I recently had a very scary experience. I had a chest infection, but suddenly I couldn’t breathe. I’m asthmatic, so I’m used to some difficulties, but this was different; it was like I was fighting for every breath. I had a high fever and was deathly pale. I was taken to hospital in an ambulance, where they did their observations and realised my temperature had gone up another degree in the 15 minutes it had taken to get to the hospital. My heart rate was 135 bpm, I was shivering like crazy and I just felt like I wanted to sleep. I was immediately diagnosed with suspected sepsis and put on IV antibiotics.
Thankfully after hours and hours my temperature and vital signs were normal enough for me to be allowed home with antibiotics and steroids, and instructions to check in with my GP every few days for the next week.
Sepsis is a serious complication of an infection.
Sepsis in children under 5
Call 999/911 IMMEDIATELY if you notice any of these symptoms in your child
- Has a convulsion or fit
- Is difficult to wake or lethargic
- Looks mottled or blue
- Feels abnormally cold
- Is breathing very fast
- Has a rash that does not fade when pressed
You should get medical advice straight away if you notice any of these symptoms
Sepsis in older children and adults
You may also notice
- High fever or low body temperature
- Fast heart rate
- Increased breathing rate
- Loss of consciousness
- Nausea and vomiting
It’s important to act quickly if you’ve got an infection and think you or someone else may have Sepsis. Sepsis can lead to multiple organ failure and death if not treated quickly.
Treatment and recovery
In the UK, hospitals use the ‘sepsis 6’. This means
- Antibiotics, either through an IV or tablets at home if the infection is caught early enough
- Oxygen if your oxygen saturation levels are low
- Giving IV fluids
- Look at your urine to check your kidneys are working
- Take a blood sample to see how severe the sepsis is
- Take a blood culture to find out which bacteria is causing the sepsis
Some people recover very quickly from sepsis, but it does depend on the person’s overall health, the severity of the infection, and how much time was needed in the hospital (including the ICU). People with severe sepsis or septic shock often require admission to the ICU, and are likely to be very ill. In this case the condition can be fatal.
The main takeaway from this is that Sepsis is a serious medical condition, but if caught early enough, most people recover with no lasting issues.
Do you know the symptoms of Sepsis?
Sources used – NHS Scotland , Sepsis Trust
kage2015
I didn’t not know anything about this thing called sepsis. Thank you for giving me the facts and what to look out for.
Paige Piper
No problem! Thanks for reading
Brittanylimberakis
Wow this is such good information! A good friend of mine recently had a hole in his colon and suffered from sepsis. If only more people knew the signs!
Paige Piper
Ouch! That sounds painful! I hope he made a quick recovery
Alexandra @ It's Not Complicated Recipes
This is so scary – wow. I am so glad you are okay! Thank you for sharing your experience – I definitely think it is something that needs a lot more awareness raised!
Paige Piper
Thanks for reading Alexandra!
Jenny Morrison
Thank You for all of this information. It is so serious when this takes hold. This is really valuable information.
Paige Piper
Thanks Jenny!
Karen Dennis
Great post that everyone should take notice of#kcacols@_karendennis
Paige Piper
Thanks Karen!
Bread
Great post. Really important stuff to know, and it’s great that people are becoming more aware of sepsis. #kcacols
Paige Piper
Glad you agree! I’d heard about Sepsis in general but I didn’t know the specifics before I got it!
Jeremy@ThirstyDaddy
Great post. I work in a hospital for my “real job” and we see many people that end up in really bad shape because they waited too long to come in and be treated for this. #KCACOLS
Paige Piper
Thanks for commenting Jeremy, I’m so glad I got it right!
A Rose Tinted World (@ARoseTintdWorld)
Such an important post. Glad that you are ok and that it was spotted early. #KCACOLS
Paige Piper
Thank you!
typicalmummy
Thank you for this – Sepsis really scares me so it’s good to know what to look out for. Glad that you are OK! #KCACOLS
Paige Piper
Sepsis scared me too! Thanks for reading 🙂
twicemicrowavedtea
Thanks for such a useful post. I’m terrified of sepsis and it seems to be something that occurs more often than you’d think. It’s good to know what to look out for. #kcacols
Paige Piper
I’m so glad so many people have found it informative! Thank you so much for reading!
LanaPummill
This is a great post! With a lot of very important information. I am sure this is going to help someone out there. #KCACOLS
Paige Piper
Thanks Lana!
Malin - Sensational Learning with Penguin
Sepsis is so scary, isn’t it? So good that you got to hospital in time! Thank you for sharing about the signs, there clearly needs to be greater awareness of this xx #KCACOLS
Paige Piper
Thanks Malin! Yes it was scary, but I’m so grateful to all the medics who treated me – it could have been a lot worse!
Oli
My mom passed away from sepsis in July, sadly while in the hospital and the hospital failed to save her. I never knew this was such a thing. The Saturday before her passing the doctor told me she did not have any infections. I feel the hospital missed something. I don’t know what to think anymore? I’m heartbroken!💕
Mummykind
So sorry for your loss
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