- WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
- Angela Montes de Oca, 47, was clueless as to how the bruise developed
- Antibiotics failed to treat the infection, making doctors suggest amputation
- Ms Montes de Oca found a doctor online who said he could treat with a bandage
- She has now fully recovered and has returned to work without a wheelchair
A woman who faced losing her leg after a bruise on her toe developed into a rotting ulcer was spared amputation due to a revolutionary bandage.
Angela Montes de Oca, 47, from Indianapolis, noticed a bruise just before Christmas last year, with no idea how she got it.
Soon black rotting flesh covered 95 percent of the mother-of-three’s foot after antibiotics failed to treat the infection.
Doctors recommended amputation, but, determined to keep her foot, Ms Montes de Oca found an expert online who told her the wound could be treated with just a bandage.
Although Ms Montes de Oca, who was suffering from a diabetic neuropathic ulcer, says she smelt ‘like a dead body’ while the wound healed, she adds it was a ‘small price to pay’ as she is now fully recovered.
A woman who faced losing her leg was spared amputation due to a revolutionary bandage
A bruise on her toe developed into a rotting ulcer on her foot (pictured after treatment)
Angela Montes de Oca, 47, from Indianapolis, noticed a bruise, but had no idea how she got it
Ms Montes de Oca, an emergency services dispatcher, said: ‘My foot became badly infected very quickly and everyone was telling me amputation was the only option.
‘I was skeptical about whether bandaging it would really help, but I trusted my doctor and the results were amazing.’
Ms Montes de Oca came across Dr Michael Miller, who uses KerraCel Ag dressings, while searching online.
She said: ‘[Dr Miller] was the only doctor telling me that I wouldn’t need an amputation.
‘There was a part of me that wondered if it was the right thing to do, but I wanted to try something before making such a drastic decision.’
Developed at the University of Manchester, but not yet available in the UK, the clear absorbent dressing disrupts and kills infections by encasing bacteria in a matrix.
For eight weeks, Ms Montes de Oca’s dressing was changed just once or twice a week to allow the wound to heal.
She said: ‘I stayed home and I only walked to go to the bathroom and to go to bed and I took the whole time off work.
‘It was painful for weeks and there was a horrible smell – like a dead body – but it was worth it, because we started to see results really quickly.
‘Within a few weeks, the black tissue had turned to red again and I could see new capillaries growing.’
Ms Montes de Oca, who also cares for her 70-year-old mother, has since returned to work and the wound has healed.
Yet, the infection meant that she lost two tendons and a small piece of bone in her foot, which affects the movement of her toes.
She said: ‘Losing a little bit of movement is a small price to pay, considering what could have been.’
Ms Montes de Oca, who has type 2 diabetes, has lost almost seven stone and changed her diet to help control her condition and reduce the risk of further complications.
Doctors recommended amputation but Ms Montes de Oca found an expert online
Ms Montes de Oca, who has type 2 diabetes, was suffering from diabetic neuropathy
While being treated, Ms Montes de Oca was unable to work or put much pressure on her feet
Healed beautifully
Dr Miller, said: ‘Angela came to see me with a significant non-healing diabetic neuropathic ulcer. It had been there for months.
‘She was very concerned about everyone using the ‘A’ word (amputation). She didn’t want that to be the outcome, but I was able to use the modern science behind treating wounds to give her another option.
‘The dressing was able to speed up the healing process by killing the bacteria in the wound and we didn’t have to use antibiotics. The dressing creates the conditions for healing.
‘She went on to do this beautifully and healed very well.’
The bandage (pictured) disrupts and kills infections by encasing bacteria in a matrix
Although successful, the infection meant that she lost two tendons and a small piece of bone
Ms Montes de Oca has lost almost seven stone and changed her diet to control her condition
Ms Montes de Oca’s wound has healed as a result of the bandage and she has returned to work
‘I thought it would go away’
Diagnosed with diabetes 10 years ago, Ms Montes de Oca knew there was a risk she could develop an ulcer.
Yet, she still assumed the bruise on her foot was anything to worry about.
She said: ‘I noticed what looked like a bruise under a callous beneath my big toe. I thought it would go away but instead it got worse.
‘Eventually I went to see my neurologist and just mentioned it to him. He was really concerned.’
Antibiotics failed to combat the infection and the wound spread, leaving Ms Montes de Oca with 95 percent rotting black tissue across her foot.
Ms Montes de Oca said: ‘I was really afraid that I was going to lose my leg because so many medical professionals had told me it was the only option.
‘I was worried I wouldn’t be able to keep my job. I didn’t know if I would be able to get about in a wheelchair.
‘I have two sons who live abroad. One of them has a little girl and lives in Mexico, the other has a baby on the way and lives in Vietnam – so I was very concerned I wouldn’t be able to travel to see them.’