Quote :

"Flesh-Eating Bacteria Kills Harnett County Woman Rare Infection Apparently Spread Through Bruise POSTED: 6:03 pm EST March 7, 2006 UPDATED: 7:32 pm EST March 7, 2006 BUNN, N.C. -- Health officials are looking into the case of a 44-year-old Harnett County woman killed by flesh-eating bacteria. Sharon Bishop was a certified nursing assistant who worked nights at Oak Hill Assisted Living Home in Angier. According to investigators, she jammed her thumb in a wheelchair. By the next day, her entire hand was swollen. Bishop went to Betsy Johnson Regional Hospital in Dunn, where doctors gave her medicine and ice packs and sent her home. But that didn't solve the problem. The swelling spread, and her entire arm puffed up. She went back to the hospital, got more medications and more ice packs. But things got even worse, and Bishop went to Dr. Abraham Oudeh for help. “She was in pretty bad shape,” said Oudeh. “She was lethargic, she barely (could) talk, she had fever, she had swelling." Oudeh knew exactly what was wrong. "What we call the ‘eating flesh bacteria’, which is 'Group A' strep necrotizing," he said. Oudeh also knew how much danger she was in. "There is no way you can stop it, especially when the disease has spread so fast," he said. Oudeh sent her back to Betsy Johnson, where she was airlifted to UNC Hospitals. Doctors took extreme measures to save her life, amputating her arm and areas around it. But it was too late. Her neighbors, who knew her as “Miss Sharon,” can't believe what’s happened. “She was very friendly, very nice," said neighbor Adaisha Harris. The bacterium that causes the flesh-eating condition is the same one that causes strep throat, but it's more aggressive. Each year in the United States, there are 10 million strep infections. Only about 1,000 develop into the flesh-eating condition. According to Centers for Disease Control, it's fatal about 20 percent of the time."

Cabin fever??

3/8/2006 6:48:36 AM

I don't understand why you said "cabin fever"?

-ZiP!-

3/8/2006 9:10:47 AM

It was a movie about flesh eating bacteria that came out over a year ago. At least I think it was about flesh eating bacteria. I didn't bother seeing it.

3/8/2006 9:19:58 AM

Because in the movie the people had something wrong with them that I guess resembled flesh-eating bacteria.
I didn't watch enough of the movie to find out. I walked out of the theater about a half hour into it.

3/8/2006 9:20:01 AM

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

3/8/2006 9:31:00 AM

I've seen the movie.. who knows...

This is something government funding should fund to understand and stop.

3/8/2006 9:34:28 AM

yeah 1000 people is kind of significant when you figure that 20% of the time it's fatal.

3/8/2006 10:27:31 AM

I mean I'm sure like it said they tried to cut her arm off, many of the 800 not killed it per year are left disfigured. Not to mention anything that spreads this fast, should be understood.

3/8/2006 10:36:10 AM

yikes

3/8/2006 10:44:36 AM

i for one am scared of this now.

3/8/2006 10:51:29 AM

was this the same bacteria the woman in florida who is suing b/c after she gave birth she didn't understand what the doctors were saying and awoke to having all her limbs amputated??

3/8/2006 11:35:01 AM

if only they'd caught it early enough they could've cut her arm off right away and she'd still be alive

3/8/2006 11:46:30 AM

http://www.mydailyrecord.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=75460&TM=44812.56

Quote :

" The foundation report stated most NF cases are misdiagnosed because the beginning symptoms look like so many other minor afflictions. The foundation report stated even though the disease is on the increase worldwide, it’s still considered uncommon, so many emergency rooms may never have seen a case before"

By the time she got to Dr Oudeh, a first year medical student could have diagnosed the oozing.

[Edited on March 8, 2006 at 12:34 PM. Reason : k]

3/8/2006 12:33:52 PM

k, great journalism there daily record

its group A strep necrotizing, it's a bacteria, not a virus


and yes, it spreads superfast, faster than antibiotics work soooo you have to catch it really early and cut out the infected parts PLUS take IV antibiotics to have a chance at survival.

3/8/2006 12:50:04 PM

damn i get strep all the time

3/8/2006 12:57:10 PM

Old People Suck

3/8/2006 12:59:08 PM

I'll bet she would have lived if she had gone to a better hospital.

3/8/2006 2:15:37 PM

Yea a close friend of mine, who is six months pregnant and is the social worker for the elderly lady who may have passed it on to the nurse, was in contact with her the day after this happened. Huge scare for her, but she seems to be doing OK.
For those of you who don't know anything about BETSY JOHNSON, this is why I would drive my dying self to REX before receiving medical care in Harnett County

3/8/2006 4:35:02 PM

Quote :

"Old People Suck"

she was 44

3/8/2006 4:55:00 PM

^ hahaha

3/8/2006 5:27:59 PM

Betsy Johnson is a small, rural hospital and is ok for minor things. The hospital is basically there to stablize someone till they can be taken to UNC/Duke/Wake Med/Rex for major problems or surgery.

3/8/2006 6:04:33 PM

Quote :

"great journalism there daily record"

I've never heard this statement before in harnett county. People don't even say that sarcastically. That newspaper is horrible. Oh, except when I'm in it.

Quote :

"I would drive my dying self to REX before receiving medical care in Harnett County "

3/8/2006 6:07:07 PM

Sad thing is, that article is one of the better pieces of journalism out of the Daily Record. I dont think they fabricated any quotes for it.

3/8/2006 10:33:47 PM

1st lesson,
if in need of medical attention near DUNN not bunn, as DUNN is where Betsy Johnson hospital is located, don't drive the extra 35 minutes to rex or wake med and see a real doctor in a real hospital.

2nd lesson,
never read anything from the daily record.

yeah, pretty much what jenn and pyro said...
nm

3/8/2006 11:26:23 PM

pyro, why have you been in the daily record?

and is the DR still the best selling paper in the country, per capita?

3/8/2006 11:35:55 PM

Quote :

"Quote : "Old People Suck" she was 44 "

I think he was talking about the nursing home where she got the bacteria

3/8/2006 11:41:43 PM

yeah, i suppose she was too far along to try the hyperbaric chamber... they use it in people developing gangrene to force more oxygen into the tissues via increased amospheres...

hospitals and nursing homes are prime locations for antibiotic-resistant bactera, and i suppose that would include severely aggressive and opportunistic bacteria.

i smell a lawsuit against the original doctor's office.

3/9/2006 12:43:22 AM