Julia Anderson was out drinking vodka with friends before passing out in an awkward position – when she woke up, her legs had swollen to double their size and she faced amputation
A mother who collapsed following a night out and woke to find her legs decomposing, nearly requiring amputation, is now cautioning others about the perils of excessive drinking.
Julia Anderson, then 36, had been enjoying an evening out drinking vodka with friends before she lost consciousness in an awkward position.
She came round to the horrifying discovery that she couldn’t walk after her legs had ballooned to twice their normal size overnight.
Frightened Julia said she was completely baffled about what could have occurred. “All I could think to myself was ‘did I break my legs or something? Why can’t I move my legs? ,” she remembered.
Weeping in fear, Julia telephoned her mother who summoned an ambulance for her. Paramedics arrived and rushed her to a local hospital.
However, the prognosis wasn’t positive – following multiple rounds of examinations and x-rays on her legs, doctors informed Julia that she had been lying on her legs throughout the night, cutting off blood circulation.
This had resulted in a condition called compartment syndrome, she was told, where muscle and nerve cells are deprived of oxygen and nutrients from the blood, sustaining damage and beginning to perish.
When blood flow returns to the affected area, the body reacts to the damaged cells with massive amounts of inflammation.
Surgeons at Michael Garron Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, sliced open Julia’s left calf muscle to alleviate the pressure in a drastic, life-saving procedure. Portions of muscle were removed to reduce the swelling and decrease the toxins being released into her bloodstream.
The gaping wound in her leg necessitated a skin graft after the operation to aid Julia’s recovery.
“The nerve damage was so bad I was screaming out in the middle of the night with the pain,” Julia said.
“Imagine your leg is falling asleep but that tingling feeling is times a thousand, like a sharp shooting electric shock up my leg,” she explained.
Following the intense surgery, Julia spent five weeks recuperating in hospital before being discharged. Once home, she was confined to bed for an additional three weeks and had to rely on strong painkillers for a year.
Julia admitted that her gait is still “funny” after her harrowing ordeal, although her mobility has significantly improved.
“It’s been years but it still feels like my foot is mildly asleep all the time, I’m used to it,” the mum shared.
“My toes are starting to curl under, I don’t know if I’ll need further surgery or if there’s anything they can do at this point,” she added.
After keeping her traumatic experience to herself for three years, Julia chose to share her story to prevent others from suffering the same fate.
“Never pass out really drunk, sleeping it off is dangerous,” she cautioned.
“Have some food and water instead and try to sober up before bed,” Julia advised.
