A postman who lost both his feet just three months ago after his 'flu' turned out to be a deadly disease has opened up about his horrific ordeal and subsequent amputation in a recent interview. Ryan Nulty, who hails from Horsham in England, believed that he was just feeling under the weather, and called in sick after experiencing aching bones, sweats and chills. He developed a facial rash and his feet turned icy cold; little did Ryan know that he'd actually developed sepsis - a life-threatening condition in which the body's immune system goes into overdrive when defending it against infection, and thus causes injury to itself.
On October 14, Ryan's situation turned critical, and he began slipping in and out of consciousness. He was rushed to the hospital, and spent eight days in a coma. After regaining consciousness he began suffering from hallucinations and delusional episodes. Worse, the sepsis was still killing him, even causing kidney failure, meaning that he was put on dialysis. As a result, his feet slowly became gangrenous, and doctors were forced to amputate them both. Now Ryan is confined to a wheelchair, although he is now cared for by his partner Shaaron.
Commenting on his amputation in a recent interview, Ryan stated: "I felt pretty terrible, but as all men do, I just went home, ran a bath and got into bed, hoping I’d be able to sleep it off. Then the next morning, I woke up feeling far, far worse and I remember my feet being so cold that I had to put Shaaron’s fluffy pink slippers on ...I had all sorts of crazy ideas going through my head, like that there was some kind of big conspiracy going on within the NHS and I was there to expose it. I was totally out of it."
"By the time the doctors said when I was at St Helier that I’d have to have my feet cut off, I wasn’t really that shocked as they were in a terrible state. Nevertheless, though, it was still distressing ... Shaaron was wonderful. She helped me dress, gave me baths and took me around in a wheelchair. Without her, I don’t know what I’d have done."
He added: "I called my feet my 'Saxon boots'; because they had become rock hard and they were almost totally black. The skin was like thick leather. I knew they had to go and by the time I had the operation I just wanted them off. I went into the operating theatre with a smile on my face and I came out two and a half hours later with a smile, too. I felt relieved, even though it was very peculiar to look down and see the space where my feet had been."
"My life has been turned upside down in the blink of an eye, but I don’t feel any self-pity or bitterness in any way. It could really have been catastrophic, but luckily I have a loving family who supported me all the way through this. Shaaron, in particular, was incredible. When a lot of partners might have turned heel, she was with me throughout. It’s created a bond between us that’s stronger than I could have ever imagined, and together I feel like we’re about to embark on a new chapter of our lives. Things may be difficult for me in the future, but I have every confidence that I will conquer it all."
Ryan is now raising money, to help pay for equipment to help him at home, and to raise awareness of sepsis. If you want to help out, then why not visit his page and make a donation.
