Julie Crawford

Survivor

This is written from my own personal experience, following my nightmare of being admitted to hospital with sepsis and finding it so difficult for any healthcare professionals to listen when I knew something was seriously wrong!

My story is probably all too familiar but it still needs to be told. I underwent a hysterectomy in July 2012, which appeared to have been a success. However, the day following discharge, I began to suffer with vomiting and diarrhoea. (Sepsis and Surgery) I contacted the hospital ward immediately to be advised to drink Coca Cola to keep my blood sugar levels up, and I went back to bed. The following day, still suffering from D&V [diarrhoea and vomitting], I then phoned my GP who said she suspected norovirus (even though I had told her that I had recently undergone surgery) and I vomited whilst on the phone to her. Still no alarm bells rang. The next day, still suffering from D&V, I phoned an ambulance as realised that something was seriously wrong only to be signposted by the emergency 999 operator to NHS [National Health Service] Direct where a nurse advised I had “probably” contracted an infection and not to go to hospital via A&E [accidents and emergencies room] but to speak to my GP again.

Three days later, having had absolutely no water or food and suffering horrendous D&V, thank God I was finally readmitted to hospital following an emergency GP appointment, who suspected that I had gastroenteritis. I had to suffer the indignity of being carried into the hospital while still vomiting and but by now I was light headed, had a racing pulse and still suffering from horrendous diarrhoea. My partner thought he was losing me.

Following admission and blood tests by the hospital, I was diagnosed with sepsis and E. coli. It was 2 days later before I was given a CT scan, which showed a damaged ureter. I had been leaking urine into my pelvic cavity for 7 days by now and had developed a pelvic collection. I had emergency surgery, a stent was fitted and I was in hospital for over a month deteriorating 3 times with increasingly severe symptoms. I couldn’t eat or drink and lost a stone [14 pounds] in weight in less than 2 weeks. It was an absolute nightmare and I thought I was dying. I continued to suffer terribly from vomiting and severe night sweats, which were terrifying. I was unable to eat or drink for 10 days and was extremely unwell. I finally came home from hospital in August 2012 but still took another 2 months of recuperation, time off work that I couldn’t afford so I had to return even though I was still weak and recovering from further surgery to remove the stent.

I would like to raise awareness of the symptoms of sepsis to help prevent it happening to someone else. I couldn’t get the hospital, my GP or an emergency 999 operator to listen to me or take me seriously so I am lucky that the GP I saw noticed how dehydrated I was and got me admitted to hospital but even then he still didn’t consider sepsis but gastroenteritis. I am fortunate that I survived but I realise many others haven’t been so lucky and almost a year later I am still suffering from the consequences with unwanted thoughts and memories and ongoing health issues relating to the damaged ureter.

I just want to highlight that if you suspect something is wrong, do not take ‘no’ or that ‘you may have a bug’ for an answer from healthcare professionals. Trust your first instinct and insist that you are seen immediately. This could mean the difference between life and death!

Newspaper article:

The patients sent home from hospital with blood poisoning: The potentially deadly downside to leaving too soon after surgery

 

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