A Canadian teenager who mistook the symptoms of septic shock for common medical conditions woke from a coma after a month to find that her limbs would have to be amputated.
Amalie Henze, 19, had Crohn’s disease and underwent routine bowel surgery in the fall of 2023. Shortly after the procedure, the teen began experiencing what she thought were normal Crohn’s symptoms.
She was admitted to the hospital and given intravenous morphine, a feeding tube and a gastrointestinal tube, the same routine she always received when admitted for a bowel obstruction.
Henze began to have cramps in her bladder and when the nurse tried to take her blood pressure, they saw that her limbs had turned purple. She was diagnosed with septic shock and told to go into a medically induced coma.
“When they realized there was sepsis involved, the doctors thought it was the best idea to put me in a medically induced coma to give me the best chance of fighting the infection,” Henze said. People.
Amalie Henze, 19, woke from a month-long coma to find that all her limbs had to be amputated
Henze has found comfort during the difficult journey by learning about prosthetics and how to live a normal life
“I didn’t know about sepsis or septic shock until I finally woke up from my coma. Then the doctors told me in detail what had happened.”
Henze’s family and doctors were preparing for the news that her limbs would have to be amputated when she woke up.
“I knew there was something wrong with my limbs because the doctors, nurses and my family were very aware that I was not allowed to see what my hands and feet looked like at that moment,” said Henze.
‘It was absolutely overwhelming to hear that my hands and feet had to be amputated. I remember when the doctors first told me. It was definitely a shock.
“I think the scariest moment was when I saw what one of my feet looked like back then. I remember looking down and seeing it dark black.”
After her surgery, the teen thought she had normal Crohn’s disease symptoms, but she was actually diagnosed with septic shock and placed in a medically induced coma
Henze had Crohn’s disease and underwent routine bowel surgery in the fall of 2023
Her recovery was difficult, she had a feeding tube, a tracheostomy tube and was unable to speak.
“I was transferred three times. I was in the ICU at one hospital, then I was transferred to the ICU at another hospital because that’s where they had to do all my amputations. And then, after I had really healed up, I was transferred to the amputee rehabilitation facility,” Henze said.
‘It’s hard to empathize with a lot of people my age, but I think it’s definitely a blessing that I’ve been through all of this, something so traumatic.
‘That event definitely taught me who my real friends are and who is willing to make the effort to understand what I’ve been through, to the extent that they can.’
Family and doctors prepared for the news that her limbs would have to be amputated after she woke up
She found comfort during the difficult journey by learning about prosthetics and how to live a normal life while sharing her experiences. inspiring content on her TikTok account.
“Being less independent is really hard to get used to because I’ve always been a very independent person. It’s super hard to depend on my family for a lot of my basic needs,” Henze said.
‘Because of all this, my Crohn’s disease was able to go into remission, which is really great, because I’ve had to take a lot of medication over the past three years to get it into remission.
“Now that I am in a stable medical condition, I am looking forward to being able to do so much more. Last year I was able to get my prosthesis and get used to it and now I am looking forward to meeting new people and enjoying my life a little more.”