Woman’s UTI Leads to Severe Infection; Loses Both Arms and Feet Due Spread to Infection

What would've been a normal UTI situation took a turn for the worst as a woman lost both her arms and legs due to the spread of the infection. This happened as a woman's UTI infection wasn't properly dealt with, resulting in her losing her arms and legs.

(Photo: Unsplash / Martha Dominguez de Gouveia)

Woman's UTI Infection Spreads

According to News Week, Gabrielle Barbosa, who is from Rio, Brazil, initially went to the hospital for what was supposed to be a simple urine infection. However, things didn't go as expected, leading to the doctors amputating her arms and legs.

The story starts in December 2022, when Barbosa initially had her UTI treated with antibiotics. Such treatments didn't effectively deal with the infection, which caused it to begin to spread.

Months later, in March this year, her kidneys also started to experience problems. Barbosa said she suddenly felt kidney pains and was rushed to the hospital.

News Week narrates that the situation was treated as a renal colic case when she reached the hospital. As such, she was placed on a drip but then vomited as her body rejected it.

This led to tests done on her that revealed how the infection had already spread, but despite the findings, she was still sent home.

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Infection Leading to Amputation

Barbosa shares that she should've been discharged since she fainted when she got home. After that, she was rushed to the hospital for medical treatment but was met with no available beds.

Finally, she was admitted, but this was when the situation had already declined. She went to the hospital on March 31, and the case had already gone from bad to worse.

The News Week article shares how she experienced two cardiac arrests and was intubated. To make things worse, she went into an induced coma for six days and woke up to find bandages on her hands and feet.

These bandages covered the amputations, and although the doctors explained the situation to her, she said she already knew what was happening. As such, Barbosa continues her physical therapy as she adjusts to a new chapter of her life.

Risks of UTI

Daily Star explains further how UTIs can become deadly. As such, UTI happens when the urinary tract gets entered by bacteria, and although normally curable, severe cases can result in the bacteria entering the kidney.

From the kidney, the bacteria can enter the bloodstream. In extreme cases, this could lead to a deadly infection known as sepsis.

 
Barbosa's Instagram, gabi_barbosaa1, shares a picture and videos of her after the situation when she had already lost her arms and legs. As such, she wants to know if she could remain independent and "have a normal life."

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