A SEEMINGLY healthy woman died after a “severe superbug” attacked her organs and ate holes in her lungs.
Ashley Timbery passed away from pneumonia, triggered by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), late last month.
FacebookAshley Timbery died after a MRSA infection[/caption]
GofundmeThe 29-year-old had very few symptoms before her death, according to her cousin[/caption]
The 29-year-old was at home in Nowra in New South Wales, Australia, on February 15 when she suddenly lost feeling in her legs and collapsed.
She was rushed to Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital, where she was put into an induced coma.
Tests revealed she had a “severe” infection, but her family didn’t find out it was MRSA until 10 days later when Ashley was moved to St George Hospital in Sydney.
MRSA is a type of staph bacteria that usually lives harmlessly on the skin.
But when it gets inside the body, it can cause a serious infection that needs immediate treatment, according to the NHS.
It has become resistant to some commonly used antibiotics and can be difficult to clear, so it is sometimes referred to as a “superbug”.
In some cases, MRSA causes life-threatening complications.
Ashley’s infection had triggered pneumonia – lung inflammation which can be fatal.
Her cousin Shantelle Locke said she had no really worrying symptoms before she fell ill – she just felt a bit tired and her body ached.
She also had a couple of boils – sometimes a symptom of MRSA – but she thought nothing of them.
“Doctors seemed to think that she might have had the pneumonia for maybe a few weeks before she went to hospital, but she never got it treated and obviously didn’t know it was pneumonia,” she told Yahoo News.
Medics had to drain and inflate Ashley’s right lung when it collapsed at Shoalhaven, and do the same again with her left lung at St George.
“The doctors showed us a CT scan showing a normal lung. Then they showed us hers and it was just covered in holes,” Shantelle said.
“The bug was attacking her organs. Unfortunately, we caught it too late.
“She got pneumonia and that ultimately killed her.”
Ashley died on February 29. Her family are raising money through GoFundMe for her funeral on March 15.
Friends and relatives described her as a “hilarious” and “fun-loving” woman.
What is MRSA?
MRSA is a type of staph bacteria that usually lives harmlessly on the skin.
But when it gets inside the body, it can cause a serious infection that needs immediate treatment.
It has become resistant to some commonly used antibiotics and can be difficult to clear, so it is sometimes referred to as a “superbug”.
In some cases, MRSA causes life-threatening complications, such as sepsis and pneumonia.
If you get an MRSA infection under your skin, you may notice that it:
Is painful and swollen
Feels warm
Leaks pus or liquid
Looks red
If it has spread to your blood, lungs or another part of your body, symptoms may include:
High temperature
Difficulty breathing
Chills
Dizziness
Confusion
Treatment usually involves antibiotics for several weeks.
People staying in hospitals or care homes are at increased risk of MRSA.
Source: NHS