-Eating Bacteria

By Kayla Kunkel October 27, 2019 at 12:14am

After a British woman claimed she developed a bacterial infection from an insect, she quickly rushed to seek medical attention that may have been what saved her from losing her foot to flesh-eating bacteria.

Faye Wilkes, 41, was on vacation in Spain when she says a bug bit her near the pool.

“I felt like I had been stabbed in my left leg. It instantly began burning up, and I thought it was probably just a silly mosquito bite, so I went into the pool to cool it off,” Wilkes told South West News Service, according to Fox News.

She didn’t give the bite much thought until she woke up that evening from a “shooting pain” in her left leg. When she woke up the next morning, she had trouble walking.

That’s when she knew something was wrong.

“From the moment my leg began hurting, I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t want to waste anybody’s time,” she said. “After it started scabbing and I had difficulty walking, I knew I needed to get help.”

Wilkes sought medical attention at a hospital in Benidorm, but she said the doctors there weren’t helpful.

Her “gut instinct” told her to fly home as soon as possible and it may have been exactly what helped saved her from losing her foot to flesh-eating bacteria.

“I was too weak to walk on my own and I began being sick every five minutes as I boarded the flight,” she told SWNS.

Did you know flesh-eating bacteria could cause this kind of damage?

She said a flight attendant called an ambulance to meet them as soon as they landed in London.

Paramedics rushed Wilkes to Royal Surrey Hospital where she was diagnosed with sepsis. Doctors said the sepsis developed after she had contracted a rare bacterial infection from flesh-eating bacteria.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, flesh-eating bacteria enter the skin through cuts and scrapes, burns, insect bites, puncture wounds or surgical wounds.

Wilkes story, while harrowing, is a great example of why prompt treatment is crucial when facing sepsis and flesh-eating bacteria.

“I was absolutely horrified, as I didn’t think a measly bite from a bug in Benidorm would result in sepsis, let alone the [near] loss of my leg,” Wilkes said.

“Luckily, they were able to flush out the infection without having to do any invasive surgery, but I still feel incredibly weak,” she added.

“The main thing is that I’m alive and I still have my left leg and foot — but I know I still have a long way to go until I’m out of the woods. I had to learn to walk again and build up my strength.”

Submit a Correction →