Birthday gran Marjorie's miracle recovery; Hospital staff had never seen anything like it.Byline: LINDSEY MUSSETT A TOUGH gran who battled her way back from the brink Back from the Brink can refer to:
Marjorie Rigg's family were told to expect the worst after she developed gangrene gangrene, local death of body tissue. Dry gangrene, the most common form, follows a disturbance of the blood supply to the tissues, e.g., in diabetes, arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, or destruction of tissue by injury. in her leg, which eventually caused her body to shut down. But the Billingham gran's determination and the care of staff at James Cook University Hospital The James Cook University Hospital is a 1010 bed major tertiary hospital and district general hospital in Marton, Middlesbrough. It forms part of the South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust, along with the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton. and at the University Hospital of North Tees meant her family could instead celebrate what daughter Gillian Mansell called a "miracle recovery". "She was completely healthy up to the age of 79, then she developed osteoporosis," said 45-year-old Gill, of Norton. "Then a couple of months ago, she kept saying her foot was hurting. She was told she had an ulcer and they dressed it. When she went for an appointment to have the bandage off, they said they would have to keep her in." About a week later, on Tuesday, August 25, the family was told Marjorie had developed gangrene, and that without having her leg removed she would die. Gill said: "On the Thursday and Friday, she was talking rubbish. The poison was going through her body." Marjorie's family, including Gill, her brother Norman Rigg, sister Anne Pitt, 54, and dad John Rigg The Hon. John Rigg MLC (1 November 1858 - 20 October 1943) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. He was born in St Kilda, Victoria, Australia, and was a typographer and union secretary. He was the first President of the Independent Political Labour League in 1905. , 80, stayed by her bedside. "Most nights we just sat in silence," said Norman, 47. "The nurses were amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. throughout," added Gill, who is mum to Karl, 21, and Jamie, 12. She said: "I have to say a particular thank you to one nurse, Emma from ward seven of James Cook. On a day when her shift ended at 8pm, she was still texting me at 11.30 that night to ask about mam." Marjorie, a mum-of-four, then began to have seizures. "We feared the worst," said Gill. "The nurse said 'It's not looking good.' At one point, we went in to talk to her and she had a fit. I screamed - it was horrendous." They were was then given the devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. news that Marjorie's body was shutting down. Gill said: "The surgeon said 'if you need to ring anyone, you need to do it now. I think I went into shock. I sent my sister to ask what they had just said because I didn't believe it." The family waited anxiously as Marjorie was taken into surgery to have her leg removed. Gill said: "The very next day I got a call to say she wasn't ill enough to be in intensive care." Marjorie recovered well for a few days, but then she suffered a stroke. She also had blood clots and heart failure and was given a 60% chance of survival. She was moved to the stroke unit at North Tees. But less than two weeks later, fighter Marjorie once again beat the odds to come through it. Gill said: "The staff said they had never seen anything like it. Our nickname for her is The Terminator - 'I'll be back!'" CAPTION(S): CAKE: Marjorie Rigg, above, and above left, with Staff nurse Clare Sullivan, husband John and Student Nurse Kathryn Coverdale Picture, above left, by DOUG MOODY |
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