Read on Twitter
It& #39;s a year since I got #sepsis after a simple case of cystitis developed into an E-coli infection in my bloodstream. I spent 2 days thinking I had severe flu, but went to A&E on July 16th last year just in time. (I still felt like a timewaster)
(1/9)
(1/9)
By all accounts I got there just in time. I was still able to walk, talk, eat, drink, urinate normally. I only had a few of the symptoms on the sepsis checklist posters.
(2/9)
(2/9)
But my resting heartrate was incredibly high, my breathing fast, and my temperature over 39C with aches and chills like never before. I sent this pic to my loved ones, still maintaining I was fine.
(3/9)
(3/9)
I have never been in fear of my life like I was that first night. Diagnosis isn& #39;t easy. It took a while before the tests showed up exactly what I had, but the tour de force of intravenous antibiotics did the trick over the days that followed.
(4/9)
(4/9)
One year later, I still have lingering effects: muscle aches and sporadic fatigue I didn& #39;t suffer from before, and my stamina is not what it was. But unlike so many, I emerged largely unscathed.
(6/9)
(6/9)
My message to anyone who thinks it could be sepsis is don& #39;t delay seeking urgent medical attention like I did. (The current Covid crisis makes this even more difficult, and I appreciate that.) I was almost apologetic for & #39;bothering& #39; A&E. I thought they& #39;d send me away.
(7/9)
(7/9)
But another night at home could have meant a very different outcome. And something so serious and life-threatening CAN develop from something so apparently & #39;trivial& #39;. You don& #39;t need to have all the symptoms on the poster.
(8/9)
(8/9)
At least 48,000 people in the UK die with sepsis each year. Of ALL ages, backgrounds and levels of fitness.
That& #39;s 5 people dying with sepsis every hour.
40% of survivors are left with permanent, life-changing after-effects. (9/9)
#sepsisawareness
@MTWnhs @SepsisUK
That& #39;s 5 people dying with sepsis every hour.
40% of survivors are left with permanent, life-changing after-effects. (9/9)
#sepsisawareness
@MTWnhs @SepsisUK
