A woman who had a flesh-eating infection said she'd rather give birth 12 times in a day than go through it again

• Colleen Sosinski, 50, had a flesh-eating infection called necrotizing fasciitis nearly a year ago.
• NF affects 700 to 1200 people a year and can cause someone to lose a limb or die.
• Over the course of Sosinski's five-month hospital stay, she had 150 surgeries.

Nearly a year ago, Colleen Sosinski, 50, felt unbearable pain in her legs. The culprit was a flesh-eating bacterial infection, otherwise known as necrotizing fasciitis.

"I would give birth to 12 children in the same day with no medications before I go through NF pain again," Sosinski, who lives in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, told Insider.

NF is a rare but serious bacterial infection that can cause sepsis, loss of limbs, or death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It affects 700 to 1200 people per year.

The infection occurs when bacteria enter the body through a cut, insect bite, or wound. It quickly spreads throughout the body, infecting tissues that eventually develop into wounds. Because the infection spreads rapidly, patients typically need surgery and antibiotics immediately.

Group A Streptococcus, the same bug that causes strep throat, can escalate in severity

Sosinski has had blood clots in the past, so when she first went to the emergency room, the doctors thought her pain was caused by clots. But within 12 hours, she was on a ventilator and needed surgery to remove dead tissue.

Around the same time, doctors told Sosinski's family she may not live. "They did call my family before they put me on the event and said 'Do you want to come see her again? Because there's a chance she may not survive this,'" Sosinski said.

A few days later, tests revealed she was initially infected with Group A Streptococcus. Group A strep is the same bug that causes strep throat, but in rare cases, it can escalate to a more serious infection.

"You can have a predisposing risk factor, either with staph and strep. Most commonly, it's with having some kind of wound get secondarily infected with [the bacteria], and it can lead to NF," Anthony Flores, associate professor in Pediatric Infectious Diseases at McGovern Medical School, said.

Some people are more vulnerable to severe infections. If you're immunocompromised or have chronic liver disease, doctors recommend keeping a close eye on relatively minor wounds and staying out of saltwater.

People with diabetes, kidney disease, and cancer are also more prone to getting NF, according to the CDC.

Sosinski remained in the hospital for five months

Sosinski first got infected in her left leg, and to halt the bacteria's progression, she had two surgeries to remove dead tissue each day for two weeks.

Over the course of Sosinski's five-month hospital stay, she has over 150 surgeries to remove dead skin, muscle, and tendons. The surgeries were mostly on her lower legs and feet.

After months in the hospital, Sosinski had to walk 16 feet with a walker in order to leave the hospital. Otherwise, her doctors said she'd need to go into a nursing home. "If I would have gone into a nursing home, I would have mentally given up," she said.

Now that Sosinski is back home, she uses a cane for short distances and a motorized cart for grocery store trips. She avoids going outside until her husband is back from work each day.

Clean your wounds to prevent a bacterial infection

Sosinski is thankful to be alive and urges others to go to the emergency room right away if they think they necrotizing fasciitis.

"Had I not gotten to the hospital, if they would have waited two more hours, I would have died," she said.

Early symptoms of NF include growing red or swollen skin, pain that expands beyond the red or swollen skin, or a fever. Symptoms can escalate to ulcers or blisters on the skin, dizziness, and fatigue.

Flores said it's rare for a small wound to escalate to a deadly infection, but if your wound is abnormally painful or spreading quickly, seek medical care immediately.

The CDC recommends cleaning up cuts with soap and water and covering them with bandages to prevent bacterial infection. While a cut or wound is healing, avoid hot tubs, swimming pools, lakes, and oceans.