Gemma Hendrix-Lomax

In 2008 I started having problems with my stomach it was swollen to the point I looked pregnant. I was vomiting food and blood for a good year before doctors sent me for an endoscopy. They found a bug that they thought was the cause, unfortunately, it wasn’t and these symptoms would come and go throughout my life for the next 10 years. I had puzzled every doctor, blood test showed I had a high white blood cell count but still couldn’t find the cause. I just learned how to cope when episodes would flare up and could never hold down a job due to time off work.

Fast forward to November 2018. I found out I was pregnant after 3 miscarriages previously due to this unknown illness. The pregnancy seemed to be healthy and everything good, until 29 weeks where I had a bleed and got rushed to hospital. Thankfully I hadn’t lost my baby but they did find I had group b strep. (Sepsis and Group B Streptococcus) Fast forward again to my due date 16th August. I woke up vomiting green bile and I had cramps, feeling very tired and disorientated. Putting it down to start of labour, I rang the hospital they told me to come straight in. When I was in the hospital I can only remember feeling cold and shaking slipping in and out. They told my partner I had sepsis with one hour to save me and my baby’s life. I got put on a drip with heavy antibiotics and was in labour for 12 hours. I can’t remember much but did deliver naturally as they couldn’t give me a c-section as I would have died under anesthetic.

Anyway a very long story short, my baby and I were in hospital for 2 weeks after we did recover and now 8 months on Clarke is fighting fit and extremely healthy thank god. I however still suffer from slight loss of sight, breathing problems and sore joints due to the sepsis.

Plus it turns out all my stomach problems for 10 years had been due to strep b a hidden infection attacking every part of my immune system, but very hard to detect.

I hope my very long story helps people understand that it’s good to research the 6 signs of sepsis and to those living with sepsis survivors be patient you are doing a great job and try answer questions we have we are just trying to put the missing puzzle pieces together. Many thanks for reading.

Source: Gemma Hendrix