Julieta Carmona

Survivor

Previous surgeries: L5-L4 disc removed in Mexico in 2002. I had my boy four years later in Water in Switzerland in 2006. I moved to Slovenia and had a knee surgery in 2008. An S1 surgery and laminectomy as an emergency procedure (around this time before and after developed cauda equina), lost my Achilles reflex in both legs and my period after the surgery for about seven months.

I wasn’t able to walk properly and one summer day in 2010, I twisted my left ankle. That was the last time I saw my ankle before necrotic fasciitis covered it all. (Sepsis and Necrotizing Fasciitis) My husband Iain said it looked purplish dark blue when we finally were waiting in the Emergency. Before that, I remember it was a weekend and I went to the clinic closer to home and was sent home with pain killers. Then next day, I was feeling very poorly and asked my husband to take me again to the closest clinic and this time I referred to a university clinic in the capital city, without knowing what was happening and what to expect!!

I previously had anemia and pneumonia since the move to the new country (Slovenia). What else could go wrong again with my body if I already felt like I was recovering from all the previous issues!?? Thanks to Drs. Jug and Dovravec, I’m telling the story today because they didn’t let me go to the infectiologist’s department. I don’t recall when exactly I had the septic schock but I remember that my kidneys shut down and they started dialisis. And I remember travelling in the tunnel and seeing my cousin (she died 30 years ago when I was 5). She asked me if I was ready and I said that I needed to go back to my beloved ones.

Two months after and one month in a rehabilation centre gave me the strength to go back home where my four-year-old boy was waiting for me. My husband was delighted to see me back. Nowadays I get tired and my short time memory can get well … slow… you know the rest of the story if you read other survivor’s ones. Something changed and some days you are a bit down and some others you give your best and you find reasons to smile! My best physiotherapist ever: my son!

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