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Invasive Streptococcus: 'Don't wait' to seek care, NS woman warns of long road to recovery

Invasive Streptococcus: 'Don't wait' to seek care, NS woman warns of long road to recovery

 


Kelly Doucette won't soon forget her first wedding anniversary.

Instead of having a romantic dinner with her husband Steve, the Yarmouth, New South Wales, woman was in hospital recovering from a painful surgery.

She is now warning others of the following symptoms: Invasive group A streptococcus It should not be ignored.

“If we had waited, Steve would have planned (my) funeral,” Doucet told Global News in an interview from her hospital bed. “So I was very grateful to be able to celebrate the anniversary.”

Doucet said it all started on April 10, when she developed a headache and flu-like symptoms. Over the next two days, her symptoms worsened and she developed a large, painful “hot spot” on the side of her chest.

The spots turn out to be the beginnings of necrotizing fasciitis (also known as flesh-eating disease) caused by the invasive group A streptococcus.

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Kelly Doucette and her husband had to spend their first wedding anniversary in the hospital while Kelly recovered from surgery.

Zack Power/Global News

Streptococcus type A bacteria, found on the skin and throat, can cause a variety of illnesses in children and adults. Invasive group A streptococcus occurs when bacteria isolated from normally sterile body areas, such as blood, cause a deeper infection.

Doucet went to the hospital on the night of April 12 after receiving a call from her mother, who had read a Global News article about the Nova Scotia couple. died within hours of each other After invasive group A streptococcal infection.

“She called me and said, 'You need to go, you need to go now,'” Doucet said.

The article, published earlier this month, included interviews with the couple's daughters and urged people to seek medical attention if they develop symptoms of the malignant disease.

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NS couple died from streptococcus A just a few hours apart


Doucet now credits them with saving his life and saving his family from “a lot of despair.”

“If I had waited another 12 hours, I don't think I would be here,” she said. “I would have died.”

'That was bad'

Doucet said he was immediately admitted to the hospital and underwent blood tests, X-rays and a CT scan.

After high levels of bacteria were found, she was given antibiotics and rushed into surgery to remove the infected skin, which had grown to the size of “three palms”.

“When the surgeon came in, he basically just said… he couldn't guarantee anything until I woke up. I could be missing an arm, half of it, or my entire chest,” she said. Ta.

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Doucet was diagnosed with an invasive group A strep infection after surgery and has now lost most of the skin on his torso.

“It was very difficult. I couldn't look at myself and I still haven't looked in the mirror,” she said. “Her husband looked at me once and cried, so I knew this was wrong.”

Nearly two weeks later, the wound remains in an “unbearable” condition, and he faces a long road to recovery, including home care from VON and plastic surgery.

“The holes don't heal on their own. They need plastic surgery,” she said. “I had lymph nodes removed from my arm, so I'm going to need a sleeve to keep my arm in the right shape.”

Still, she's grateful to be alive. Doucet said anyone experiencing symptoms of invasive group A strep should seek help immediately.

“Please go to the outpatient clinic immediately. Please don't wait.”

increase in cases

Cases of invasive group A streptococcus, also known as iGAS, have been on the rise since mid-2022, according to the Nova Scotia Department of Health.

“Public Health Services has been seeing a large number of invasive group A streptococcal infections (iGAS) in Nova Scotia since January, as seen across Canada,” NSH spokesperson Brendan Elliott said in a statement. “I told them that I was there,” he said.

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“Necrotizing fasciitis is one of several possible complications of severe infection.”

Elliott said that necrotizing fasciitis itself is not a disease that must be reported to the public health department, “nor are all the bacteria that cause this complication, so the public health department has It is possible that we are not aware of any cases.”

“However, we can confirm that there are no outbreaks of necrotizing fasciitis or iGAS anywhere in Nova Scotia,” he said.

So far this year, there have been 39 cases of iGAS and 10 deaths in January and February alone. In 2023, 16 cases occurred in January and February, and 6 people died during the year.

Symptoms of invasive group A streptococcus include:

  • High fever (which worsens or persists despite over-the-counter medications)
  • Severe pain, swelling, and redness in the affected area
  • dizziness and confusion
  • rapidly spreading rash
  • nausea and/or vomiting
  • Severe pain in the arms, legs, neck, and back
  • dehydration
  • Changes in skin tone and color.

Dr. Isaac Bogoch, a Toronto-based infectious disease specialist, said group A streptococcus itself is very common and usually causes strep throat and mild skin and soft tissue infections.

But far less common are invasive diseases, which penetrate deep into tissues and cause “much more serious” illnesses and conditions, such as necrotizing fasciitis.

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Although the risk of contracting iGAS is very small, it is important to be aware of the risks of the rapidly progressive disease, he said.

“Sadly, people infected with invasive group A streptococcus become ill quickly,” he says.

© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Sources

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2/ https://globalnews.ca/news/10449648/ns-woman-strep-a-recovery/

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