Brett Taylor for Channel 12 KDRV reports:
Just a few weeks ago, Taylor Thompson, a senior at Southern Oregon University, was getting ready to head into work when all of a sudden, her body felt like it was shutting down. Days later, Thompson learned that she had been infected with E.coli.
“I was bent over in horrible pain,” Thompson said. “My intestines and everything were extremely inflamed and it took quite a few tests before doctors figured out what was going on.”
Thompson is one of 10 people, according to the latest update from Jackson County Public Health, to have been hospitalized in the last couple of weeks due to an E.coli outbreak in the county.
“I was absolutely terrified,” said Thompson. “It was very scary when you are in that much pain and you feel like your entire body is shutting down.”
In total 15 people have been infected so far, but according to health officials at the moment, there has been no trace as to what exactly is causing this outbreak.
Thompson says that her case of E.coli was also very rare, a different strain of the bacteria that is not commonly seen called shiga toxin.
“I just had to wait it out and go through the IV fluids,” Thompson said. “It was about six days of pain and four days of being in the hospital. I wouldn’t even wish this on my worst enemy.”
Thankfully, Thompson says that she is getting better each and every day since the infection, but that the road to recovery will be long.
“It takes awhile to get better. My doctors said it would take 10 to 15 days to heal from this,” Thompson said. I’m on the mend but it definitely takes a toll and it does not want to go away right away. It’s something that my body will have to heal from for awhile.”
NewsWatch 12 did reach out to Jackson County Public Health for an update on the E.coli outbreak on Sunday. Officials have told NewsWatch 12 that they will be providing an update sometime this week.
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