My chest pains turned out to be flesh-eating bug I was minutes away from dying

A mom was “minutes away from death” and had to learn to walk again after her chest pains turned out to be a flesh-eating bug ravaging her pancreas.Sam Lewis, 38, had been to the doctors three times with a pain in her chest before doctors found a gallstone blocking her bile duct.After being hospitalized, Sam’s health quickly declined and she was diagnosed with pancreatitis which became necrotizing.The mom-of-three spent six months in hospital and had to have half her pancreas cut away to save her life.Now Sam has to eat a strict low fat carb diet to avoid inflammation in her pancreas — meaning she can no longer have a fry up.Sam, a children’s entertainer, from Bournemouth, Dorset, said: “At one point I was minutes away from death.“Pancreatitis is evil and it can take you.“It’s hard pill to swallow.”Sam first started getting chest pains in 2021 while getting her children ready for the school run.She went to hospital but was told she had costochondritis — an inflammation of the breastbone – and sent home with painkillers.Sam got a similar pain again in March 2022 but after going to the doctors she claims her symptoms were “shrugged off” for long Covid.But later that month the pain came back again so Sam went to hospital and was taken for a CT scan which revealed a gallstone blocking her bile duct.This had caused pancreatitis — where the pancreas becomes inflamed.Sam said: “They said we believe you have acute pancreatitis.“They said ‘we’re going to put you on a low fat diet and you’ll be fine’.”But things suddenly took a turn for the worst.She said: “It went from acute to necrotising overnight.“My whole body swelled up.“My gallstone was attacking my pancreas.“I looked so swollen I looked like I was eight months pregnant.“I couldn’t move my ankles.”Sam was taken to intensive care and her family were told that she might not make it through.She said: “My family came in.It was heart-wrenching.

I couldn’t breathe...