A woman with Type 1 diabetes has revealed how stepping on a dog biscuit triggered a horror infection that eventually led to her leg being amputated.
Jayme Stephen was feeding her Border Collie, Ted Bear, when she accidentally stood on a piece of kibble she had dropped on the floor.
Just five days later, her foot became swollen, agonisingly painful and badly infected.
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The 39-year-old was rushed to hospital with sepsis and underwent three major operations in just five days as doctors fought to save her life.
But the infection spread so aggressively that surgeons were ultimately forced to amputate her right leg.
“I missed a piece of dog food when I was pouring it in his bowl,” Jayme, from New Pitsligo, Aberdeenshire, told Need To Know.
“I didn’t notice for a minute or two then I lifted my foot and the food had left a mark.
“Necrosis started almost straight away.
“By day five, I phoned an ambulance and was rushed to hospital.
“I was crawling around on my hands and knees because I was in agony.
“A doctor said they were rushing me into theatre to debride my foot.
“I was so scared and when they said they had to amputate, I was gutted.”
Doctors initially removed dead tissue from the sole of her foot to assess the extent of the damage.
During a second operation, surgeons sliced open the sole of her foot from top to bottom – only to discover that most of the nerves had already died.
Jayme said she had always known amputation was a risk linked to diabetes, but never imagined it would happen to her.
She said: “I never wanted my diabetes to run my life so I’ve always been so active.
“I used to go canoeing, to archery, white water rafting, gym, kick boxing or hiking with the dog every day, so I knew my life was going to change.
“I was in surgery for less than an hour and when I woke up, I had to force myself to look at my leg.”
Around 10 years ago, Jayme began losing feeling in both legs due to diabetic nerve damage, although she had never suffered complications as severe as the infection that caused her sepsis.
At the same time, she was also battling mentally with the strain of living with the condition.
She said: “Living with diabetes is hard.
“It takes a toll on your mental health and I became quite isolated.
“The main things that kept me going were Ted Bear and staying active.
“I love my dog so much, he brings me so much joy and I don’t blame him for what happened.”
Jayme was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when she was seven after her mum noticed she was constantly drinking fluids.
She said: “I was drinking so much water that I was wetting the bed and I had no control over it.
“Then the doctor noticed that my breath smelled really sweet, like pear drops, because I was producing too much sugar.
“I knew my life was going to change but I didn’t know how much.
“I was given insulin and had to test my blood sugars four times a day.
“It was difficult for a child.
“I had to snack on Milky Ways in class and it made me so self conscious because I knew I was different.
“I faced remarks as a child that I’m a junkie because I was injecting myself with insulin.”
Over the past 19 months, Jayme has had to adapt to life as a full-time wheelchair user.
Despite the trauma, she says the ordeal, which began in October 2024, has given her a fresh perspective on life.
She is now speaking out to warn other people with diabetes about how quickly even seemingly minor injuries can turn dangerous.
Jayme added: “I want to raise awareness of the symptoms like sweet breath.
“Not many people know that.
“There are also lots of difficulties that an amputee has to deal with that other people would never consider like how hard it is to find clothing.
“But I want to turn a negative into a positive.
“Life can also be really positive as someone with diabetes.
“There’s a chance I could lose my eyesight but I’m telling myself that you can never lose your vision because your memories are your vision.
“I appreciate how valuable life is and how much it means.
“It’s not about materials and money.
“I want to inject some positive into society.
“I try to keep an active life by walking my dog because I deserve a life and my illness won’t define me.”
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