‘Healthy’ woman, 29, dies suddenly after body aches and feeling tired – with ‘no sign of what was to come’
A SEEMINGLY healthy woman died after a "severe superbug" attacked her organs and ate holes in her lungs.
Ashley Timbery, 29, had no worrying symptoms before she suddenly collapsed after losing feelings in her legs.
After undergoing tests, medics found a dangerous bacteria had left one of her lungs "covered in holes".
With the infection going undetected for weeks, Ashley passed away just days after being diagnosed.
Her cousin said Ashley just felt a bit tired and her body ached before falling ill at her home in Nowra in New South Wales, Australia on February 15.
She also had a couple of boils but thought nothing of them.
After being rushed to Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital, Ashley was put into an induced coma.
Tests revealed she had a "severe" infection, but her family didn't find out it was methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) until 10 days later when Ashley was moved to St George Hospital in Sydney.
MRSA is a type of staph bacteria that usually lives harmlessly on the skin.
But when it gets inside the body, it can cause a serious infection that needs immediate treatment, according to the NHS.
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As it's become resistant to some commonly used antibiotics and can be difficult to clear, it's sometimes referred to as a "superbug".
Ashley's infection had triggered pneumonia, a lung inflammation which can be fatal.
"Doctors seemed to think that she might have had the pneumonia for maybe a few weeks before she went to hospital, but she never got it treated and obviously didn't know it was pneumonia," her cousin Shantelle Locke told Yahoo News.
Medics had to drain and inflate Ashley's right lung when it collapsed at Shoalhaven, and do the same again with her left lung at St George.
"The doctors showed us a CT scan showing a normal lung. Then they showed us hers and it was just covered in holes," Shantelle said.
"The bug was attacking her organs. Unfortunately, we caught it too late.
"She got pneumonia and that ultimately killed her."
Ashley died on February 29. Her family are raising money through GoFundMe for her funeral on March 15.
Friends and relatives described her as a "hilarious" and "fun-loving" woman.
What is MRSA?
MRSA is a type of staph bacteria that usually lives harmlessly on the skin.
But when it gets inside the body, it can cause a serious infection that needs immediate treatment.
It has become resistant to some commonly used antibiotics and can be difficult to clear, so it is sometimes referred to as a "superbug".
In some cases, MRSA causes life-threatening complications, such as sepsis and pneumonia.
If you get an MRSA infection under your skin, you may notice that it:
- Is painful and swollen
- Feels warm
- Leaks pus or liquid
- Looks red
If it has spread to your blood, lungs or another part of your body, symptoms may include:
- High temperature
- Difficulty breathing
- Chills
- Dizziness
- Confusion
Treatment usually involves antibiotics for several weeks.
People staying in hospitals or care homes are at increased risk of MRSA.
Source: NHS