A Scots mum has shared how 'close she came to dying' after shivers on a walk outside turned out to be sepsis.
Kimberley Bradley has been left in a wheelchair following the sudden bout of septicaemia in 2019, which saw her raced to hospital in life-threatening condition.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live about her diagnosis, Kimberley, 42, explained she had been out on a walk for Easter weekend with her family when she began to feel 'cold and shivery.'
Initially the Edinburgh woman shrugged off the symptoms, but when the family returned home the mum-of-one quickly deteriorated, and just a few hours later was unable to speak as her condition took a dramtic decline.
Rushed to the Royal Infirmary, Kimberley underwent emergency treatment, and explained she is lucky to be alive today.
She said: “We had enjoyed a lovely walk along the beach and, for Easter weekend, the weather was really lovely. We came home in the early evening and started making the tea. I felt very cold and shivery and assumed that I’d maybe got too much sun.
“An hour or so later I started to vomit. I decided to go to bed and see how I felt in the morning. Nathan came in to check on me a while later and I was worse. He was asking me questions and I was unable to speak. I was scared and thought I was having a stroke.”
With her husband quickly calling for an ambulance, Kimberley was rushed to hospital, where she began a lengthy recovery which saw her let go from her job at the time.
She added: “I vaguely recall being put into the ambulance and then I was being told that it was eight days later and I had been in an induced coma. I had contracted meningococcal septicaemia which had developed into sepsis with all my organs shutting down”.
“I was shocked at how fast things happened and hearing how close I came to dying”.
Kimberley was only three weeks into a new job when she became ill and, when she wasn’t back within a month, her contract was terminated. Her employer told her she could reapply once she was well again.
Following extensive treatment at home and at the Royal Infirmary, some of which included kidney dialysis, Kimberley is still undergoing procedures three years after her initial diagnosis.
Suffering necrotic tissue on her hands, feet and nose, she had seen her toes amputated, and may still need further amputations in the future.
With her feet also at risk of being removed, she added: “I feel like it will never end at times but hopefully more surgery will sort it out”.
Like many, Kimberley wasn’t aware of sepsis prior to her diagnosis but encourages people to let someone know if you are feeling ill, “trust your own instincts and if you are feeling ill, be sure that you let someone know. If my husband hadn’t checked on me through the night, I wouldn’t have survived until the morning”.
This week, a leading sepsis charity have announced they will be working with the Scottish Government to help share awareness of the symptoms to look out for.
Hoping to help spot the signs quicker in cases like Kimberley's, Sepsis Research FEA shared that over 4,000 people die from the condition every year in Scotland.
Speaking out on raising key awareness, the charity have advised people to look out for five key symptoms which may be unusual. They are:
Confusion
Not passing as much urine as normal
Very high or low temperature
Uncontrolled shivering
Cold or blotchy arms and legs
If someone has two or more of these symptoms, becoming progressively or rapidly worse, this indicates they may have sepsis and urgent medical attention should be sought.
You can find more information here.
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