Tracey Sayers

I started to feel ill on holiday in Cape Verde in March 2017. By day 4 I was in bed with what I thought were flu symptoms. I was so cold and shivery, I asked for extra blankets for the bed. It was 30°C outside! Managed to last the week but developed what I thought was sciatica on return home.

Visited GP firstly I was given anti-anxiety meds (I’d been hallucinating) and then secondly the emergency doctor gave me diazepam. That same night I ended up in A&E and was sent home with codeine and paracetamol. I gradually got worse so back to A&E I went. I was admitted and sent for an MRI the following day. It showed a large collection of abscesses in my pelvis. Nobody mentioned sepsis at this stage. On day 3 I discharged myself out of sheer frustration. 2 days later I was back in A&E, to face a 20-hour wait with no food or water and no access to a toilet (I couldn’t walk at this stage). Eventually admitted once again, there was no way I was going anywhere this time. After 4 more MRI scans and 2 CTs plus 1 x-ray, 1 blood transfusion, many many blood tests, I discovered I was being treated for sepsis.

The doctors still do not know what caused the abscesses and I’ve had 2 lots of surgery to get rid of them. I’ve had all of the infectious diseases tests know to man including Zika, Ebola and even HIV. Nothing showed up. I still remain a mystery and my consultant has not yet signed me off but I’m finally home after 5 weeks in hospital. It’s a slow road to recovery but I’m very happy and grateful to be alive. Thank god for my husband, mum and the NHS!