A dad-of-two who woke up from a six day coma has spoken out weeks after the 'scariest thing' that he has ever been through in his life. Danny Stewart, aged 53, said he still has difficulty to distinguish what he had dreamed and what was his grim reality during his time in hospital in Nottingham.
Mr Stewart, from Colwick, went with his wife Sylvia Stewart to the NHS Urgent Treatment Centre on June 7 as he was "feeling sick". The day before, Mr Stewart had half of his skin graft on his lower inside of his left arm removed.
The injury resulted from a collision in 2019, when Mr Stewart was returning home on his motorbike after spending six months with the army as a driver for the Ministry of Defence. He has broken his left arm in three places, resulting in a skin graft, a damaged spleen, cuts and bruises.
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But it was not until four years later that Mr Stewart had his skin graft removed. His wife recalls the morning after the surgery adding: "We woke up in the morning and he was in a little bit of pain - but we kind of expected that. We did not expect it to be completely pain free - we just thought that was normal.
"So I went to work, my daughter went to work, and we left him home." But Mrs Stewart returned home at around 4.30pm, after calls from her husband who was "very uncomfortable".
"He was saying 'my bandages are too tight', and he was feeling sick. He was feeling really hot and very cold, then hot and cold - it was very weird."
And within 20 minutes of waiting at the Urgent Treatment Centre at City Link, just off London Road, the pair rushed to the A&E at the Queen's Medical Centre. This is the last moment Mr Stewart remembers before being put in an induced coma.
"On the morning of June 8, he was put in an induced coma because he had sepsis and Strep A", said Mrs Stewart. The heartbroken wife remembers how on that morning she arrived at the hospital having slept just two hours the previous night.
"I had to go into one of the rooms in intensive care and there were five people around him. I was told that because of the amount of infection that he had, he was poorliest person in intensive care."
She added: "We only went to the QMC to get some painkillers. That is the only reason we went.
"And he ended up in a coma for six days. The man had been through hell.
"He is supposed to be strong and to see him lying there, absolutely helpless in that hospital bad was a nightmare." Mrs Stewart has spoken over her fears after the "14 days of hell" by her husband's side, adding: "My husband's father died of sepsis.
"So as soon as I heard that word I just thought the worst. Luckily I have been able to bring him home.
"It has been a nightmare. It has been 14 days of hell."
Mr Stewart was discharged from hospital last Friday (June 23), and has not been able to move his hand since. Most recently working as a truck driver, he added: "I just want to get out and do stuff.
"I keep getting told off for even getting up and walking up the stairs at the moment", he added. "It has been scariest thing that I have ever witnessed in my life.
"I am scared that I will get it again - and I really do not want that. I can remember being sick every 30 odd seconds and just not being able to catch my breath."
He added: "I remember going into the A&E to book myself in and while she parked the car. And I do not remember anything else after that."
He described the sensation as being "delusional and delirious", adding: "I do not know what was real and what was not. I do not know if it was a dream or if I was talking to people."
Now, Mr Stewart that his biggest wish is a speedy recovery so he can start using his hand again. His favourite activities are riding his motorbike and playing on his PlayStation - and he hopes to be able to return to his passions soon.
His wife set up a fundraiser to help raise money for the adaptations that they will need to introduce once he is back to work. For example, a special steering wheel that would help him only rely on his right arm while driving.
The fundraiser has raised £1,005 out of the £5,000 target at the time of writing. On July 12, the couple will also be celebrating their 26th wedding anniversary.
