Woman Nearly Lost Leg Due to Deadly Bacterial Infection from Hot Tub

An Indiana woman contracted a deadly bacterial infection while on vacation which caused her to nearly lose her leg.

Taylor Bryant, 26, of Indianapolis, says she is finally able to walk again after suffering a debilitating infection in her right leg which came after she took a family trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, RTV6 reported Wednesday.

Bryant was with her husband and two children in Pigeon Forge in March 2019 when she felt cramping and pain in her lower right leg. Over the course of a few days, her leg began to swell and she developed a painful rash to the point where she could no longer stand on her leg.

Her symptoms worsened, causing Bryant to end up in the hospital. Doctors at the hospital said she contracted pseudomonas folliculitis, a bacterial infection people usually contract from pools and hot tubs that have not been cleaned properly, according to RTV6.

“Every night, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, we were in the hot tub and she was like, ‘That’s the only way I thought you could get this infection was from a hot tub,'” Bryant told the outlet.

Doctors put Bryant on a course of antibiotics for ten days, leaving her unable to walk around without the use of a wheelchair.

When her condition worsened, wound specialists were called in.

“You’re literally thinking at that point that it’s possible you’re going to lose your leg,” Bryant said. “I was a bawling mess in the room. I was like, I could be without a leg at 26.”

At this point, doctors started her on another round of antibiotics for 20 hours a day for four straight days before the infection began to clear up.

The Mayo Clinic states that folliculitis is quite common and is caused by inflamed hair follicles. If symptoms do not improve in a few days, it is advised that patients follow up with a doctor.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) also calls it “the hot tub rash,” and recommends that people clean and drain their hot tubs monthly to avoid this type of infection.

After spending two weeks of antibiotics, doctors determined that the infection had been cleared out of her body. Bryant returned to work last week, saying she is “lucky” to still have her leg, the Daily Mail reported.

“My skin isn’t the same yet and still have a huge color change for the time being,” she said. “I am lucky to still have my leg, but more lucky that I am still here today.”