JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Northwest Jacksonville man was just released from the hospital after weeks of battling a flesh-eating bacteria.
Nate Manor said he was released Monday from St. Vincent’s Hospital in Riverside after several weeks of treatment in Jacksonville and at UF Health in Gainesville where there’s a burn unit that specializes in skin grafting.
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“Definitely painful,” said Manor.
Manor said he believes he was infected while cutting weeds and grass in a ditch that runs alongside his Northwest Jacksonville home.
“Every day, I just pray it gets better my friend.”
Manor showed News4JAX some of his skin from his right leg that has been grafted onto his injured left leg.
“I’m in incredible pain, and I worry about it because it’s so extensive,” said Manor. “I worry about it getting infected. And then being in the hospital again. Being sick. Everything else.”
His longtime girlfriend, Sarah Taylor, is caring for him and is worried about her ability to handle such a difficult recovery.
“It’s a little bit stressful. Because I don’t want to hurt him because I know he’s in a lot of pain. So I freak out. Because I’m not qualified to do this. I have no training. I’m not a nurse, I’m a cashier,” she said.
Manor said he’s relieved as it appears his leg does not have to be amputated. However, he iworried about his business.
He runs an irrigation company and said he is worried about supporting himself while he recovers without medical insurance.
“We don’t really have a nurse staff here to help with. It’s just me and her,” he said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has some steps on its website to prevent a flesh-eating bacteria infection.
- Do not eat raw or undercooked oysters or other seafood. Cook them before eating.
- Do not let raw seafood, its drippings, or its juices contaminate other foods.
- Always wash hands with soap and water after handing raw shellfish.
- If you are at increased risk for infection, wear protective gloves when handling raw seafood.
- If you have an open wound, stay out of saltwater or brackish water, if possible.
- Cover your wound with a waterproof bandage if it could come into contact with coastal waters or raw seafood, its drippings, or its juices.