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Deadly Infection Almost Destroys Woman's Face

By _ Neglia_ (http://www.aolhealth.com/bio/ashley-neglia)

If treated early, a routine _sinus infection_

(http://www.aolhealth.com/conditions/sinusitis-major-1/when-to-call-a-doctor)

may cause uncomfortable

pressure, nasal congestion and often makes a patient feel generally

miserable. For the most part, however, sinus infections don't leave people

near-death, unless, of course, you happen to be Sue Carlisle.

It was October 2006, and Carlisle was suffering from the symptoms of a

sinus infection. The 49-year-old had experienced similar infections in the

past and assumed that the steroids she had been previously prescribed would be

enough to get her back on her feet. However, when she went to the doctor,

the diagnosis was more dire than she ever imagined. Carlisle's face was

infected with mucormycosis, a rare and deadly infection that can affect the

sinuses, brain or lungs, reports _ABC News._

(http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=8394234)

Click below to watch an interview with Sue Carlisle.

Video courtesy of ABC News.

Mucormycosis primarily occurs in people with immune disorders, such as

_AIDS_ (http://www.aolhealth.com/condition-center/hiv) or _cancer patients,_

(http://www.aolhealth.com/condition-center/cancer) and is caused by common

fungi found in soil, decaying vegetation and moldy bread, according to the

_National Institute of Health._

(http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000649.htm) Most people are

exposed to this kind of fungi on a daily

basis, but those with weakened immune systems are more susceptible to

infection.

In Carlisle's case, the repeated use of steroids to treat prior sinus

infections had weakened her immune system to such a degree that she could not

fight off the fungus, which resulted in mucormycosis. In most patients, it

takes two to three days for mucormycosis to travel through the bloodstream

and to the brain, which causes a patient's mortality rate to rise to 80

percent. However, in Carlisle's case, the infection stayed in her face, causing

it to become so swollen and infected that her cheek eventually burst,

leaving a crater, according to ABC News.

Because early surgical intervention and the removal of all dead and

infected tissue can dramatically improve a patient's chances for survival,

doctors wanted to completely remove Carlisle's cheek up to her eyelid. However,

she refused to undergo the invasive surgery, forcing doctors to take a more

conservative approach. For the next two months, doctors performed nearly 30

surgeries to remove small amounts of infected tissue, reports ABC News.

After the surgeries and approximately 60 visits to a hyperbaric chamber to

kill off the rest of the infection, Carlisle began to grow healthy facial

tissue. Her face was still intact, but she now faced the possibility of

losing her upper jaw because the infection had destroyed most of her jawbone

and palate. She couldn't open her mouth, let alone speak or eat.

Doctors initially gave Carlisle a temporary false palate. However, because

she had to hold it in place with her tongue, she still could not open her

mouth. It wasn't until 20 months later, when a team of medical experts

developed an entirely new implant for Carlisle that could stay in place with

magnets, that she regained enough functionality to speak and chew small

pieces of soft food.

While the infection is long gone and Carlisle is now healthy, lasting

complications, such as the inability to chew anything that isn't soft, a

limited sense of taste and no sense of smell, remain.