Julia Anderson had fallen asleep curled on top of her legs (Picture: Kennedy News and Media)
A mum nearly had her limbs amputated after she fell asleep in an ‘awkward position’ after a night out.
Julia Anderson had enjoyed a pub crawl with friends and a ‘lot of vodka’ in Toronto, Canada before booking a taxi home.
She was looking forward to nothing more than her cosy bed.
Once home, the 36-year-old curled up on top of her legs and faced downwards on top of the covers.
Her mum Sandra, 70, checked on her during the night and told her to move from the uncomfortable-looking position.
Julia was shocked to discover she could barely move and, what’s more, her legs seemed to have doubled in size due to swelling.
An ambulance was called and rushed the terrified mum to hospital.
After undergoing tests and x-rays she was diagnosed with compartment syndrome caused by lying on her legs all night which had blocked blood flow.
The 36-year-old accidentally cut off the blood supply to her limbs (Picture: Kennedy News and Media)
Surgeons performed a gruelling life-saving op where Julia’s left leg was sliced open and muscle was cut off to relieve the swelling and reduce the toxins being released into her bloodstream.
The 36-year-old, who says she was carrying 40lb-50lb of excess fluid, was hospitalised for five weeks where she underwent dialysis, had a blood transfusion and a skin graft op.
Three years on from the January 2020 ordeal, Julia still can’t walk properly and is unable to work.
She is now bravely sharing what happened so people know to sober up before bed to avoid the same fate.
Julia has warned people to drink ‘plenty water’ after a night out (Picture: Kennedy News and Media)
Julia, from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, said: ‘I went on a night out with friends. I remember I was drinking vodka all night, I was drinking a lot of straight liquor.
‘We didn’t eat. Pre-drinks and bar drinks combined, it was the equivalent of 20 drinks, so quite a bit.
‘I was drunker than normal. When I got home I just thought “go to bed Julia” and I passed out curled up on top of my legs face down.’
When she woke, Julia even feared she had somehow broken her legs during the pub crawl.
What is compartment syndrome?
Compartment syndrome is a painful and potentially serious condition caused by bleeding or swelling within an enclosed bundle of muscles – known as a muscle compartment.
Acute compartment syndrome: happens suddenly, usually after a fracture or severe injury, is a medical emergency and requires urgent treatment, can lead to permanent muscle damage if not treated quickl.
Symptoms of acute compartment syndrome usually develop after an injury and get quickly worse.
Symptoms can include: intense pain, especially when the muscle is stretched, which seems much worse than would normally be expected for the injury.
Tenderness in the affected area, tightness in the muscle, a tingling or burning sensation, in severe cases, numbness or weakness (these are signs of permanent damage)
It wasn’t until she reached hospital that the truth emerged.
Julia continued: ‘I was immediately rushed into surgery because my muscle was deteriorating and releasing toxins into my bloodstream causing my body to swell up and my kidneys to shut down.
‘After the first surgery I was in intensive care for two weeks strapped to a device to drain the fluid as I was still huge.
‘They then brought a kidney dialysis machine into the room and hooked me up to it.
Julia Anderson following her gruelling surgery (Picture: Kennedy News and Media)
‘The haemoglobin levels in my blood dropped so low I had to have a couple of blood transfusions too.
‘They then did a skin graft from my thigh. The nerve damage was so bad I was screaming out in the middle of the night with the pain.
‘I was in pain constantly. Imagine your leg is falling asleep but that tingling feeling is times a thousand, like a sharp shooting electric shock up my leg.’
Julia was in hospital for five weeks before being allowed home where she was bedridden for three weeks and forced to rely on heavy-duty painkillers for a year.
After being embarrassed by her ordeal for along period of time, she bravely decided to share her story online to ensure it doesn’t happen to anyone else.
Julia said: ‘At the time I was embarrassed about it, because who wants to be like “I passed out drunk like an idiot”.
‘The shame’s kind of dissipated because it’s been years now, it could happen to anyone.
‘Normally it’s a sports injury, often people do lose their limbs.
‘I would say to people that if you do have too much to drink, try and sober up before going to bed.
‘Have some food and some water, don’t just pass out because you won’t wake up if the circulation gets cut off.’
Julia’s Facebook post to the world, from February 25, reads: ‘I’ve never been open about this on social media, but if I can save someone’s limb, or even life, it’s worth sharing.
‘NEVER pass out really drunk! “Sleeping it off” is dangerous!! Have some food and water instead and try to sober up before bed!’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
‘It could happen to anyone’.
