A man is lucky to be alive after stepping on a rubber nut and developing an infection so severe that he ended up having his leg amputated.
Andrew Trigg, 40, stepped on a rubber nut at his home in New Lambton Heights, Newcastle, in the Hunter region of New South Wales, on May 12.
A seed lodged under the skin of his right foot and became infected over the next month, becoming so bad that he could not move or eat.
Trigg was eventually taken to the hospital where he was diagnosed with sepsis.
Surgeons first amputated his toes, but then realized the infection had spread, forcing them to remove the lower half of his leg.
The 40-year-old was shocked at how a seemingly harmless moment could lead to a life-threatening illness, but he was determined to overcome the setback.
“This is not going to define me. It will change me, but it will not define me,” he said.
Mr Trigg said he thought nothing of the injury immediately after stepping on the gumnut.
Andrew Trigg, 40 (pictured), stepped on a eucalyptus nut in May and a seed lodged under the skin of his right foot. He became infected and had to amputate his lower leg.
Mr Trigg took antibiotics just a few weeks after standing on the gum nut because the infection seemed to spread and he started to smell bad (seen: his right foot before he was taken to hospital).
The seed had created an ulcer and after he and his wife Kylie cleaned and healed it every day, his foot seemed fine.
But a month later, Trigg suffered a fall at home and his injury took the brunt of the force.
After a couple of days I had a fairly large bruise and my foot was smelling.
“That’s when I knew I needed antibiotics,” she told Daily Mail Australia.
After getting a prescription from a doctor online because he “couldn’t move,” he began the five-day treatment, but noticed the swelling had begun to spread down his leg.
Trigg said he was not feeling well and could only manage toast, some grapes and “gallons” of water for the next week.
His wife insisted on taking him to John Hunter Hospital after his pain worsened.
After some initial tests, a nurse broke the news to him that he was diabetic, a condition Trigg had no idea he had been living with.
The nurse explained that diabetes could make infections even more problematic.
Mr Trigg said his wife of 14 years, Kylie (pictured with their dogs), saved his life by forcing him to go to hospital.
The 40-year-old told Daily Mail Australia he was overwhelmed and grateful for the support he has been receiving from family and friends.
After a day of taking blood samples and being watched by doctors, specialists told the 40-year-old that he would need to have his big toe removed the next day because he had sepsis.
Sepsis is the life-threatening response a person’s body has to an infection and begins to attack tissues and organs.
“I was told the hope was that by removing it (the big toe) they would use the excess skin to wrap – and hopefully preserve – the rest of the foot,” Trigg said.
But later that night the specialists dealt a shocking blow to Mr Trigg, informing him that there was “no good tissue in the area” and that they would need to “remove a couple more toes”, after concluding that his foot “didn’t look good”.
Despite the life-changing operations, Trigg did not lose his sense of humour, saying: “They took off my two toes on the ends and left the middle ones. It was like I was wearing a pointy heel.”
Shortly after the operation, doctors again gave Mr Trigg and his wife bad news.
Trigg (pictured with wife Kylie) said he wants people to make sure they go to the doctor if something doesn’t feel right. He said men have a tendency to ignore things and has urged all Australians not to delay seeking medical attention.
“They said that although the amputation of my toes was a success, the infection had spread throughout my foot and there was no healthy tissue,” he said.
“The doctors said my options were to keep cutting my foot little by little, but the infection could continue to spread. Or I could just leave it and die.
‘The last option was to amputate the lower part of my leg, below the knee, to give myself the best chance.
“I have had no problem facing amputation because the only other option is death.”
Despite Mr Trigg’s ordeal, which also involved further surgery two days later to reshape his limb, he wants to get the message out to people, especially men, not to delay treatment.
‘Don’t be too proud to ask for help. As soon as you see something different — a mark, a cut, a lump — go to the doctor immediately,” she said.
Mr Trigg had recently turned 40 and had set out to make the effort to see his wife perform in a musical at the end of July (pictured with wife Kylie on her 40th birthday).
“Don’t tell yourself ‘it will clear up on its own, everything will be okay’; you can’t take that chance.”
“The doctors told me that if I had waited a couple more days I could have been dead or at least in the ICU fighting for my life.”
The pay package consultant, whose doctors have said he is “not out of the woods yet” and has “a long way to go”, has now used up the last of his leave days and is not receiving any pay.
His wife of 14 years, who works in a nursing home and is a casual worker, does not have the right to vacation. She now works part-time so she can be with her husband every day.
‘I will be in hospital for at least a few months for rehabilitation. The doctors told me it would take months for me to be able to jump, twist and turn, just like a prosthesis,” he said.
The 40-year-old said he will be in a wheelchair for months and the couple’s rented home will need some modifications.
TO GoFundMe It was set up by her good friend Kerrie Stephens to help with the couple’s ongoing expenses such as rent, specialist medical bills and modifications to their car and suitable accommodation.
