Kendall Hyde of WXIX reports that Lawrenceburg man spent five days in the emergency room with extreme complications from what doctors say was E. coli from eating romaine lettuce at Wendy’s
Every weekend, Terry and Nancy Henkenberns go to the grocery and wrap up their trip with a $5 Biggie Bag from Wendy’s.
“I order on it to put lettuce, tomatoes and pickles,” Terry said.
He says as the day went on, he felt off.
“I had a very high fever. My wife continued to take my fever to see how high it was. If I’m not mistaken, it made it up to 103 degrees,” Terry said.
When Terry stood up, he said he felt lightheaded.
“I fell to the floor, and then I laid here on the floor for about a half hour, 45 minutes before she could help me get off the floor,” Terry said.
“By the time he got to the point where I really need to get him to the ER, he was too weak. I couldn’t even get him to the ER,” Nancy said.
Doctors spent hours running tests on Terry and prescribed antibiotics, but they didn’t work. Then they asked what Terry had eaten.
“They finally came up with the solution that I had E. coli and the E. coli was from eating the lettuce from Wendy’s down on Lawrenceburg Road,” he said
Over the past few years, Terry has suffered from underlying health issues such as three strokes and two heart attacks.
His doctors told him that his recovery would be a long road due to his health history.
“I’m taking physical therapy and occupational therapy. I’ve got a nurse that comes in a couple of times a week trying to help me get back up to start moving again,” Terry said.
Terry can walk but only for a short distance without his cane.
The right side of his body is healed but moving his left arm and leg continue to be a problem due to complications from the E. Coli.
“It’s like they say, you can’t blame Wendy’s. Next time I go, I’ll say no lettuce. Please, no lettuce, no, no, no whatever you do. I don’t even want to get near lettuce,” he said.