After amputation scare The CORE Institute physician guides retiree back to good health

The Journey Back

A er amputation scare, The CORE Institute physician guides retiree back to good health

By Brian Sodoma

Jeanne Przekota, 67, is an outgoing Valley retiree known in her neighborhood for always being out and about. She frequently tends to her yard and even sweeps her cul de sac to keep her West Valley retirement community looking beautiful. But in May of this year, neighbors noticed her home was unusually quiet, and she hadn’t been seen or heard from in a couple of weeks.

They would soon learn that Przekota was on a frightening health journey. At one point, it would even involve potentially amputating her right leg. However, thanks to one physician’s expertise and steady hand, she is now back to enjoying life again.

“This was something I never anticipated in my entire life,” she said, “and I’m so grateful to The CORE Institute. They were simply amazing.”

MINOR ACCIDENT, MAJOR CONCERNS

After retiring from a career as an escrow officer in 2018, Przekota quickly settled into enjoying her home, tending to her garden, and doing volunteer work in the community. She also picked up work as a part-time e-commerce clerk for a nearby grocery store.

On May 15, while at work, she inadvertently bumped into a shopping cart, leaving a small cut on her ankle about the length of a dime. There was some pain, but she passed it off as nothing and finished her shift. That evening, however, she felt sick to her stomach and could not work the next day. The following day, when she reported for a shift, her ankle swelled to the point where she couldn’t walk.

A WILD RIDE

An emergency room X-ray found no fracture, but the swelling would not subside, and her white blood cell counts were high. The ER team assumed Przekota had an infection and sent her home with antibiotics and pain medication.

After the swelling wouldn’t stop a few days later, another hospital visit revealed even higher white blood cell counts, suggesting a worsening infection. One physician brought up the potential need for amputation. Instead of deciding right away, Przekota asked if she

“This was something I never anticipated in my entire life,” she said, “and I’m so grateful to The CORE Institute. They were simply amazing.” – Jeanne Przekota

AR-0008870369-01 could spend a couple of days at home to consider her next steps.

“With all the pain medications, I was not in the best shape mentally, so I really wanted to come home so I could think about this,” she said.

A CORE INSTITUTE PHYSICIAN TAKES CHARGE

In early June, Przekota visited Dr. Tharesh Udupa, a podiatrist and wound care specialist at The CORE Institute. By then, the swelling had increased to an area roughly 10 inches long by 5 inches wide and the enlarged cut had scabbed over. Dr. Udupa’s first goal was to initiate proper wound care. Przekota needed to keep the area moist and covered so it could heal. Dr. Udupa had also noticed compromised blood flow in the leg.

“When a wound like this scabs over, it hides things, and it never really heals. Pulling off scabs is fine as a kid when you have good blood flow, but as you get older, you need to protect the wound,” Dr. Udupa explained.

After a couple of weeks of wound care, he did not see the progress he’d hoped for and referred Przekota to a vascular specialist. There, an ultrasound confirmed peripheral artery disease (PAD). Her case required an angioplasty to place a stent to open up her femoral artery, increasing lower leg blood flow. After the successful procedure, healing began almost “instantaneously,” Przekota said. Dr. Tharesh Udupa

THE ROAD BACK

With the wound healing well, Dr. Udupa ordered physical therapy twice a week and a home health nurse to the home for wound dressing changes. Confined to a wheelchair and unable to drive, neighbors and friends checked in on Przekota daily, and she was determined to regain her physical abilities.

“I did my PT at home eight hours a day. I needed to get well and take matters into my own hands,” she recalled. “Dr. Udupa told me, ‘if you do your part, I’ll do mine.’ I really respect how he was always very professional. He didn’t sugarcoat anything.”

Przekota was officially back to her old self by mid-November, six months after the incident. With her life back to normal, Dr. Udupa says that his determined patient’s story shows how important it is to pay attention to leg wounds that won’t heal.

“You don’t want to wait and let a month go by,” he said. “However, a growing infection can lead to much larger problems and can worsen rapidly without the correct treatment.”