A mum of two has recalled the “extremely frightening” experience she needed to face after a cesarean section. She says she almost died after developing a flesh-eating bacterial infection following the procedure.
Amy Hiner, an Instagram model and entrepreneur, said she literally had her life hanging by a thread after developing necrotizing fasciitis and sepsis following the C-section procedure done at a U.K. hospital. The 40-year-old said she felt a burning sensation in her stomach, which was left largely disfigured because the infection spread.
Just days into giving birth, Hiner said she had a high fever and experienced debilitating stomach pain. She was diagnosed with Strep A, which doctors said was attributable to “retained products,” comparable to placental or fetal tissue, in her stomach.
The Strep A soon developed into sepsis after which right into a potentially fatal flesh-eating bug necrotizing fasciitis infection, which left black patches on her abdomen, Recent York Post reported.
“It just keeps spreading and also you’re literally being eaten alive,” Hiner said, adding, “It was extremely frightening. I could feel my body shutting down, and it felt like I had piranhas in my tummy.”
Doctors suggested Hiner have one other surgery to strike out the “retained products” they usually needed to cut her stomach all the best way right down to her bikini line.
“It was awful and I could not even hold my baby,” she said after the surgery. “I used to be so broken. It took all my energy simply to breathe. I needed to learn to walk again.”
Though it’s called a flesh-eating bug, necrotizing fasciitis doesn’t actually eat the flesh. It solely targets the soft tissues, causing the flesh to rot.
It took a complete 12 months for Hiner to make a full recovery from the reconstructive surgery. She said the awkward sensation hadn’t completely gone.
“I have been left horribly disfigured, with my belly slanting and scarred,” she said, reported The Star. “It needs a full tummy tuck. And since of severed nerves, I feel like I’m being electrocuted if I lie on my right side.”
What made matters worse for her were the following nightmares and panic attacks that followed the surgery. She was later diagnosed with PTSD and post-sepsis syndrome, which required her to undergo an extra three years of therapy.
“My mental health was the toughest part,” she added. “I hated myself. I could not look within the mirror or shower without crying.”
Her second child, Evie, is now 6. Hiner feels she has fully recovered now.