Lucinda “Cindy” Mullins, a mother of two from Kentucky, is back home six weeks after losing both her legs to a “perfect storm” of infections. Despite awaiting the amputation of her arm, she insisted she was “at peace” and that she was not angry.
The 41-year-old nurse went home Friday and was just grateful to have survived the septic shock that shut down her organs shortly after a routine elective surgery to remove a kidney stone, she told “Good Morning America.” ” said.
“When I was told that this was going to happen and that I was going to lose my arms and legs, I wasn't angry,” said the mother, who is now at home with her husband and two sons, ages 7 and 12. Ta.
“I had peace. I just felt God's presence telling me, 'It's okay.' you are alive This is what happened.’ I wasn’t upset about it. ”
Still, she admitted the ordeal was “a little difficult for me to wrap my head around.”
“I'm just a normal person, and for these people to do something like that for me, it's all about God,” the mother said. Her first plan was to go to church on Sunday.
Mullins, 41, underwent elective surgery on December 1 to remove a kidney stone and had a temporary stent inserted to prevent a blockage. ABC News reported.
She followed instructions to remove the stent at home, but soon collapsed on the bathroom floor, where her husband found her and rushed her back to the hospital.
“They took my blood pressure and it was over 31 and 50. I knew in my heart that this wasn't good,” said Mullins, who has been a nurse for nearly 20 years.
“They started an IV in both arms, but I don't remember anything after that,” she said.
Doctors discovered she had infected kidney stones, went into septic shock and her organs began to shut down.
“It was a perfect storm because of the kidney stones,” she previously said.
According to the National Institutes of Health, if septic shock is left untreated for an extended period of time, it can “lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and even death.”
Mullins was put on a ventilator and sedated for several days in dire condition before being taken to a large hospital in Lexington.
“My husband and sister were there and they told me I was on the edge and it was going to get worse before it got better,” she told GMA.
“After surgery, I was put on ECMO and dialysis, but I was still on a ventilator,” she said of the machine that removes carbon dioxide from the blood and pumps oxygenated blood back into the body.
Mullins' leg was amputated the next day, and her hand will be removed in the coming weeks.
She told “GMA” that doctors will try to preserve as much of her arm as possible and will likely remove everything just below the elbow before eventually fitting her with a prosthesis.
“Doctors say they can't tell in percentage terms how close I actually am to death. And even after being on a ventilator, ECMO, and dialysis, I'm as close to death as I am now. Staying healthy is just another miracle that I've been able to stay healthy as quickly as I did,'' she said on the show.
“It was just one of those things that explains all the bad things that can happen when you have surgery, but I was one of those rare cases. I was really healthy,” Mullins said. explained.
Dr. Nate Thomas, the rehabilitation specialist overseeing her care, said she worked diligently in physical therapy to get her ready to go home.
“Her attitude of staying positive and staying upbeat and doing everything she can is really great,” Thomas told GMA.
“I don't think this is something that should be taken lightly considering the situation she's in and what she's been through. I think it's all about her. [medical] “The team is ready to take lessons from her perspective and the way she actually experienced this,” he added.
On Saturday, Mullins' sister, Lucy Hatfield Smith, said: I posted the latest information on Facebook She described her progress during rehabilitation.
“In just a few days at Cardinal Hill, she went from barely moving on her own to sitting and raising her arms to scratch her nose, using her head to drive, running from place to place, scrolling through messages. “And I sent some messages myself,” Smith wrote.
“We needed to enjoy time with family and friends, but she's out now. Now I just set 15 alarms for my evening meditation and to go to the bathroom, but now There's no place I'd rather be,” she added.
The post was accompanied by several images and videos of Mullins participating in rehabilitation exercises.
In one clip, she is seen grappling with how to get on and off a scooter by herself, while in another she is propped up on her elbows and using her phone.
The photo was also shared in the latest update to the GoFundMe page, which had raised more than $263,000 as of early Monday afternoon.
“The hardest part about this, of course, is that I miss my kids,” Mullins told GMA. “I don't think I would be where I am today without my faith,” she said, adding that one of her first plans was to go to church.
“I can’t wait for that,” she said.
