Mother-of-two had all four limbs amputated after catching the FLU
A mother of two suffered complications after catching the flu that were so severe that doctors had to amputate all four of her limbs to save her life.
Kristin Fox, 42 and from Poland, Ohio, went to the emergency room with a sore throat. When tests showed she had the flu, she was prescribed medication and sent home.
However, she quickly returned when she became so ill that she could not even leave her couch.
Doctors then diagnosed the high school assistant principal with sepsis, a life-threatening condition in which the immune system overreacts to an infection and damages organs.
The condition, which affects 1.7 million adults in the US each year, can quickly lead to death.
In Ms Fox’s case, this led to infections so severe that she was put into a medically induced coma and doctors were forced to amputate her arms and legs to save her life.
Kristin Fox, 42, from Ohio (pictured above), had her legs amputated below the knee and her arms below the elbow after suffering complications from the flu
Ms Fox is pictured above holding a fork as she learns how to use her prosthetic limbs. She said she now no longer uses the arms and only uses prosthetic limbs
Mrs Fox is pictured above before her amputations with her children, who were aged nine and six when she was admitted to hospital with the serious infection
Ms. Fox was hospitalized in March 2020, just before Ohio imposed its first Covid lockdown due to the emerging pandemic.
In an effort to give her body time to rest and prevent further deterioration, doctors placed her in a medically induced coma.
After a week they were able to slowly wake her up.
Despite the challenges she faced after coming out of the coma, Ms Fox said she was “lucky” to have had her limbs amputated rather than losing her life.
She said Fox news: “Sometimes I catch myself complaining, but then I remind myself that maybe my children were mourning my death.
‘They are twelve and ten now, and I can’t imagine them living without me.
“People send me stuff and stop me in the store and say, ‘I pray for you all the time.’ Those are the people who helped us get through it.”
Ms. Fox was released from the hospital a few weeks after waking and sent to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Rehabilitation Institute.
There she underwent three hours of physiotherapy every day for six weeks to learn to use her limbs again.
In October 2020, seven months after her ordeal began, she was fitted with prosthetics for her arms and legs.
She now uses the prosthetic legs regularly, but forgoes the prosthetics for her arms, insisting that life is “easier” without them.
Above left, Mrs. Fox is seen learning to use the prosthesis. A year after the infection, she is now back to work
Ms Fox is pictured above during a session to learn how to use prosthetic limbs
A year after her hospitalization, Ms. Fox was ready to return to work and resumed her position as assistant principal at Campbell High School.
She told FOX: ‘I had to get back to work mentally.
‘I’m a very ‘go, go go’ type, and if I went on disability I wouldn’t have a good quality of life.
“I had a lot of young eyes watching me, and I knew there were so many kids who would learn so much from my reaction to this.
‘It has taught them to respect differences and treat everyone fairly, regardless of their abilities. And it has taught them how to overcome their own barriers and difficult moments.
“As a teacher, I didn’t want my students to think I had taken the easy way out.”
Ms Fox also revealed that although insurance covered some of her costs, medical bills are still high. She has also had to pay for renovations to her home to make it more accessible.
This has led her community to organize several fundraisers to help her cover costs.
While many cases of flu are mild, some can lead to serious side effects – as in Ms. Fox’s case – and even death.
And as flu season continues in the US, cases of the virus are increasing, with doctors recommending everyone get the flu vaccine to protect themselves.
The vaccine is being offered to everyone aged six months and older, although health experts say it is especially important for people aged 75 and older.
The shot does not guarantee that someone will not get the flu, but it does reduce the risk that he or she will develop a serious illness if he or she becomes infected.
By the end of September, approximately 173 million doses of flu vaccines had been distributed by manufacturers and 47 percent of American adults had received a flu shot.
Fifty-five percent of children had received one, as had 71 percent of people aged 65 and over.
In their latest report, which includes data for the week ending October 28, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said flu-like illnesses are beginning to increase, with some states reporting high levels of flu-like infections.
Flu-like illnesses include other respiratory illnesses such as Covid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Alaska is currently reporting the most activity in the US, with a status of ‘high’. It is closely followed by Florida, Georgia and Mississippi – all of which have ‘moderate’ flu-like activity.
In addition, private labs in the US tested 50,459 samples for influenza for the week ending November 3 and found 2 percent were positive.
In public laboratories, 8.5 percent of 2,213 samples tested were positive for influenza.