text: × Texas woman recounts her ‘unreal’ fight against flesh-eating bacteria 
   
   AUSTIN, Texas – A Texas woman is recovering after a trip to the beach quickly turned into a life-threatening scare. 
   
   “I feel like I’ve absolutely walked out of this like a cat that used one of their lives,” said Michelle O’Brien. 
   
   Within hours, a seemingly small accident left Michelle’s family never wanting to return. 
   
   Michelle and her son were looking for sea glass when she stepped on an oyster. 
   
   “That oyster was like a razor blade, like a surgeon’s scalpel, it went straight through,” she said. 
   
   Even though she was wearing thick sneakers, Michelle was exposed to Vibrio Vulnificus, a flesh-eating bacteria. 
   
   “Kinda like you’re on fire from within,” she said. 
   
   Vibrio Vulnificus is in the same family as Cholera. 
   
   It attacks the immune system and can destroy feet, hands and anywhere there is an open wound. 
   
   “The only reason I still have my foot attached to me is because I got those early antibiotics in,” she said. 
   
   She was headed home to Austin with a dose of antibiotics, but they were not enough. 
   
   Michelle spent five days in the hospital, mostly in the ICU. 
   
   “It was unreal how quickly it came on,” O’Brien said. 
   
   Most cases of the bacteria happen between May and October because that’s when the water is warmest. 
   
   “People don’t realize it’s not just on oysters, this bacteria is in the water. If it were a small child or an older person or somebody that’s not in tip-top shape, it is absolutely deadly,” she said. 
   
   She says she is thankful for the second chance she has been given and will never look at the ocean the same way again. ||||| Lenny and Joann Buck wanted to spend their 24th wedding anniversary at the beach in Baldwin County, but the Georgia couple's vacation plans now include the hospital. 
   
   Lenny got sick after eating raw oysters at an Orange Beach restaurant. He had a fever and developed sores and blisters on one of his legs. Lenny contracted Vibrio Vulnificus, a potentially deadly, flesh eating bacteria. 
   
   The bacteria thrives in warm, saltwater and can enter the body through open wounds or by eating contaminated shellfish. The bacteria can be particularly dangerous to people with pre-existing medical conditions or compromised immune systems. 
   
   Lenny- who is diabetic and a cancer survivor- has been at South Baldwin Regional Medical Center in Foley for the past 13 days. He faces his 6th surgery Thursday to repair his damaged and infected leg. 
   
   Doctors say Lenny won't be able to walk for at least four months. Lenny tells us he's never eating raw oysters again. ||||| Fall Allergies Nothing to Sneeze At 
   
   Fall Allergies Nothing to Sneeze At Why We Need Vitamin D 
   
   Why We Need Vitamin D Kids More Vulnerable to This Illness 
   
   Kids More Vulnerable to This Illness Bitten by a Spider, Now What? 
   
   Bitten by a Spider, Now What? Shake That Stubborn Cough! 
   
   Shake That Stubborn Cough! Do You Have West Nile? 
   
   Do You Have West Nile? Drinking, the Right Way 
   
   Drinking, the Right Way Bad News for Beef Lovers 
   
   Bad News for Beef Lovers Before You Tummy Tuck, Watch THIS 
   
   Before You Tummy Tuck, Watch THIS One Mother's Tragic Story 
   
   One Mother's Tragic Story Beat THIS by Washing Your Hair 
   
   Beat THIS by Washing Your Hair Beware of Delayed Drowning 
   
   Beware of Delayed Drowning A Car Can Heat Up Fast in the Sun 
   
   A Car Can Heat Up Fast in the Sun Miracle Baby Survives 3-Story Fall 
   
   Miracle Baby Survives 3-Story Fall Don't Forget the Sunscreen!! 
   
   Don't Forget the Sunscreen!! What Vitamin D REALLY Does 
   
   What Vitamin D REALLY Does Hidden Hazards for Your Heart 
   
   Hidden Hazards for Your Heart THIS is the BEST Exercise Ever 
   
   THIS is the BEST Exercise Ever How Can PEE-Cycling Help Us? 
   
   How Can PEE-Cycling Help Us? Her Death Helped Thousands 
   
   Her Death Helped Thousands Hidden Danger in Your Food 
   
   Hidden Danger in Your Food Tone It Up Ab Workout 
   
   Tone It Up Ab Workout Winter Weight Loss Superfoods 
   
   Winter Weight Loss Superfoods Avoid the Flu at Home 
   
   Avoid the Flu at Home Sunshine to Help Blood Pressure 
   
   Sunshine to Help Blood Pressure How Paleo Could ROT Your Teeth 
   
   How Paleo Could ROT Your Teeth Do You Need a Headache Diary? 
   
   Do You Need a Headache Diary? Is Your City the Worst? 
   
   Is Your City the Worst? Hot Cars can be Deadly 
   
   There's a serious danger lurking in the water off the Florida coast. 
   
   Vibrio vulnificus may sound like a Harry Potter spell, but it's actually the scientific name for a flesh-eating bacteria that thrives in warm saltwater, according to WPTV.com. Officials issued a new warning about the bacteria Monday, telling anyone with an open cut to stay out of the water and reminding all swimmers to wash off before going home, the report added. 
   
   The Florida Department of Health also warned that consuming raw oysters or shellfish could put people in danger for contracting the disease, so always be sure to cook seafood before consumption, says WPTV.com. Those with weaker immune systems should also stay out of the water, as they have a much higher risk of death if infected by the bacteria. 
   
   (MORE: What Turned This River Red?) 
   
   In all, 32 people have been sickened by the illness. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, skin lesions, fever, chills and a decline in blood pressure. 
   
   The Broward-Palm Beach New Times mentions 10 people have died from the flesh-eating bacteria in the Sunshine State during the past few years. The paper says two of those deaths were in Broward County in 2013. 
   
   The most recent deaths were this year in Lee and Sarasota counties. The Fort Myers News-Press reports bacteria killed two people in Lee County; One victim was a man over 65 who ate infected oysters, while the second victim was a man who got sick after exposing an open wound to bacteria in the Gulf of Mexico. A third person died in Sarasota County, according to First Coast News. 
   
   Finding this strain of bacteria along Florida's beaches is especially disconcerting because the state thrives off its tourism industry to the tune of $76 billion annually, according to VisitFlorida.com. Many of the state's 94 million tourists make their way to the coastline and swim in saltwater that contains the dangerous bacteria. 
   
   (MORE: Tragedy on the Beach a During Family Vacation) 
   
   Still, health officials say you should not cancel your vacation. Vibrio vulnificus is found in many waterways where people frequently swim, and the Broward-Palm Beach New Times says you've probably gone swimming in one of these water bodies. 
   
   Just be cautious, the health department warns, if you have a weakened immune system, because the flesh-eating bacteria becomes more dangerous for those with compromised immune systems. 
   
   MORE ON WEATHER.COM: 13 Healthy Habits That Can Actually Hurt You
target: – Not long after Florida warned beachgoers to be careful, new reports are emerging of tourists suffering from flesh-eating bacteria. The Weather Channel points to reports of at least three deaths in the state this year, while others have suffered from Vibrio Vulnificus in Alabama and Texas. A Georgia man ended up with sores on his leg and a fever after eating raw oysters at a restaurant in Orange Beach, Alabama; officials have warned against eating raw shellfish. Diabetic and cancer survivor Lenny Buck, who was celebrating his 24th wedding anniversary, is due for a sixth surgery on his leg this week, WKRG reports. A woman from Austin, Texas, meanwhile, has contracted the disease after cutting her foot on an oyster in Galveston. "That oyster was like a razor blade, like a surgeon’s scalpel, it went straight through," Michelle O'Brien says, per KFOR. She was hospitalized for five days and says she would have lost her foot without antibiotics. The illness can be contracted by swimming in affected areas, and it can be fatal about half the time. (Read about another "nightmare bacteria" also on the rise in the South.)