A camping enthusiast recounted a harrowing experience where a leisurely hunting trip with friends took a tragic turn, resulting in the necessity of amputating both his legs due to burns sustained while cooking pasta.
Max Armstrong, 40, was camping in Kiowa, Colorado in December, when he burned his thumb while cooking pasta for dinner.
Initially the Colorado native didn’t think anything of his burn, wrapping it up in a bandage and continuing on his trip across the mid-western state.
But Max’s concerns grew after his left leg began to swell up and his toenail started to turn purple several days later.
After almost a week the business owner was in such pain that he was driven to AdventHealth Parker hospital emergency room by his friends.
Upon his arrival at the hospital, medical professionals noted the severity of his burnt thumb, characterized by its grim appearance. Max vividly described it as ‘pretty ugly’, observing that it had turned black and seemed to be devouring his thumb.
His eyes started rolling back in his head and doctors quickly confirmed he was in critical danger.
They concluded that strep A bacteria had got into his burn and had quickly developed into sepsis – which can be fatal if not treated properly.
Max Armstrong, 40, was camping with his friends to Kiowa, Colorado, in December, when he burned his thumb while cooking pasta for their dinner
Max said: ‘It was a hunting trip with friends that turned into a bit of a nightmare.
‘I grabbed a skillet wrong and my thumb touched the hot part, I could feel it burning as I moved it to the table but I didn’t want to drop it.
‘I didn’t think much of it as I have gotten burns, scrapes and cuts from living in the outdoors and being outdoors my whole life.
‘After dinner, I cleaned up the burn, put a bandage on it and left it. Sadly, dinner was enough for the burn to get strep A.’
He recalled, ‘Two days following the burn incident, one of my legs began to exhibit swelling. Initially, I dismissed it as a minor ankle injury sustained inadvertently. At that point, I experienced minimal discomfort, unaware of the impending course of events.’
‘On December 7 I decided to head home and my buddy, suggested we go to the hospital. At that point, my toenails started turning purple and the swelling had increased.’
Max was placed into an induced coma for six days and during that time was transported to AdventHealth Porter, Denver, Colorado to take advantage of their better facilities.
Doctors told his family there was a chance he might not make it but, on December 13, Max woke from his coma.
Initially the Colorado native didn’t think anything of his burn but realised something was wrong when his feet started to turn black (pictured with his wife Megan)
Max was rished to the hospital where doctors noticed his burnt thumb which Max described as ‘pretty ugly’, adding: ‘It had turned black and looked like it was eating away at my thumb.’
The keen camper had Strep A and was placed into an induced coma for six days, when he woke up he was told his feet were too damaged and he would have to have a double amputation
He said: ‘My family was there, my mother, my wife – everyone was very happy to see me. The doctors told them that I might not make it, there was a lot of concern that I would never wake up.’
While he was in the coma, Max said the sepsis had completely eaten away at his feet and had started spreading to his legs.
After waking, Max said his feet were both completely black and doctors were forced to recommend amputation because his feet were too damaged to save.
Two days before Christmas, Max went in for a three-hour operation.
Max said: ‘Initially when I woke up, I thought my legs were still there and then I came to realise that they weren’t.
‘I felt down my leg and realised that my legs weren’t there, I asked the nurse and she confirmed that I had my legs amputated.
‘She told me that my family was waiting for me and kept on reminding me of them which anchored me.’
Doctors told his family there was a chance he might not make it, but on December 13, Max woke from his coma surrounded by his family
After more than a month recovering in hospital, he was able to go home to his wife, Megan, 42, but had the new task of learning how to live life in a wheelchair
After more than a month recovering in hospital, he was able to go home to his wife, Megan, 42, but had the new task of learning how to live life in a wheelchair.
On January 14, Max left the hospital and went to the Sky Ridge Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Lone Tree, Colorado, where he spent 16 days before finally being released two weeks later.
Max now relies and has been learning triceps and shoulder exercises to help him with mobility.
Max said: ‘They give you physical rehabilitation three times a day every day. There is a lot of triceps work and shoulder exercises.
‘Now I am in a wheelchair my shoulder and triceps are my lifeline.’
