WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES – Ryan Nulty had his feet amputated just a few weeks after coming down with what he believed to be flu.
A postman who lost both his feet just three months ago after “flu” developed into deadly sepsis has vowed he will mow his lawn and take his pet dog Geoffrey for a walk this summer.
On Friday October 12, Ryan Nulty, 46, of Horsham, West Sussex, felt perfectly healthy – completing his eight-mile round at 2.30pm, as usual, before meeting his dad, Des, 71, who is retired, to enjoy a few beers before going home to bed.
But, rising the next day at 5.30am, father-of-two Ryan, who lives with his girlfriend, Shaaron (COR) Sargent, 45, a former print assistant, woke with aching bones and flu-like symptoms – fluctuating between sweats and chills – and was forced to quit his round half way through.
Spending the rest of Saturday in bed, when he woke on Sunday October 14, he began to shake uncontrollably, his face became covered in a rash and his feet turned freezing cold – all classic symptoms of sepsis, a serious complication of an infection, which causes the immune system to attack the body’s tissue and organs.
Recognising the gravity of the situation, Shaaron, who has temped at a community nursing centre, called an ambulance.
Soon Ryan, who was slipping in and out of consciousness, was rushed to Redhill’s East Surrey Hospital, where he was immediately put into an induced coma in the intensive care unit to help protect his organs from sepsis, which was by then attacking his system.
Recalling the build-up of events, Ryan, who has a daughter Sophie, 22, and a son Joseph, 19,from a previous relationship, recalled: “On the Saturday, I felt pretty terrible, but as all men do, I just went home, ran a bath and got into bed, hoping I’d be able to sleep it off.
“Then the next morning, I woke up feeling far, far worse and I remember my feet being so cold that I had to put Shaaron’s fluffy pink slippers on.”
When Ryan finally came to eight days later on October 22 – after being brought out of the coma – he had no idea where he was or what had happened, becoming very delusional and unable to distinguish dreams from reality.
He explained: “I had all sorts of crazy ideas going through my head, like that there was some kind of big conspiracy going on within the NHS and I was there to expose it.
“I was totally out of it.”
With the sepsis still in his body, on November 3 he was transferred to an intensive care unit at St Helier Hospital in Sutton, as it was closer to home, where he was given dialysis for six hours each day for three days to help his failing kidneys filter the blood.
Gradually, with Shaaron at his side day and night, he began to get better as the sepsis – which doctors put down to a latent case of meningitis, which Ryan had not realised he had – began to recede.
But his ordeal had taken a terrible toll during his two-month hospital stay, which ended on December 4.
While his body had fought to protect his vital organs, the extremities were neglected and his feet were “black and leathery” as the tissue was effectively dead, because of a lack of blood supply, causing gangrene – leaving the doctors no choice but to amputate.
“By the time the doctors said when I was at St Helier that I’d have to have my feet cut off, I wasn’t really that shocked as they were in a terrible state,” said Ryan.
“Nevertheless, though, it was still distressing.”
With the operation booked for January 31 at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, Ryan was allowed to return home for a few weeks, where he was nursed by Shaaron, who had quit her job to look after her partner of three years.
“Shaaron was wonderful,” Ryan, a postman for 10 years, recalled. “She helped me dress, gave me baths and took me around in a wheelchair.
“Without her, I don’t know what I’d have done.”
While Ryan admits there were nights when he and Shaaron would burst into tears at the thought of what life would be like for him without feet, as the operation drew nearer, he became more accepting of his fate.
Painful and “looking gruesome” he knew he would eventually be better off without his feet.
Describing himself as a “cup half full” person, he continued: “I called my feet my Saxon boots because they had become rock hard and they were almost totally black. The skin was like thick leather.
“I knew they had to go and by the time I had the operation I just wanted them off. I went into the operating theatre with a smile on my face and I came out two and a half hours later with a smile, too.”
He added: “I felt relieved, even though it was very peculiar to look down and see the space where my feet had been.”
Now recuperating from the operation – which involved amputating his feet at the shin – in a recovery unit at Horsham Hospital, Ryan, whose family has launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for mobility equipment and to raise awareness for the condition, is building up his strength in preparation for being fitted with two prosthetic legs which will enable him to walk again.
Though he will not be able to return to his job as a postman, he still hopes to work in a different capacity for the Royal Mail, and despite all he has been though is optimistic about the future.
“My life has been turned upside down in the blink of an eye, but I don’t feel any self-pity or bitterness in any way,” said Ryan.
“It could really have been catastrophic, but luckily I have a loving family who supported me all the way through this.
“And Shaaron, in particular, was incredible. When a lot of partners might have turned heel, she was with me throughout.”
Ryan continued: “It’s created a bond between us that’s stronger than I could have ever imagined, and together I feel like we’re about to embark on a new chapter of our lives.
“Things may be difficult for me in the future, but I have every confidence that I will conquer it all.
“I have plans to mow my lawn this summer and take my Staffordshire Bull Terrier dog for his walk – and I intend to keep them.”
Shaaron, who was told on several occasions by doctors to prepare herself for the worst, has nothing but praise for her courageous partner.
She said: “I cannot describe how emotional it was to be told that Ryan may not make it – I felt like my heart was physically breaking.
“It has been humbling how brave and positive Ryan has been throughout this all. He’ been absolutely astonishing.”
The UK Sepsis Trust, a charity founded with the aim of stopping preventable sepsis deaths, commented: “Sepsis can arise in the body as a result of any infection.
“Although only about 1% of sepsis cases arise from meningitis, this case demonstrates that sepsis can strike indiscriminately, at any time.
“If you or someone you know shows signs of infection it’s crucial to seek urgent medical help. With each hour that passes before the right antibiotics are administered, risk of death increases.”
To donate help Ryan raise money for mobility equipment, visit www.gofundme.com/help-ryan-and-sepsis-awareness
