Tuesday 18 April 2017

Sepsis


5th June 2016, a day that will stay with me always, a day that changed our lives forever.

It was the day my gran passed away.

She had been admitted to hospital the day before showing signs of an infection and they were carrying out tests to see if they could find out where and what it was. The next day during one of the blood tests they found she had sepsis, IV antibiotics and fluids were given straight away but sadly she lost her fight just hours later.  I remember going to see her that day, we were taken into the private waiting room and the doctor told us the news, it was then time for us to say goodbye. It broke my heart and later while I was at home, I received the call to say she was gone.



It was a horrendous day and I thought to myself, wow more needs to be done to raise awareness of this evil infection but being honest it has taken me until today to feel ready to share the story with you properly.

Sepsis has been in the news a lot recently and TV programmes like This Morning  have shared the stories of those who have lost loved ones, including children to sepsis.

So what is sepsis? Sepsis is, a rare, complication from a bacterial infection. It can follow from a chest or urine infection, cuts and bits or burst ulcers. It can affect multiple organs and can lead to loss of life if treatment is not started within a certain time frame and this time frame is small.

From the moment sepsis is diagnosed, doctors have an hour in which to administer antibiotics and other medications to flood the body and fight sepsis. One tiny little hour.

Early signs of sepsis can mimic other infections such as a heavy cold or the flu.  They are:
  • a high temperature (fever) or low body temperature
  • chills and shivering
  • a fast heartbeat
  • fast breathing
If you have had any infection or injury and you have ANY of the above symptoms please do not wait to see if it goes away!! Head to your GP or A&E department as soon as possible.  Chances are it won't be sepsis but it is better to be safe than sorry!!  Never be worried about "wasting time" or "looking stupid".

For more information on Sepsis head over to The UK Sepsis Trust website where you can find posters, leaflets and loads of great information.

7 comments:

  1. yeap, infections are dangerous if not treated. So sad to think that people die because they don't go to the doctor, that docs have discouraged and complicated the process for people to visit them.

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    1. Sadly many GPs don't have enough knowledge of sepsis. My Gran developed sepsis whilst in hospital. Many will take the symptoms as a heavy cold or the flu as they are very similar. Sepsis is a sneaky little infection.

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  2. Thank you. There is so much information out there as the symptoms vary as it progresses but the early symptoms are the same. Xx

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  3. Yes, it has been in the media alot but if it makes us question our treatment, that can only be a good thing

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    1. I would rather ask them to check for it and be wrong than ignore it altogether. Xx

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  4. I'm so sorry for your loss Angela but well done for raising awareness of this x x

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