Woman Has Her Fingers and Toes Amputated After Kidney Stone Infection: ‘I Was on Death’s Door’

A 48-year-old woman is opening up about how what began as a kidney stone infection spiraled into a life-threatening medical emergency — and ultimately led to the amputation of most of her fingers and toes.

In July 2022, Louise Marshallsay, a former teaching assistant from South Wales in the United Kingdom, began feeling a “stabbing” pain in her side. The sensation reminded her of the severe discomfort she’d experienced three years earlier, when she required surgery to remove a kidney stone. Concerned, she went to the hospital.

Doctors confirmed she had a “small” kidney stone and sent her home, since many people are able to pass smaller stones naturally, according to Jam Press and The Daily Mail.

But later that evening, Marshallsay’s condition deteriorated rapidly. She started feeling faint, drifting in and out of consciousness. Within hours, she noticed her hands and feet turning black and purple.

She was rushed back to the hospital and collapsed shortly after arriving. When she woke up four days later, she learned she had gone into septic shock — the most severe stage of sepsis.

Sepsis is “a serious condition in which the body responds improperly to an infection,” according to the Mayo Clinic. It can progress to septic shock, a dangerous drop in blood pressure that can severely damage organs such as the lungs, kidneys and liver. In the most serious cases, it can be fatal.

Marshallsay’s condition was so critical that doctors had to restrict blood flow to protect her major organs. The consequence, however, was devastating: tissue in her extremities began to die, making amputation likely.

“I hoped I wouldn’t lose all my fingers and toes, as I didn’t know what I would do without them,” she told the outlet. “My muscles had started to waste from the lack of use and I had also lost hearing in my right ear.”

Still, she said she focused on surviving for her daughter.

“But, I was alive, and that was the most important thing,” she added. “There was no way my little girl was going to lose her mum.”

In October 2022, Marshallsay had all of her toes and fingers amputated — except for her thumbs.

“I was horrified when I looked down. I was awake during the amputation, so I saw each finger being taken away from me,” she recalled. “It was like something from a horror movie.”

Her recovery, she said, was equally shocking.

“But things got even more grisly during her recovery,” she said. “I gasped when my bandages were removed. The remains of my fingers were swollen, bruised and had stitches in the tips. I cried from the pain and shock.”

After leaving the hospital, Marshallsay stayed with her parents while learning how to adapt to daily life. She was later referred to a prosthetics lab for specialized support.

Over the next 11 months, a team from the Maxillofacial Laboratory at Morriston Hospital worked with her to create custom prosthetic fingers. Each one was first shaped in wax, allowing Marshallsay to choose details such as the look of her fingernails. Molds were then used to produce silicone prostheses, which were carefully color-matched to her skin tone.

“When I first saw them, I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “They looked just like the real thing, right down to the blue streaks for veins and intricate creases around the knuckles. I was overwhelmed.”

Today, Marshallsay says she’s adjusting to a new “normal” with her prosthetics — and she finds strength in sharing what she calls her “miracle” journey with others.

“I can’t forget I was on death’s door for a few days,” she told the outlet. “I’m so grateful to be here and, fingers crossed, things can only get better from here.”