A mother nearly had her limb amputated after falling asleep in an “uncomfortable position” after a night’s sleep.
Julia Anderson had enjoyed a pub crawl with friends and “lots of vodka” in Toronto, Canada before booking a taxi home.
She looked forward to nothing more than her cozy bed.
Once home, the 36-year-old crawled to his feet and looked at the ceiling.
Her mother Sandra, 70, took care of her at night and asked her to get out of the predicament.
Julia was shocked to discover that she could barely move and her legs seemed to double in size due to the swelling.
An ambulance was called and took the terrified mother to hospital.
After undergoing tests and x-rays, she was diagnosed with compartment syndrome, caused by lying on her legs all night, blocking blood flow.
Surgeons performed a grueling life-saving operation by cutting open Julia’s left leg and cutting through muscle to reduce swelling and reduce the toxins released into her bloodstream.
The 36-year-old, who says she was carrying 40-50 pounds of excess fluid, was hospitalized for five weeks where she underwent dialysis, a blood transfusion and a skin graft.
Three years after the ordeal in January 2020, Julia is still unable to walk and work properly.
She is now boldly sharing what happened so people know to sober up before going to bed to avoid the same fate.
Julia from Toronto, Ontario, Canada said, “I used to go out at night with friends. I remember drinking vodka all night, I drank a lot of liquor.
“We didn’t eat anything. Pre drinks and bar drinks together equaled 20 drinks, so quite a lot.
“I was more drunk than usual. When I got home I thought, ‘Go to bed Julia’ and passed out, curled up on my legs face down.”
In fact, when Julia woke up, she feared that she had somehow broken her legs on the pub crawl.
What is Compartment Syndrome?
Compartment syndrome is a painful and potentially serious condition caused by bleeding or swelling in a pinched muscle bundle, known as a muscle compartment.
Acute compartment syndrome: Occurs suddenly, usually after a fracture or serious injury, is a medical emergency and requires urgent treatment, can lead to permanent muscle damage if not treated quickly.
Symptoms of acute compartment syndrome usually develop after an injury and quickly worsen.
Symptoms can include severe pain, especially when the muscle is stretched, which seems much worse than would normally be expected prior to the injury.
tenderness in the affected area, tense muscles, tingling or burning sensation, in severe cases numbness or weakness (these are signs of permanent damage)
It wasn’t until she arrived at the hospital that the truth came out.
Julia continued: “I was operated on immediately because my muscles were deteriorating and toxins were being released into my bloodstream causing my body to swell and my kidneys to shut down.
“After the first operation, I was in intensive care for two weeks, tied to a machine to drain the fluid, because I was still huge.
“Then they brought a kidney dialysis machine into the room and hooked me up.
“The hemoglobin level in my blood dropped so low that I also needed some blood transfusions.
“They then did a skin graft on my thigh. The nerve damage was so bad that I cried out in pain in the middle of the night.
“I was in constant pain. Imagine your leg falling asleep, but this tingling is a thousand times stronger, like a sharp electric shock in my leg.”
Julia spent five weeks in the hospital before being allowed to go home, where she was bedridden for three weeks and on strong painkillers for a year.
After embarrassing her ordeal for a long time, she boldly decided to share her story online to make sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else.
Julia said: “I was embarrassed at the time, because who’s to say, ‘I passed out like an idiot'”.
“The shame kind of disappeared because it’s been years now since it could have happened to anyone.
“Usually it’s a sports injury, often people lose their limbs.
“I would tell people if you’ve had too much to drink, try to sober up before you go to bed.
“Get some food and some water. Don’t just pass out because you won’t wake up when the cycle shuts off.”
Julia’s Facebook post to the world on Feb. 25 reads, “I’ve never said this openly on social media, but if I can save someone’s body part or even their life, it’s worth sharing.
“Never pass out drunk! Sleeping in is dangerous!! Eat something to eat and drink instead, and try to sober up before bed!”
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Source: Subway
Source: Metro
I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.
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