9/9/24: Chris was visiting friends when he drank some natural spring water at their property. His life has never been the same since (nontuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13741655/chris-capper-sick-unfiltered-water-queensland.html
A man has lost a third of his lungs, suffered kidney failure and now has septic arthritis in some of his joints after drinking unfiltered spring water which left him with a rare and ‘likely incurable’ infection.
Chris Capper, a 33-year-old former roofer, moved to Home Hill, a rural town in northern Queensland, a few years ago to care for his sick father.
He was visiting friends in the nearby town of Mount Elliot when he drank natural spring water on their property in July, 2021.
Mr Capper has been sick ever since and believes it was the unfiltered water that made him ill.
He visited countless doctors who were unable to figure out why he was so unwell and it wasn’t until July last year that he was found to be suffering from a lung disease believed to be caused by nontuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM) – bacteria found in soil, water and dust.
Mr Capper now takes 16 tablets a day, including four different types of antibiotics, but is still severely unwell and is receiving no answers from mediacal experts as to when his suffering may end.
The infection has spread through his blood stream to his left hip, lumbar spine and skin nodules.
‘I can’t help myself at all and the doctors don’t know much about the bug so it just feels like they’re waiting for me to die,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘My brain is stuffed from all this medication and they don’t even know if it’s going to work.’
Mr Capper has been regularly driving 14 hours to Brisbane to receive care at The Prince Charles Hospital.
He said at one stage his kidney function dropped so low it was at just six per cent.
His legs have also been seizing up, he is experiencing vision loss and at times his hands are unable to close.
Mr Capper said he vomits blood, bleeds when going to the toilet, and has no energy.
Symptoms of NTM disease include a cough with phlegm and sometimes blood, fever and night sweats, loss of appetite and weight loss, and a lack of energy.
Before doctors were able to determine what disease Mr Capper was suffering from, he received an x-ray that showed a hole in his lungs.
Six weeks later a third of his lungs had been ‘eaten’ by the infection.
The bacteria from the infection has also spread to his elbows, leaving him with septic arthritis.
On top of his recent health battle, Mr Capper also suffers from type 1 diabetes and cystic fibrosis – an inherited disorder that causes severe damage to the lungs, digestive system and other organs.
His father died in September last year and Mr Capper has no other family around him.
While he relies on friends occasionally, he said there was only so much they could do.
Work hasn’t been possible for Mr Capper while he’s been caring for his father and unwell himself.
‘I live in a rural town and they’ve got this attitude of ”you’ll be right” but I’m from the city where you ask for help and get it,’ he said.
In a report from one of his doctors last month and seen by Daily Mail Australia, the physician said his biggest concern was that Mr Capper ‘is slowly dying’, from the infection he deemed ‘likely incurable’.
‘Our goal is really to try and suppress the infection and buy him some time,’ the doctor wrote in a letter, recommending Mr Capper receive treatment closer to home at the Ayr Hospital.
Mr Capper spends weeks at a time in hospital hooked up to an IV drip that pumps him with antibiotics.
‘My hip is shattered, I’ve got stomach ulcers and my eyes bleed. The doctors call it modern day tuberculosis,’ the 33-year-old said.
Mr Capper has been unable to work for the last few years due to his health and said he’s nearly blown through his inheritance.
While he owns his house, Mr Capper said there was too much damage to sell it, and he hadn’t been able to repair it amid his health battle.
He has since launched a GoFundMe to help raise money to buy a $4,500 insulin pump for his diabetes, along with his ongoing medical costs.
It’s understood the Prince Charles Hospital has funded some of his medication costs.