A mother from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, was confined to a wheelchair for nine years after contracting a flesh-eating infection following a caesarean section. Kelly Simmons, 44, was separated from her newborn son for three months after the infection, necrotising fasciitis, attacked her surgical wound.
Two weeks after an emergency caesarean in October 2009, Kelly's temperature spiked and pus began seeping from her abdominal scar. She was readmitted to hospital, where doctors diagnosed necrotising fasciitis, a rare and potentially fatal infection that destroys skin tissue. The infection caused her wound to split open completely.
Doctors determined the infection originated from unsterile surgical instruments. They could not stitch the wound because the bacteria would have eaten through the sutures. Kelly was treated with steroids and remained in hospital for three months, unable to see her baby due to concerns she might be contagious.
After discharge, Kelly had to wear a sanitary towel against her abdomen to absorb pus, and the wound took a year to heal naturally. Prolonged immobility led to muscle wasting, leaving her wheelchair-bound for nine years. She also underwent debridement surgery to remove dead tissue. Kelly, a former carer, can no longer work due to her condition.
