ATLANTA — A local woman shares her story after being infected with a flesh-eating bacteria.
She said it happened while she vacationed in the Bahamas.
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Military Veteran Jennifer Barlow said she remembered the last moments of her vacation to the Bahamas before her life turned for the worst, “Next thing I know, my knee started to bubble up, and I’m in the most pain that I’ve ever been.”
Barlow said she went to the hospital as soon as she got back to Atlanta. She discovered a flesh-eating bacteria inside her: “I have never heard of Necrotizing Fasciitis.”
Barlow was in a coma for ten days. When she woke up, she saw one of her legs was amputated, " I almost died a few different times. I talked to several doctors, and they’re shocked that I just lost one leg. I’m so blessed because I’m told people normally lose multiple limbs.”
“I underwent about 30 surgeries, and I know that sounds crazy, but yeah, it sounds crazy. Sometimes I was having two to three a week,” said Barlow.
Barlow is now recovering, but many, including herself, are wondering how did this happen?
Medical professionals believe it all happened while she was in the ocean in the Bahamas, through a cut on her leg.
“They’re thinking. I mean, my doctors told me it could have happened from a Nic when I was shaving my legs that day and that the bacteria could have entered then.”
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Now, she wants to use her story to help others. When she first went to the hospital, doctors said her leg was sprained.
She went back and learned her proper diagnosis.
“If you’re feeling really sick, feverish and you know something is swollen on your body and it’s hot to touch, that doesn’t mean it’s sprained. It means an infection. If you need to go to your doctor, make sure they do thorough tests,” she said.
Barlow said she has a long road ahead of her.
She said hospital bills are piling up, but if you want to donate, click here.
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