Sinus Infection Nearly Kills Woman
Deadly Infection Almost Destroys Woman's Face
By Ashley Neglia
If treated early, a routine sinus infection may cause uncomfortable pressure, nasal congestion and often makes a patient feel generally miserable. For the most part, however, sinus infections don't leave people near-death, unless, of course, you happen to be Sue Carlisle.
It was October 2006, and Carlisle was suffering from the symptoms of a sinus infection. The 49-year-old had experienced similar infections in the past and assumed that the steroids she had been previously prescribed would be enough to get her back on her feet. However, when she went to the doctor, the diagnosis was more dire than she ever imagined. Carlisle's face was infected with mucormycosis, a rare and deadly infection that can affect the sinuses, brain or lungs, reports ABC News.
Click below to watch an interview with Sue Carlisle.
Video courtesy of ABC News.
Mucormycosis primarily occurs in people with immune disorders, such as AIDS or cancer patients, and is caused by common fungi found in soil, decaying vegetation and moldy bread, according to the National Institute of Health. Most people are exposed to this kind of fungi on a daily basis, but those with weakened immune systems are more susceptible to infection.
In Carlisle's case, the repeated use of steroids to treat prior sinus infections had weakened her immune system to such a degree that she could not fight off the fungus, which resulted in mucormycosis. In most patients, it takes two to three days for mucormycosis to travel through the bloodstream and to the brain, which causes a patient's mortality rate to rise to 80 percent. However, in Carlisle's case, the infection stayed in her face, causing it to become so swollen and infected that her cheek eventually burst, leaving a crater, according to ABC News.
Because early surgical intervention and the removal of all dead and infected tissue can dramatically improve a patient's chances for survival, doctors wanted to completely remove Carlisle's cheek up to her eyelid. However, she refused to undergo the invasive surgery, forcing doctors to take a more conservative approach. For the next two months, doctors performed nearly 30 surgeries to remove small amounts of infected tissue, reports ABC News.
After the surgeries and approximately 60 visits to a hyperbaric chamber to kill off the rest of the infection, Carlisle began to grow healthy facial tissue. Her face was still intact, but she now faced the possibility of losing her upper jaw because the infection had destroyed most of her jawbone and palate. She couldn't open her mouth, let alone speak or eat.
Doctors initially gave Carlisle a temporary false palate. However, because she had to hold it in place with her tongue, she still could not open her mouth. It wasn't until 20 months later, when a team of medical experts developed an entirely new implant for Carlisle that could stay in place with magnets, that she regained enough functionality to speak and chew small pieces of soft food.
While the infection is long gone and Carlisle is now healthy, lasting complications, such as the inability to chew anything that isn't soft, a limited sense of taste and no sense of smell, remain.
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CPIcecream 04:20:18 PM Sep 08 2009
Hello. Man, this story is unreal. I have been struggling w/ sinus issues for years, and recently had a CT Scan. I was told of a less invasive procedure called balloon sinuplasty. Lots of info out there, looks really promising.Not at all sure that this would have helped in the case of this article, but I just thought I'd mention it. I'm still researching my options and came across this article, which stopped me in my tracks.In any case, I will bring this up to my doc when I collect more info and discuss the balloon thing w/ her as well.
EugCoxJr 01:58:02 PM Sep 08 2009
Amazing! I've experienced aching and swollen jaws at so severe that I was unable to eat. On Saturday, I went to my ENT for a follow-up, only for her to discover that I had a stone blocking my salivary gland, which caused swelling and pain, which extended from my left earlobe, around my jaw and throat, to my right earlobe. She removed it, swelling subsided, and all is better right now (thanks to the surgery and the antibiotics). After reading Sue's story, I'm following up with my ENT mucormycosis.
Hoyt596 09:04:36 PM Sep 07 2009
HapyMarriedMama3 06:39:35 PM Sep 07 2009I know some very sick people that drs. couldn't help that got better doing homopathic remedies!! I also know some folks that homopathic therapy didn't seem to help. But most of all it seems like medical drs OFTEN do as much damage as they prevent. They give you medicine for one thing that attacks your body another place often your kidney. No matter what treatment you chose you have to give it over to God.--------------------------- "Alternative medication" is "alternative" because it was proven to be too useless and too harmful to be considered for use by doctors. even using maggots to eat dead skin before it rots in a wound is a treatment that is sometimes used by doctors. Doctors use whatever helps, even if it has some side effects, but they tell you the side effects and give you a choice. alternative medication isn't touched by doctors because it DOESN'T WORK! God doesn't work medically either. Statistically, Christians die from cancer at the
GIRLE10 08:44:03 PM Sep 07 2009
I am glad she decided not to have the invasive surgery and chose the conservative approach. glad to hear she is doing much better
Hoyt596 08:41:46 PM Sep 07 2009
Before everyone starts calling this a miracle or starts saying that doctors suck and that alternative medication actually works, read the article. It states that she survived due to her body's natural defense mechanisms preventing the spread of the fungus and killing it with the help of the doctors, who gave her blood transfusions and other treatments that allowed her to have a chance. Medicine is something that helps your body help itself, a Doctor is someone who helps you help your body help itself.
CAT5400 07:48:32 PM Sep 07 2009
I recalled that many years ago I awent to a doctor complaining of a sinus infection. Before he even examined me he said that he didn't think I had a sinus infection, but he would take a look. He said, well I guess it's either a sinus infection or a brain tumor. It was a sinus infection that had begun to enter the lining of my brain.
Eliasgran 07:43:18 PM Sep 07 2009
You got very very lucky Sue . My father contracted this while fighting leukemia. It went into his lungs and ate a large hole . The fact that he was already sick and had been being treated with high doses of meds acted like a carnival in his body for this disease. His favorite pastime was gardening and this is how he try to enjoy live while he was ill. This is how he contracted it. God bless you and your family
terrymacone 07:25:24 PM Sep 07 2009
I use a product called Neil Med,,a sinus wash,it ended years of problems,,,one time a day,worth more than ten doctors...
Hapigrl17 07:19:06 PM Sep 07 2009
Many cities have clinics for people with no insurance or no way to make ends meet... I know of several in my town because I am a 27 year old college student about to begin student teaching and will have no income for the next four months. While I have budgeted very well and have very little school debt, I also have a very basic insurance plan ($40 a month) that covers nothing at all except a small portion of ER visits, etc. People HAVE to be proactive about their health. A simple Google search for sliding-fee scale Dr's offices in your town or low-income health care and your city will hopefully result in clinics. Several in my area are under the name, "Crusader Clinic" now "Crusader Community Health." Good luck and don't let pride get in the way of your health.
KAdams36 07:17:51 PM Sep 07 2009
I received treatment in Canada and England (husband was military) it was quick, excellent and free. I spoke to an English doctor after the US was considering changing over wondering about compensation and he said he was quite wealthy, had better hours than US colleagues and this was true for most. He said he did a year of training in U S and was shocked at doctors treatment here and that even many of them had no insurance themselves.
