Man Who Contracted Flesh-Eating Bacteria While Crabbing Undergoes Double Amputation
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MILLVILLE, N.J. (CBS) -- A South Jersey man who contracted a flesh-eating bacteria while crabbing underwent a double amputation on Thursday. Angel Perez, 60, had his hands and forearms amputated.
Perez's daughter, Dilena Perez-Dilan, told CBS3 that the "surgery went well."
"They said they will begin working with us to get him prosthetics and getting to rehab," she said.
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Perez's family decided earlier this month to allow doctors to amputate his limbs.
Perez-Dilan says her father was crabbing at his favorite spot near Matt's Landing on Maurice River on July 2. He went to an urgent care the next day after complaining of pain and got antibiotics, but the swelling only got worse as the bacteria spread to his bloodstream.
"They told us that his kidneys shut down and that he would need dialysis immediately," said Perez-Dilan.
Perez had to have a leg surgically drained as an infectious disease doctor investigated the cause of the infection. It turned out to be Vibrio vulnificus, a bacteria common to warm brackish water that is usually only a concern when you eat raw shellfish.
"Typically, when you get an infection like this, it enters through an existing wound and can spread throughout the bloodstream and can cause other complications such as necrotizing fasciitis, which he unfortunately got," said Cumberland County Health Officer Megan Sheppard.
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Perez also suffers from Parkinson's disease.
"We've all been praying and I think our spirituality, our religion, has been allowing us to get through without going into a chaotic mess," said Perez-Dilan.
