BOLIVAR PENINSULA, Texas — The summer heat drives people to place like Bolivar Peninsula to enjoy the Gulf of Mexico. But the warm water is also home to potentially dangerous bacteria.
Mike Kiesel said he contracted a bacteria after a family trip to Crystal Beach and nearly lost his leg.
“They had to take lots of skin. They had to do a lot of stuff to me to save my leg and save me, actually," Kiesel said.
He said his trip last month was picture perfect until the day he was heading home to Oklahoma City when he noticed a rash on his leg.
“Nothing real crazy but got the shivers real bad. Got really, really, just teeth-chattering cold,” Kiesel said.
Over the next 48 hours, things went from bad to worse.
“My leg, I had blisters on my leg that were like this big and just distorted my whole leg,” he said.
Doctors told him he had been infected with Vibrio vulnificus, a bacteria and they needed to amputate his leg.
“They said it’s either life or limb, and well, I choose life,” Kiesel said.
Fortunately, after several surgeries and skin grafts, doctors were able to save his leg.
“It’s about one of the worst things you could ever think about happening with no explanation," he said.
“Anytime you have something living in the water such as sharks, and fish, etc., then it’s natural for there to be bacteria as well," said Janae Pulliam, health communications specialist at the Galveston County Health District.
She said Vibrio is found naturally in salt and brackish water.
While rare, infections affect people with pre-existing health conditions like diabetes, liver disease or cancer who had open cuts or sores when they came in contact with the bacteria.
“Just be safe about it. For the same reason that you wouldn’t just go somewhere when there’s no lifeguard on duty, don’t go in the water if you have a huge cut on your arm. That’s a bad idea," Pulliam said.
Kiesel has more surgeries planned but is grateful he’s on the road to recovery.
“Thank God it happened to me instead of one of my kids, or grandkids or wife,” Kiesel said. “I was more scared for them than I ever could be for myself.”
Pulliam said don’t be afraid to go in the water, just take the necessary precautions to keep you and your family safe.
You can also head to TexasBeachWatch.com to check bacteria levels near you. The website does not monitor for Vibrio vulnificus.
Pulliam said if there are high level of bacteria in the area you’re in, it is best to move to an area with lower levels of bacteria which may include Vibrio.