Australian traveller tells of his holiday nightmare in Thailand

[george]

Australian traveller John Capretta tells of his holiday nightmare in Thailand

Australian traveller John Capretta tells of his holiday nightmare in Thailand

JOHN Capretta was over the moon when he landed in Thailand for the trip of a lifetime.

So when he fell over and cut his ankle, it seemed like a minor setback. Sure, it wasn’t the ideal way to start his holiday, but after a few stitches he thought nothing more of it.

Little did he realise that things were about to get a whole lot worse, and that this simple accident would end up wreaking havoc on his tropical trip, and his health.

Capretta, 25, a network engineer from Melbourne, said the accident happened on his first day in Koh Pangan island, on Christmas Day. He had gone out with a group of people from a nearby hostel, and when they stopped at a beach he decided to go for a run, as he did every morning.

“A lot of rain suddenly came down, Thailand-style, so as I’m running for shelter I tripped on something and fell over on the street,” he told news.com.au.

“I’m not really sure what it was I fell into — probably scrap metal on the street. I had a lot of small cuts on my leg, along with a much larger cut — about five centimetres long. It didn’t look huge to me, it wasn’t bleeding a lot, and no ligaments were damaged, but it did need stitches.”

He went to a local hospital and then a clinic where the cut was cleaned and stitched up, and he was released.

No worries, he’d be right ... or so he thought.

“It wasn’t a big thing and I thought I’d be fine in a few days.”

However, a serious infection then turned the cut into a horrific, gaping wound.

“Two days later, my foot got really swollen,” he said. “I thought it was normal, until someone suggested I should go to the hospital. So they took me to another hospital on the island — the First Western — and I spent two weeks there receiving treatment.

“The doctors knew straight away that it was infected. They didn’t know how, but one of the doctors said that bacteria in Thailand is just really strong.”

The infection refused to subside despite John undergoing several excruciating treatments, including a series of debridements, where they cut out the infected tissue from his foot.

WARNING: Graphic images below
Story continues here: http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-advice/australian-traveller-john-capretta-tells-of-his-holiday-nightmare-in-thailand/story-e6frfqg0-1227223119709

[jacky54]

Bacteria is different in Thailand? If it's 'stronger' it might just be down to the misuse of antibiotics regularly dispensed for colds and flu which are viral, and for almost anything else.

Edited February 17, 2015 by jacky54

[hansgruber]

Travel insurance is the moral of the story.

[Pib]

Heck, that blue suture looks like fishing line.

[wow64]

Lucky he had insurance. Don't travel without it.

[Paulc01]

Bacteria is different in Thailand? If it's 'stronger' it might just be down to the misuse of antibiotics regularly dispensed for colds and flu which are viral, and for almost anything else.

Maybe it's the chilis.

[OZEMADE]

Lucky he had insurance. Don't travel without it.

I book all our return flights on a Platinum Westpac credit card, it covers all our insurance needs and is included when you book the flight. (no extra cost)

Check your cards as most cover travel insurance as stated above. But it must be on a return flight booking from OZ.

[balo]

This could have happened anywhere in the world , not just on a tropical island .

I almost lost my left leg after a sever infection, i was on a boat in the north sea when someone kicked my leg by accident I wore jeans and could not clean the small wound , until a few hours later. Then I cleaned the wound with water and used some protective bandage and was thinking it would heal , but the pain only got worse the next days. I was stupid and didn't visit the hospital until it was almost too late. I was told the bacteria was very aggressive and if I had arrived a few days later it could have ended in an amputation ! But the antibiotics worked so it healed almost back to normal . Even today I have brown spots on my leg reminding me of what happened that day.

So any wound , no matter how small it is should be treated quickly , especially when you're out travelling.

Edited February 17, 2015 by balo

[tolsti]

One thing the article doesn't mention is to make sure your tetanus injection is up to date.

[koo wallety tourist]

Travel insurance is the moral of the story.

thanks for that, i was struggling to figure what it was about.

[Dogmatix]

Oral antibiotics would have been a good idea when the wound was first treated, as anything that size has the chance to get infected and sewing it up will just trap the infection inside.

[dddave]

Agree with Balo.

No matter where you are, if you get any kind of an open wound or an insect bite that continues to worsen after 2 days, get professional medical treatment. If any infection then continues to get worse, go to a major health facility...even if it means traveling way out of your way.

I had a casual acquaintance in Pattaya with an Alaskan crab fisherman; he was a pretty tough guy. He used to come to Pattaya twice a year when crabbing was closed.

One year on his first day in Pattaya, he got bitten by some insect on the bottom of his foot; maybe a spider but nobody ever knew for sure.

It really itched at first and developed a small sore. He put on a plaster and went on with his business. It began to get worse, painful with an open sore slowly getting larger.

He went to a local pharmacy and was sold a tube of ointment. A week later his whole lower leg was inflamed and he couldn't walk. He finally went to Pattaya Memorial Hosp.

Too Late; infected to the bone and gangrene was setting in. They evacuated him to a hosp. with an oxygen chamber but it was too far gone and he lost the lower leg from the knee down.

He's still in Alaska. Not on the boats anymore but makes a living fixing traps and other gear. No more trips to Pattaya.

[chooka]

Travel insurance is the moral of the story.

Isn't travel insurance void during martial law?

[rubl]

Travel insurance is the moral of the story.

Isn't travel insurance void during martial law?

Depends on the fine print.

Mind you, the seven months of chaos under 'normal' law were a wee bit more risky than the nine months after Martial Law was declared. Also a respected caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs suggested that the army declare Martial Law. So in a way, it was decided by a democratically elected (caretaker) government.

[Toknarok]

Looking at the pictures it seems like he was infected with Necrotizing Faciitis or 'Flesh Eating Bacteria". It's very prevalent here in Thailand. I have had it no less than 5 times, the bacteria is always present but benign until the skin becomes broken. A small thing like a mosquito bite can turn into a huge gaping ulcer. One of my lower legs had to be amputated because of this disease. This bloke was lucky he didn't suffer the same fate. See https://www.google.co.th/?gws_rd=cr&ei=ZoPLUoPxAaXZigf2xYDIDA#q=necrotizing+fasciitis

[kriswillems]

I had a similar problem in my own country. The antibiotics I got didn't help for the infection. After a change of antibiotics it got better very quickly. I think it can just happen anywhere - nothing Thailand specific.

Edited February 18, 2015 by kriswillems

[claffey]

The headline is quite misleading. It's hardly Thailand's fault in this case. In fact the man said he can't wait to return. He obviously got really good care in the hospitals if he's so positive about returning. How about a positive headline...' Man receives excellent healthcare in Thailand!'...

[daveAustin]

Who sewed him up, Ray Charles?

[hansgruber]

Travel insurance is the moral of the story.

thanks for that, i was struggling to figure what it was about.

Dyslexia is treatable. Seek help.

[WhamBam]

Plus he cut his leg when he slipped and fell in the rain.

During the wet season or heavy rain there is the added risk of infection from all the crap washed up from the sewers. Heaven knows what he might have got inside those cuts.

When I had an open would on my foot I had to attend hospital every day to have it cleaned and dressed in the wet season. They did warn then about the high risk of infection from the water in the streets.

[chainarong]

I mentioned to some slow one a few weeks back when he said you don't need Travel insurance, that to travel without insurance you are either brain dead or an idiot , it is easy to have an accident, probably the most common are twisted ankles or broken ones, with all those smooth flat pavements footpaths that span Thailand's cities and towns.

[NCC1701A]

i always have a bottle of hydrogen peroxide at the house and with me when i travel.

just pore it all over a wound like water. very cheap. end of problem.

18 baht at Boots for a small bottle that fits in your pocket.

[cumgranosalum]

the moral of the story is to be aware of the dangers of the Thai healthcare system........... don't think because someone is wearing a white coat or they have modernist armchairs and a fish tank that these people are either trained to the standards you expect or even have the same ethics..........this is NOT just local clinics, this applies to major hospitals as well.

Whoever did that stitching needs to go back to their old job - making handbags

[cumgranosalum]

i always have a bottle of hydrogen peroxide at the house and with me when i travel.

just pore it all over a wound like water. very cheap. end of problem.

18 baht at Boots for a small bottle that fits in your pocket.

no sir - not always the end of the problem - you could have a nasty shock too.

[Suradit69]

Travel insurance is the moral of the story.

Isn't travel insurance void during martial law?

Do you honestly think no one has been able to make a claim on his travel insurance since the coup took place? Or during any of the previous coups?

Obviously you need to buy coverage specific for travel that includes Thailand and that would not exclude personal accidents or illnesses unrelated to political unrest. You need to choose insurance that suits your travel needs, not just rely on something you may get if you use a certain credit card or brand of sun-blocker.

Am I still covered by my travel insurance?

Usually the imposition of martial law, or the usurping of power by the military, would invoke an exclusion clause in your policy – all bets are off. ...

At Travel Insurance Direct we think not, therefore we’re not applying the exclusion. We’re continuing to cover you as normal. Remember though, even before martial law was imposed you would not be covered for anything that happened to you if you went and sought out the protests and got involved. That still applies. Don’t deliberately involve yourself in the unrest.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/travel/travel-news/martial-law-in-thailand-travellers-questions-answered/story-fnjjv9zn-1226924230435

[IamNoone88]

....and here in the jungle, several days away from the nearest help, even the smallest scratch can quickly turn into a major infection ...... paying attention to any open wounds, no matter how small and at every opportunity must be a routine and regular procedure ....... No-one watch NatGeo??? ;-)

[brewsterbudgen]

the moral of the story is to be aware of the dangers of the Thai healthcare system........... don't think because someone is wearing a white coat or they have modernist armchairs and a fish tank that these people are either trained to the standards you expect or even have the same ethics..........this is NOT just local clinics, this applies to major hospitals as well.

Whoever did that stitching needs to go back to their old job - making handbags

You might be right about local clinics, but the standard of care at hospitals in Bangkok is second to none.

[toybits]

A dose of Attitude Adjustment would really suffice.

[cumgranosalum]

As said the chances of infection in the tropics are extremely high - the environment is perfect for bacteria to thrive...........so ALL MEDICAL STAFF IN THAILAND SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS.....so what went wrong!?!?!?!?!

[cumgranosalum]

the moral of the story is to be aware of the dangers of the Thai healthcare system........... don't think because someone is wearing a white coat or they have modernist armchairs and a fish tank that these people are either trained to the standards you expect or even have the same ethics..........this is NOT just local clinics, this applies to major hospitals as well.

Whoever did that stitching needs to go back to their old job - making handbags

You might be right about local clinics, but the standard of care at hospitals in Bangkok is second to none.

Absolute and complete and utter nonsense!

what are you basing your concept on? You went to one and had a "great experience"? - Im sorry but that isn't sufficient.