Inmate with MRSA may lose legs, arms

LARGO, Fla., Feb. 28 (UPI) -- A Florida woman jailed for shoplifting may lose both arms and both legs to a MRSA staph infection that has left her in a coma.

The family of Dorothy Palinchik said they were told by a doctor at Largo Medical Center her limbs must be amputated for her to have a chance at survival, the St. Petersburg Times reported Thursday.

Palinchik's family said the 42-year-old waitress is suffering from MRSA and a severe case of pneumonia. The infection has done irreversible damage to her arms and legs, doctors told the family.

Palinchik was booked into the Pinellas County Jail Feb. 13 for stealing a $9 Philly cheesesteak from a grocery store. Family members said she repeatedly asked for medical help at the jail but received only one pain killer and a decongestant despite running a 101.5-degree fever for five days, the newspaper said.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said medical privacy laws prevent them from releasing any information about Palinchik's medical history or care but said she did not have any open wounds that suggested an infection when she arrived at the jail.