Sepsis

[Chippy_Tea]

Having had a lucky escape a couple of years ago i was shocked to read this today, i guess i never realised at the time how close i was.

If you dont read the whole article make sure you read this it may save your life - Sepsis

Sepsis victim warns of silent symptoms after losing both legs​

A woman who was in seemingly good health has described how a hard-to-detect case of sepsis resulted in her having both legs amputated.
Beth Budgen, from Newbury in Berkshire, thought she just had a cold when she woke up feeling ill on Christmas Eve.
But she started developing agonising pain the next day, vomited blue liquid and was rushed to A&E in Basingstoke.
The 46-year-old spent seven months in hospital but is now back at home trying to adapt to her new way of life.

She told BBC Radio 5 Live she wanted to share her shocking story to raise awareness so others could spot the symptoms earlier.
A few hours after arriving at hospital, doctors told her family to "prepare for the worst" as she was put into an induced coma for six weeks.
"It think it all kind of happened pretty quickly from there... by Boxing Day I had a complete organ failure," she said.
Ms Budgen was not responding to life support and medics soon established that - as well as flu and pneumonia - she had contracted the strep A bacterial infection that ultimately led to sepsis.

When she came out of the coma her feet were black and doctors told her she had to have both legs amputated.
"I can't honestly tell you how that felt," she said.
"I think I was just so utterly shocked by it."
She underwent surgery at Southampton General Hospital, where she also had parts of her hands removed.
"It's surreal. At first everything is bandaged... you can see everything is shorter but you can't really see what they look like," she said.

It was only when the bandages were taken off that reality sunk in.
But Ms Budgen said she considered herself lucky and has "always been an optimistic person".
Returning home after the amputation, however, has presented her with difficult challenges.
"First night I was here on my own in my own house I made the mistake of leaving my medication downstairs, so having made the 30-minute trip getting upstairs I realised I didn't have my medication - and that was my first meltdown," she said.
"I am pretty determined to wear my [prosthetic] legs as much as I can. It's just exhausting."

What is sepsis?​

• Sepsis is known as the "hidden killer" because it can be so hard to detect.
• It is caused by the immune system going into overdrive. Instead of just fighting an infection, it starts attacking other parts of the body too.
• Ultimately it causes organ failure. Even survivors can be left with long-term damage and disability.
• Bacteria and viruses that cause diarrhoeal infections or lung diseases are the leading triggers of sepsis.
• The symptoms include: loss of consciousness, severe breathlessness, a high temperature, slurred speech, nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, severe muscle pain.

"If this happened to me it can happen to anyone that you love," Ms Budgen said.
"People really need to be aware of the signs of sepsis and educate themselves."
Ms Budgen's family has launched a campaign to help her raise money for everything else she will need, from various adaptions to her home to a bespoke pair of legs.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-66375614

 

[Clint]

Chap works with me had it...fit as a fiddle...nearly killed him,was off for months. Thankfully he's OK now.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Haven't had that but came close once.

In 2016 we went to Jamaica. On return, I had a very very itchy and scabby forearm - think I'd been bitten despite the repellent. Anyway the doctors thought it was impetigo and gave me mupirocin ointment and a week's worth of antibiotics.

When I went for my follow-up appointment, the doctor wasn't happy as my arm was red most of the way down it, with a defined line where the red stopped. He drew on my arm with a biro where the red stopped and said if that red line moves come straight back. I'm almost certain it was MRSA or some staphylococcus germ. There is a condition called scalded skin syndrome and I think I had that, though he never said. I do have pictures actually somewhere.

When my arm was touching the rest of my torso, it was spreading so I was getting red all over and thought I had blood poisoning at the time.

I was given another 2 weeks worth of really disgusting antibiotics that made my mouth taste really bitter constantly, and I couldn't taste anything else. I was also given Hibiscrub that surgeons use. That combination finally shifted it. Was a little bit worried for a while!


On a side note, the mother is in and out of hozzy constantly, as she just picks and picks herself. She's had an awful skin condition for years and years and years. She just scabs over constantly and all her skin is just white with scars. It's horrid. She's not normal that one.

 

[Clint]

I had an infection in an old scar that was where a steel pin stuck out of my leg. It swelled up the size of a grapefruit and was very sore. I got admitted to hospital and about 12 hours later a doctor tried stabbing it with a scalpel...nothing happened so I was put on intravenous antibiotics which caused major irritation in my arm for some reason. So I had some huge injections. Next day was scans. A couple of days later I was sent home with bottles of pills for more than a month.
Happy days...

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Not great!

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I get attacks of gout so am used to swelling and sore joints in my big toes this time it was more painful and didn't ease with medication, SWMBO looked at it and rang the doctor as my whole foot was very warm very red , long story short the doctor came out and put me on strong antibiotics he said if i had left it another day i would have been in hospital on a drip, i pay more attention to my gout like attacks now and dont just pass it off as gout.

As the man from Hill Street Blues said "Lets be careful out there"

 

[BackToBasics]

Lost my dad to sepsis in Feb '21. He was 81 and also a cancer patient but that (the cancer) was being managed. The sepsis first presented on the Friday and he was gone by Monday. His only real symptom before being taken in was a loss of appetite. If he hadn't had cancer they wouldn't have even admitted him. Despite him being ill for 2 years before his passing, it was still unexpected when he passed.

All I can say is be aware and, if you have doubts, really push at your GP/A&E for care.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

It's amazing how fast it happens. We have an incredible vascular surgeon who got sepsis and lost both legs, he was off for ages but has come back to work and operates on his prosthetics.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

All I can say is be aware and, if you have doubts, really push at your GP/A&E for care

Sorry to hear of your loss but thanks for sharing as it shows how quick this can spread and how deadly it can be if not diagnosed quickly.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Strictly Come Dancing: Amy Dowden reveals sepsis battle​

Strictly Come Dancing's Amy Dowden has revealed how she was struck down by a life-threatening condition while undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.
She said she was "very unlucky" and ended up in hospital with sepsis following an infection.
"The doctors and nurses were telling me I had sepsis and that it was life-threatening," she told Hello! magazine.
The ballroom and Latin dancer was given a second cancer diagnosis in July after discovering she had breast cancer.
The 33-year-old from Caerphilly, who previously had a mastectomy, has been sharing her experiences on social media.
She has previously described having a "few morning cries and learning that's OK" after starting to lose her hair during chemotherapy treatment.
The dancer also told the magazine that she has started to wear a wig.

BBC News.

 

[Rodcx500z]

It's amazing how fast it happens. We have an incredible vascular surgeon who got sepsis and lost both legs, he was off for ages but has come back to work and operates on his prosthetics.

I owe my life to a vascular surgeon, Dr Graham Riding who works at Preston Royal he fixed my aorta in 2018, my sister had a bad time with sepsis

 

[Jim Brewster]

Apparently yesterday was World Sepsis Day

 

[Andrew Booth]

One 21st August I got taken into Airedale Hospital with a dislocated and fractured ankle. The chap opposite me on the ward was there because a scratch from a rusty nail came very close to killing him with sepsis. One lucky chap he realised the symptoms in time.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

One lucky chap he realised the symptoms in time.

It would have killed me had SWMBO not known about it she recognised the spreading warm red patch and insisted i called the doctor, i thought it was just another gout attack which i had fairly often back then, be careful out there as the guy on HSB's used to say.

 

[Jim Brewster]

One 21st August I got taken into Airedale Hospital with a dislocated and fractured ankle. The chap opposite me on the ward was there because a scratch from a rusty nail came very close to killing him with sepsis. One lucky chap he realised the symptoms in time.

That sounds a bit like tetanus from "the olden days". Most people are vaccinated these days but a compromised immune system due to other illness could render someone susceptible to infections that can develop into sepsis