Slip on slice of tomato cost me my leg
Grandad Malcolm, 65, breaks his toe in fall and docs have to amputate to save his life
A PENSIONER has told how most of his leg had to be amputated after he slipped on a piece of tomato in a freak accident.
Malcolm White, 65, fractured his toe after the slice fell out of a sandwich he was carrying and he bashed his toe on a skirting board.
The grandad only realised something was wrong when he saw that his toe had turned black and went to hospital.
An X- ray showed it was fractured and he was told to return later – but when the blackness spread his wife Yvonne, 53, rushed him back in.
He was found to have blood clots and ended up in intensive care, with medics warning he could die without amputation.
Retired social worker Malcolm, from Bonhill in Dunbartonshire, said: “It was a freak accident and we laugh about it as it’s so ridiculous but there are also days where I feel really down.
“All of this because of a bit of tomato falling out a sandwich. Our lives have been completely turned upside down.”
Malcolm’s nightmare began on July 11 after a fall led to a catastrophic chain of events which could have killed him.
The dad of nine and grandfather of 18 said: “Yvonne asked if I wanted anything to eat and I said yes, I would have a salad and cold meat sandwich.
“She made it and for some reason I ended up walking back into the house holding the sandwich and a bit of tomato fell out and I slipped on it and hit my toe off the skirting board.
“I managed to get back up and sat in the garden and that’s when I noticed my toe was really black.
“I actually thought paint had rubbed off on it from the garden furniture so I tried to wash it off.”
Malcolm went to the Vale of Leven Hospital and had his foot X-rayed.
He said: “They told me to come back on the Monday and get it checked because of the colour of it but Yvonne was really worried as it started spreading up my foot and called the doctor out over the weekend.
“The next thing I remember is waking up in the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital after four days in intensive care.”
Malcolm was told doctors had discovered blood clots in his leg which had cut off the circulation, leading to his skin turning black.
Doctors performed surgery to remove the clots but this was unsuccessful.
Malcolm said: “The surgeon said to me, ‘Look at your foot’. I looked down and my toes and part of my foot was completely black.
“He said ‘if you keep your foot you’ll die’ so I had no other option but to agree to get it amputated from the knee.”
The couple are now in dispute with West Dunbartonshire Council, who they want to adapt their two-storey council house or rehome them.
Malcolm says he can’t get up the stairs to the bedroom or bathroom and is confined to the living room.
He said: “It’s where we sleep and eat and it’s also where I have to use a commode and empty my catheter.
“I haven’t even been able to have a shower and Yvonne has to bed wash me every day.
“I can’t get out the house as I have steps at the front and back so I’m completely confined.”
Malcolm said they would prefer to stay in their home and have it adapted but that the council plans to move them into a new bungalow. He added: “It’s bad enough trying to start a new life in our home as an amputee without having to move.”
The council said: “We are sorry this tenant is unhappy and continue to provide support and assistance to him.
“Our occupational health team conducted a comprehensive assessment of Mr White’s needs and although his property is not adaptable to meet his medical requirements, we are working hard to provide an alternative property that does.”