A WINSFORD mum who almost died from a rare flesh-eating disease following an emergency c-section has spoken of her trauma a year on.

Amber Hill, 23, contracted necrotising fasciitis – a serious bacterial skin infection – following surgery at Leighton Hospital on July 7, 2014.

Necrotising fasciitis spreads quickly and kills the body’s soft tissue. It can be treated if spotted early, but can be life-threatening in a very short time.

The day after giving birth to her son, Oscar, Amber noticed a lump in her stomach the size of a 2p.

“I didn’t think anything of it, but the next day the ball seemed to be bigger,” Amber said.

“As I did before I told the nurse and again she said this was swelling, so I just again believed what they said.”

After Amber was released from hospital she noticed the swelling continued to grow and began to cause her some considerable discomfort.

She claims she informed the visiting midwife on two occasions, but again no infection was diagnosed.

Two days later Amber visited Weaver Vale Surgery, in Winsford.

She claims a staff nurse looked at the wound but did not diagnose an infection.

Weaver Vale Surgery declined to comment.

Later that evening Amber was rushed to Leighton Hospital after collapsing in her home. She was placed in an induced coma as surgeons fought to save her life.

Holding back tears, Amber’s mum, Stella Hill, said: “She was on life support.

“They told me she was only breathing 20 per cent, her organs were failing, and there was nothing really they can do.

“They said ‘it’s not looking good’.”

Miraculously Amber pulled through after the life-saving surgery.

A year on and the wound has still not fully healed. Amber has also been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and said she suffers recurring bouts of depression.

She said: “A few months after I came out it just hit me like a train wreck. Even now I seem to get into these dark holes that I just can’t seem to get out of.

“It’s only because of Oscar that I’ve managed to get through it. I wouldn’t have survived it all if it wasn’t for him. I had no other reason to do it for.”

She added: “All I did was go in to do one of the most natural things you can do, to have a baby, and I came out fighting for my life instead.”

Amber has lodged an official complaint with Leighton Hospital and Weaver Vale Surgery.

A spokesman for Cheshire Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (MCHFT), which managed Leighton Hospital, said it is unable to comment in detail on individual patient concerns, though it takes any issues raised regarding a patient’s treatment “very seriously”.

The spokesman said: “In relation to this specific concern, the trust has previously reviewed the case thoroughly and responded to the concerns raised by the patient.

“As with any ongoing concern, the patient has been asked to liaise with the trust’s Customer Care Team so that any further queries can be addressed.”