A grandmother of thirteen was forced to amputate both her legs after being bitten by an insect in her garden.
Josie Rowley, 69, was in her garden tending to her plants in September last year when she says she was stung on the left leg by an insect.
The keen gardener, from Bantry Bay, Cork, Ireland, noticed two red marks on her leg as she was getting ready for bed, but thought nothing of the “mosquito bite”-sized bites. However, days later the bite marks had turned into “horrible” ulcers.
After two unsuccessful courses of antibiotics, she was referred to hospital, where she was given compression bands and tried three rounds of leech therapy to combat the infection.
The compression bandages slowed her circulation so much that her toes turned black, and doctors were forced to amputate both legs above the knee.
Josie Rowley, 69, was in her garden tending to her plants when she says she was bitten on the left leg by an insect in September last year.
The avid gardener from Bantry Bay, Cork, Ireland, pictured with her daughter Jen Rowley, 41, noticed two red marks on her leg as she was getting ready for bed but didn’t think they were the size of a “mosquito bite”.
Ms Rowley was left devastated by the incident and is shocked that something as small as an insect bite could have caused so much damage.
“I’m not really sure what bit me, because I was just getting ready for bed when I noticed two small, round, red marks on the bottom of my left leg,” she said.
‘I thought maybe an ant had gotten into my jeans or some creature.
‘The next day they had gotten a lot bigger and as the days went by they started to hurt and then they turned into these horrible ulcers and that’s when they put the compression bandages on me.
“The bites at first weren’t even a millimetre in size, they were like a small mosquito bite.”
However, after a nurse put compression bandages on him, circulation was not enough to heal the wounds and his toes began to turn black.
Days later, the bite marks turned into “horrible” ulcers and her GP prescribed her antibiotics.
After two rounds of antibiotics and painkillers proved ineffective, she was referred to the hospital, where she was given compression bands and tried three rounds of leech therapy to combat the infection.
“The hospital’s decision was to amputate above the knee and this is what ultimately happened,” Rowley said.
‘We tried other alternatives (before that) and even tried leech therapy, which was not the most pleasant.
“I was devastated because this whole thing probably wasn’t just a couple of bug bites. It was crazy, I’ve been gardening for years and years.
‘I had an underlying health problem, arthritis, which was not helping my hands or ankles.
‘When I lost my first leg I left the operating room very calm, but 10 days later they removed my other leg.
‘With an amputation you can still maneuver a bit, but when they took the other leg it was a different story.
“It seems incredible (that an insect bite could have caused this). I have been stung many times over the years and have lived in foreign countries where the insects are worse.
‘You just don’t think this is going to happen in your own backyard.
“I had to adapt. There are so many things I think I can do, but now I can’t.”
The compression bandages slowed her circulation so much that her toes turned black, leaving her no choice but to amputate both legs above the knee.
After months in and out of hospital, Ms Rowley was admitted back to hospital in extreme pain in February and had both legs amputated within a 10-day period in March.
Insect bites and stings are usually not serious and most often get better within a few days.
But in some cases they can become infected or cause severe allergic reactions, the NHS warns.
After months in and out of hospital, Ms Rowley was readmitted in extreme pain in February and had both legs amputated within a 10-day period in March.
After being discharged, she is now living at the home of her daughter Jen Rowley, 41, as she cannot move out until modifications are made to her property.
Since Ms. Rowley’s surgery, her daughter has created a GoFundMe Page to raise money to purchase a wheelchair accessible vehicle to help her mother get around.
Since his discharge, he is now living at home with his daughter Jen Rowley, 41, as he cannot move out until modifications are made to his property.
Ms Rowley said: ‘A wheelchair accessible vehicle will help me enormously.
‘At the moment, if I have an appointment, the journey to the bus stop takes between 15 and 20 minutes.
‘I am lucky enough to have an electric wheelchair and have taken the bus a couple of times.
‘It’s not that bad, but obviously having a car that I can put my wheelchair in would make my life a lot easier to run errands and see my family and new granddaughter.
‘I’m now adjusting to the situation, but at the moment I can’t go back home because the council house I’m renting will need a lot of renovations, so I’m living with my daughter at the moment.
‘Jen was kind enough to clean up her living room so we could put the hospital bed there.’