# A little paddle can’t hurt......



## DandM (Nov 7, 2006)

WARNING. This post has graphic pictures attached of open wounds. Please do not scroll down if these could upset you 


I was unsure whether to write this but decided that it would be of interest to some of you so here is a condensed version of the drama that gave us a holiday we will never forget.
Late June 2013 saw my wife and I along with my brother, his wife and my wife’s sister and hubby nearing the end of a most enjoyable three week holiday, 1st week on the Belgian coast “Camping Poldervallei at Westende”, 2nd week next to the beautiful Dutch coastal town of Domburg on Zeeland at “Camping Hof Domburg” and our final week on the lakeside campsite of “Waterhout” near Almere (35k or so from Amsterdam) 
We were due to sail from Ijmuiden to Newcastle on the Sunday and whilst strolling by the lake on the Wednesday afternoon I decided to have a paddle, mainly because my big toe was killing me with a blister from my new sandals and it was very hot. The water looked extremely inviting with lots of families splashing about in the water from the lovely man made beach so I paddled in the lake for a bit and it felt great.The next morning whilst showering I became aware that my lower right leg was very red and tender to touch. An hour or so later I began to feel a little unwell so I took myself off to bed. During the day my temperature rose and I felt terrible. By night-time it was clear that something was very wrong. My temperature was reading 40 degrees Celsius and I was delirious. In the early hours of Thursday I was taken to the Flevo Hospital in Almere, 10/15 minutes away where I was put on oxygen and attached to a drip with a cocktail of antibiotics and painkillers. That day and the following day were a blur to me but the Doctors were getting increasingly concerned with my leg from ankle to knee which was now swelling and scarlet red and very hot and painful to touch. Their initial diagnosis was that of “erysipelas” or “Cellulites” but this was soon to change to something much more serious and scary.
Sunday morning my temperature was still high and my heartbeat and blood pressure erratic but my leg overnight had worsened considerably and was covered in huge blisters and blue/black skin disorders. I was now being attended to by a group of senior doctors who suspected I was suffering with “necrotizing fasciitis” which is a “flesh eating disease” This terrifying disease had been a news topic just recently but you don’t think for a minute that you could possibly be infected with it. One particular strain of this disease can enter a wound whilst in lakes or the sea.... i.e. my blistered foot whilst paddling in the lake. By now I had been put in isolation and had consultants from every medical field coming to look at my leg and take pictures to study them. (I should have had an agent) although I was mostly out for the count and totally unaware of the distress my wife and family were going through.
This disease moves very quickly and as the redness, painful and hot to touch symptoms were now evident on my upper leg and thigh I was taken into theatre so that the doctors could make incisions in my leg, take cultures etc and hopefully find the reason for the problem. (You will see from the pictures the extent of this surgery)By this time I had been on the cocktail of antibiotics for a few days and wound biopsies taken during surgery showed no signs of bacteria at all, although the severe infection was still evident. The doctors were extremely relieved on these findings and they suggested that the very high dosage of antibiotics I had taken had managed to neutralise the disease and stop it from spreading onwards and upwards towards my heart. 
The following day saw a reduction of the upper leg redness and although still high my temperature was a bit more stable, as were all the other vital statistics. The next few days showed gradual improvement but I was still heavily sedated and knew little of what was going on. As the days passed my lower leg became a massive scab but the doctors were pleased that the skin regeneration underneath was looking positive, I was still left of course with 2 very large, open and painful wounds (thank goodness for morphine) which were being treated by trauma nurses night and day. I continued to stabilise over the next couple of weeks and was eventually able to be taken off the drip and take the antibiotics and pain killers orally and so began the slow process of the wounds healing from the inside out. Finally after a month in hospital I was discharged and flown home to the care of my own doctor. The local district nurse comes in daily to treat the wounds and now nearing the end of August they are healing and closing up nicely. I’m still on antibiotics and pain killers but hopefully not for much longer. My leg is still twice the size it should be with oedema but I have compression bandages on to help so hopefully as my mobility improves this will clear up also.
The above story is a short version of the events. Although very seriously ill for the first week I have tried not to be too melodramatic and just give you an idea of just how simple events can dramatically change your life. There were a number of ups and downs over the weeks but I didn’t want to turn this into a novel and bore people.
However I can’t finish without praising the doctors, nurses and ancillary staff from the Flevo Hospital in Almere. The care I received was absolutely first class in every way and I was amazed at the amount of time the nurses were with me. I was never left alone for long; they were always at my bedside checking everything was alright and looking after me. It was health care of the highest standard and I am eternally grateful to them all. I have no doubt whatsoever that their skills saved my life and I intend to go back to Almere and visit them as soon as I can. 
Finally Insurance. We have an account with the Bank of Scotland which entitles us to free travel insurance (amongst other freebies) and I have often wondered whether this would be good enough should something unforeseen happen. Well it did happen and although I had my European health card with me you always require additional care and often additional travel under these circumstances and that can be very costly. However after a few phone calls and faxes back and forth from Holland the insurance company accepted liability in full for all my treatment and transport home. As well as this my wife (who, once I was off the danger list travelled home with the motor home, sorted things out with her work and set the ball rolling with the insurance returned to be with me) was covered for travel expenses flying back to Holland and also her hotel bill. When I was discharged I was taken by wheelchair to a specially equipped taxi and driven the 40minutes or so to the airport. Wheel chair assistance from there to the check in where the Insurance Company had booked three adjoining seats on the aircraft for me, one in my name and two (quite comically) for Mr leg....! Once we landed I was again met with wheelchair assistance and another taxi ride right to my door, it all went like clockwork so I am extremely grateful (and relieved) to the banks insurers for their considerate assistance. 
Happy holiday’s folks
Dennis


----------



## DandM (Nov 7, 2006)

*more pics*

a few more pictures


----------



## DandM (Nov 7, 2006)

*last ones*

I think thats enough pics


----------



## delawaredandy (Oct 12, 2012)

Yee gods man I bet that hurt 8O 8O 

Wishing you a speedy recovery.


----------



## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Bloody hell Dennis, what a thing to happen, I'm glad that you're back home and on the mend, what a terrible thing to happen from an innocent paddle, makes me glad I'm not a swimmer, and not keen on water except to look at.


----------



## barryd (May 9, 2008)

ARGHHHHHH!!!!

Flipping heck! How awful for you and your family.

Glad your on the road to recovery.

I swim in lakes and rivers all the time. Must be rare though. (hopefully 8O )


----------



## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

barryd said:


> ARGHHHHHH!!!!
> 
> Flipping heck! How awful for you and your family.
> 
> ...


I'd not wish it on anyone, not even you Barry.


----------



## Scattycat (Mar 29, 2011)

Bloody Hell !!!  

We hope you have a full and speedy recovery

Good Luck


----------



## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

What a shocking tale, even if you had not supplied the photos!.

Thank you for the warning. What Lake was it within “Waterhout”?

Were the authorities made aware of this?

Wishing you a speedy recovery,

TM.


----------



## rugbyken (Jan 16, 2006)

How scary is that, the real dangers are out there, I think all the H&s bull**** crying wolf blinds us to the very real dangers present, will certainly think twice about open wounds in natural water now.


----------



## iconnor (Nov 27, 2007)

Jeeeez!
Wish you a speedy recovery.


----------



## motormouth (Jul 3, 2010)

Bluddy 'ell, that looks horrendous. Bad enough to happen here, but to go through all that in a foreign country, with all the insurance, language and travel problems must have been a real ordeal. So please all worked out.


----------



## drcotts (Feb 23, 2006)

Hi Dennis

I saw a programme on the TV a few years ago I think it was a programme called "trauma" where a bloke in london was rushed into hospital with this disease. It takes hold at a frighteneing pace and if not treated can be fatal in a few hrs so me old mate you were quite lucky and I am pleased you are finally on the mend and it all worked out OK.


Regards
Phill

(not a medical doctor by the way)


----------



## lalala (Aug 13, 2009)

Dennis your experiences sounds horrific. What a relief for your whole family that you are on the mend. has anyone alerted the authorities at the site in Holland as to what is lurking in their waters?
lala


----------



## hogan (Oct 31, 2006)

Unbelievable, just goes to show how such a simple task as a paddle can lead to a life changing event.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Oh and I would give paddling a miss in the future.


----------



## suedew (May 10, 2005)

Glad to hear you are on the mend, great photos too, made me glad I have retired.
Insurance etc has come up trumps too.
Did re read your initial post as I am a great believer in the healing powers of SEA water, not near sewage outlet though.
A biopsy wound failed to heal, still breaking down and scabbing over after nearly 6 months, 3 days of sea bathing and it had cleared up.
thanks for reminding us all to take care when we have an open wound.

Sue


----------



## catzontour (Mar 28, 2007)

What an horrific experience. Glad to hear you are on the mend.

Catz


----------



## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

Thanks for that very interesting and obviously worrying account, it is impossible for any of us to have predicted what would have happened after such a simple incident..... 8O 

Necrotising fasciitis is horrendous and has had horrible effects so to a large extent your outcome should be a major relief and is undoubtedly due to excellent, rapid health-care, I would not like to  have seen the final bill for that care package..... Thank heavens for health insurance..... 8O 

The pictures reflect the worst nightmare that I had after surgery for a fractured thigh - I had many sleepless nights concerned that the stitches would open leaving me exposed to the bone - exactly what you had and your recovery is brilliant, it may take time, but the outcome appears excellent so far.

Best wishes,

Dave


----------



## inkey-2008 (May 24, 2008)

There was a program on the telly a while ago, a women did the same thing in Egypt but she did not survive as nobody realized what it was until to late.

Don't go into the sea or fresh water with any open wounds.

Andy


----------



## Gretchibald (Jul 22, 2011)

Been watching 'Monsters Inside Me ' on Sky TV, what you had seems worse than anything on there. You've been through a lot but bearing in mind what's said about clouds and silver linings perhaps you could earn some money selling your story-- then treat yourself , you deserve it .


----------



## DandM (Nov 7, 2006)

*thanks for the good wishes everyone*

Thanks to everyone for the good wishes, I really am healing up well and am determined to look forward and not back. I was certainly unlucky to get infected so badly and I would like to point out a couple of things.
1/ It is extremely rare for someone to be infected so badly, certainly in European waters not quite so rare in Africa and the far East. I had a visit from a micro-biologist who was almost drooling with excitement, he had waited years to see something like this and I thought he was going to stay the night, so don't let this stop you enjoying the waters, just maybe not with broken skin.
2/ It is important to point out that the because of the negative results from the cultures taken the final diagnosis was a collective best guess from a number of consultants. Without a positive biopsy report there can never be absolute certainty in the diagnosis. They were pretty sure but it was not definitive.

Drcotts and Penguin: you quite rightly mention just how quickly necrotizing fasciitis takes a hold and spreads and I was extremely fortunate that one of the young doctors suspected this from the outset. He is a specialist in rare contagious diseases and he made sure that the antibiotics for this disease were part of the "cocktail" of medicines I received from the outset. My own doctor received a full report of all the treatments, medicines, dressings etc and she could not believe the actual dosages I was receiving. One example she told me was a drug that I was getting intravenously at 1000mg/hr and she said that 350mg/hr was a high dose, so I am fortunate as you said that the treatment was of such high quality. As for the cost, well I was going through dressings with silver in them at an incredible rate in the first week or so. The nurse said they do not stick to the wound and they cost a fortune. I dread to think of the total cost but it would run into thousands without a doubt.
Teemyob and lalala asked if the authorities were notified: I have a no idea on that one; it never actually crossed my mind until now. I believe that my case i.e. symptoms, pictures, treatment etc all the facts and figures are collated and fed into a data base that can be accessed nationwide and possibly even worldwide but whether local authorities were informed, sorry I just don't know..
It was Waterhout Lake, a man made recreational lake that has a large waterskiing school, boats fishing and a man made beach with a swimming section that was busy every day we were there.
There were lots of kids and older folks enjoying the water. I did see dogs and a horse further round the lake in the water as well. It's just like hundreds of other man made recreational lakes to be found all over Europe. 
Suedew: sea water is a great healer, it's also where this particular bacteria is found most. Apparently it thrives in salt water and I think that due to this whole city being built on reclaimed land from the seas it's possible that it's a salt water lake but I don't know this for sure. I will find out when I return, just out of interest. Apart from just general the interest a story like this I posted this to highlight just how important adequate insurance is. I was fortunate but it was lucky as I had never really gone through the policy thoroughly. I will now.

Motormouth: Being in hospital in a foreign land can be an additional strain. Away from your family when ill is difficult but everyone at least spoke perfect English which helped a lot and my wife flying back over to be with me for the last week was great but if it has to happen, I recommend Holland for sure and I have to tell you that the nurses were absolutely gorgeous, young blonde boy, did I enjoy the attention.....

Gretchibald: selling my story, what a great idea but I think I have had enough of being a bit of a celeb. I was certainly the most visited patient in the hospital. I think I will be happy in the background for a while.

Thanks again for the good wishes


----------



## GROUNDHOG (Mar 7, 2006)

Just read this and wanted to add my best wishes as well for your recovery, that looks absolutely horrendous!

We never know do we, things strike so fast, a relative was in Barbados recently, County squash player, fit, healthy and caught something called GB syndrome through an infection. He came home ( full marks to Virgin Atlantic) almost totally paralysed, straight to hospital with a prognosis that he may or may not get a lot better over a period of time. 

Enjoy today seems to be the way forward.

Full and speedy recovery to you

David


----------



## Snunkie (Mar 21, 2011)

Omg I feel quite faint at the thought of what you and your family have been through. We (us and 4 children) are always going for a paddle in rivers whilst abroad. Scary thought now!

Wishing you a speedy recovery

Lucy


----------



## moch (May 21, 2005)

*safe paddle*

After reading your warning about graphic pictures, I couldn't resist a look before reading! My first thought on the first picture was shark bite! I have read the whole story and thank goodness for prompt action by the medical staff. It looks absolutely horrendous and it's good to hear you are on the mend. Thank goodness for health insurance, we never leave home without it, but I know many who rely on the ECIH card in Europe.
Just goes to show how quickly things happen though.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Ian and Maggie


----------

