A MUM begged doctors to amputate her leg after ‘bug bites’ turned out to be a flesh-rotting disease.
Teresa Jones told how her legs quickly turned black and the skin started to die after noticing what looked like a small bite on her left leg.
Teresa Jones initially spotted what she thought was bug bites on her legs[/caption]
But the skin on her legs quickly started to die[/caption]
Teresa was eventually diagnosed with pyoderma gangrenosum (PG)[/caption]
The 59-year-old’s ordeal began when she was hospitalised with a urinary tract infection (UTI) in 2020.
When she was sent home, she noticed what looked like a small bite on her left leg which then turned into a large, weeping wound that wrapped around her whole leg.
One year later, she noticed a second mark on her right leg that also started to develop.
She was eventually admitted to the hospital in January 2024 when so much of her flesh had fallen off her right leg that the bone was left fully exposed.
After a biopsy in July 2024, she was diagnosed with pyoderma gangrenosum – thought to be an autoimmune disorder where the immune system attacks healthy parts of the body.
“The pain was indescribable,” Teresa, from Stowmarket, Suffolk, said.
“It was horrendous. I’d never experienced pain like it and I’ve got a high pain threshold.
“Bits of my leg were falling off and they had to cut chunks off with scissors.”
When medics suggested amputating her right leg, the mum-of-two said she was more than happy to accept because she wanted the ordeal to be over.
But another doctor stepped in and said they thought the limb could be saved.
“They were going to amputate my leg at the knee,” Teresa said.
“I was in so much pain that I wanted the leg off.
“I would have happily given them my leg to stop the agony and I’ve got two daughters so I wanted to live for them.”
According to the NHS, pyoderma gangrenosum is a rare skin condition that causes large, painful ulcers that usually appear on the chest or legs.
They start as a small bump, spot or blister than gets bigger quickly.
Teresa first noticed spots on her legs before they quickly worsened.
“I was admitted to hospital for two weeks to have the dressings changed every day,” she says of her hospitalisation in January 2024.
“I was heavily sedated due to the pain.
“A thick, black scab developed over the ulcer and underneath it was yellow, dying flesh.
“They tried lots of different dressings but they never got better.
“It was terrifying to look down and see bits of me being chopped off.”
Nurses visit Teresa at home every two weeks to change her dressings and she has an infusion every other month.
Teresa’s ordeal began when she was hospitalised with a UTI in 2020[/caption]
What started as small ‘bites’ on Teresa’s legs turned into huge rotting ulcers[/caption]
A thick, black scab developed over the ulcer and underneath it was yellow, dying flesh[/caption]
She was eventually admitted to hospital when so much of her flesh had fallen off her right leg that the bone was left fully exposed[/caption]
While her left leg has started to heal and she’s able to drive short distances, her right leg hasn’t shown any signs of improvement.
“I was housebound for a year and I can’t lay on the bed because I can’t bear the covers touching them so I was on a chair in the living room the whole time,” she says.
“I can’t bear for them to be touched. If anyone goes near them, I scream the place down.
“Another doctor decided it was worth trying to save it.
“I’ve got horrendous scarring on my legs from where the flesh has fallen away but I don’t care. “
Teresa is sharing her story to raise awareness of the condition because doctors struggled to diagnose her.
She added: “My left leg seems to be healing slowly, it used to wrap around my whole leg but now it’s about two inches.
“The right leg isn’t getting any better.
“A lot of doctors hadn’t heard of it and it’s really frustrating when you’re trying to get diagnosed.
“If anyone suspects that they have it then they should push for a biopsy.
“I just want to be healthy for my children and live a normal life.”
Teresa had to quit her job as a factory worker due to the disease.
Pyoderma gangrenosum – what is it?
Pyoderma gangrenosum is a rare skin condition that causes large, painful ulcers.
It usually starts as a small bump, spot or blood blister that gets bigger quickly and turns into an ulcer.
Pyoderma gangrenosum ulcers:
- usually appear on the legs or chest
- may also appear around a cut or graze, a stoma (where part of your bowel is brought through an opening made in your tummy), or cuts from surgery
- may leak fluid
Other symptoms include:
- stiff joints
- aching and painful muscles
- a high temperature
It’s not always clear what causes pyoderma gangrenosum.
It may be an autoimmune disease, where the body’s natural defence system (immune system) attacks healthy parts of your body.
It can also sometimes happen after an injury to the skin.
If you have a skin ulcer that’s not getting better, see a GP.
Source: NHS
