Woman loses four limbs after dog's lick caused life-threatening infection
A British woman was forced to undergo a quadruple limb amputation after contracting a deadly infection following a lick from her dog.
Manjit Sangha's hellish experience began in July of last year, when she suddenly began feeling unwell following a day at work.
The 56-year-old's husband, Kam, later returned home to find her unconscious on the sofa. Her lips were blue, and her hands and feet, ice cold.
Sangha, from Birmingham, England, was subsequently rushed to the intensive care unit at New Cross Hospital, where doctors placed her into a coma. Whilst induced, the woman went into cardiac arrest a staggering six times.
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During this time, medical staff determined that she'd contracted sepsis, which they believe could have occurred after she had been licked by her dog on an area of her body that had a wound or cut.
Sepsis occurs when a person's immune system overreacts to an infection and begins inflicting potentially fatal damage to the body's own organs.
As a result of her condition, doctors informed Sangha's family she was unlikely to survive.
Kam, 60, claimed recently in conversation with the BBC that hearing his wife was likely to succumb to the infection left his mind 'all over the place'.
"You're thinking, 'How can this happen in less than 24 hours?' One minute on a Saturday, she's playing with the dog, Sunday she's gone to work, Monday night she's in a coma."
He added of Sangha's time in a coma: "Every day was like, 'She's going to go today,' but she proved us wrong."
Whilst in hospital, the pharmacist also suffered from a rare septic complication called disseminated intravascular coagulation, which causes abnormal blood clotting.
Despite Sangha waking up from her coma, doctors informed her family that she'd likely need to have both of her hands and both of her lower legs amputated to keep sepsis from spreading.
Thankfully, despite the life-altering nature of her quadruple amputation, Sangha was this week released from hospital following a 32-week stay.
She told the BBC it would be 'difficult' to explain her experience, adding: "Losing your limbs and your hands in a short time period is a very big thing.
"It's very serious and not to be taken lightly."
Looking back on first being admitted last summer, Sangha added: "I didn't know what was happening. The first month I do not remember anything."
Her loved ones have since set up a GoFundMe page, which they hope will help Sangha afford to receive state of the art prosthetics to replace her lost limbs, as well as cover the cost of adapting her home to fit her new physical requirements.
The description of the page reads: "Her chances of survival were slim. We were told she had only days to live, and if she did survive, she might face multiple amputations."
"Thanks to the incredible ICU team at New Cross Hospital, and against all odds, Manjit began to recover. She was brought out of the coma and returned to us—despite suffering several cardiac arrests along the way. Each time, she fought her way back."
In light of her surgery the page adds: "Understandably, Manjit is devastated. She is mourning the life she had before—where simple tasks like picking up a glass of water were effortless."
The fundraiser - which, at the time of writing, stands at £33,732 raised - concludes: "Any funds not directly used for Manjit’s care will be donated to Positive Bones, a charity that empowers amputees and people with limb disabilities to live life without limits.
"Your generosity will help Manjit regain her independence and rediscover joy in everyday life. Thank you for being part of her journey."
Of her personal ambition, Sangha told the BBC: "I want to get walking. I want to get my prosthetics [and] to go back to work.
"I've sat down in my chair and my bed enough. It's time to walk now."
Topics: UK News, News, Health, Life, Real Life, True Life, Animals
Rhianna Benson