A STUDENT was left fighting for her life after a “winter cold” led to the killer condition sepsis.
Jemma Butler, 20, didn't worry too much when she thought she'd picked up a viral infection from the school where she was doing a placement.
Within a week, she was unable to get out of bed and was shaking uncontrollably.
She returned home to Staffordshire where her parents could care for her as her condition worsened and left her violently sick, clammy and struggling for breath.
Jemma said: “The most unbearable symptom, one of which I will never forget, was the overwhelming feeling that I was going to die.”
Jemma ended up being rushed to hospital when ambulance paramedics realised she had sepsis, a condition that can kill in hours.
Sepsis occurs when an infection in the body – in Jemma’s case a throat infection – causes a chain reaction.
The immune system overreacts to the bug and starts attacking the body, leading to organ failure.
Jemma said: “Many people have never heard of sepsis, or if they have, they are often confused about what it is, and what signs to look out for.
“However, sepsis kills 48,000 people in the UK every year, which is more than breast, bowel and prostate cancer deaths combined.
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“If it isn’t treated immediately, as a medical emergency, it can take someone’s life in under 24 hours.
"I feel extremely lucky to be alive."
Jemma was in the first year of her degree at Durham University, which involved a placement at a primary school, when her symptoms started in November 2019.
Like in many schools, bugs and viruses often went around so Jemma wasn’t shocked when she started to feel a little off.
She said: “I rested in bed, expecting to feel better within a couple of days.”
But within a week, her symptoms were “unbearable” and she became more concerned.
She said: “I was unable to get out of bed and shower. My body was weak and I was unable to stand without my legs uncontrollably shaking.
“I slept with the window wide open, despite it being mid-November, to try and control my rocketing temperature and profound sweating.
“I knew something was seriously wrong and decided to seek help.”
After calling 111, Jemma was told to go to A&E where it was discovered her pulse was racing and her temperature was 41C.
After two paracetamol, Jemma’s temperature came down and she was sent home with a course of antibiotics for a week.
Although still unable to leave her bed, Jemma did start to improve a little.
‘I THOUGHT I WOULD DIE’
With two weeks of the university term left, it was decided Jemma should travel home to her parents to recover.
Jemma said: “Two days after arriving home, I severely deteriorated.
"I was unable to eat once again and I had developed a swelling on the right side of my jaw, which meant I was unable to open my mouth more than a couple of centimetres wide.
"It was extremely debilitating and scary, as I felt I had lost control of my body."
The pain became so severe, Jemma’s mum took her to A&E again at another hospital where she was diagnosed with lockjaw.
The next day, the pain in her jaw and throat was even worse and she tried speaking to her GP, who referred her to hospital again.
Jemma said: “As we were driving back home from the GPs to pick up a bag to take into hospital, I was violently sick.
“Upon arriving home, I was unable to stand again as I was so weak.
“I went into my parents' room and lay on their bed. I was sweating profusely whilst also shivering. My skin was pale, mottled and clammy.
“My heart was pounding and I was finding it difficult to catch my breath.”
Symptoms of sepsis, which can come on fast, include chills and shivering, a fast heartbeat and breathing, dizziness, vomiting, slurred speech and confusion.
Jemma’s parents called for an ambulance and when paramedics arrived, they explained they believed she had sepsis and needed to be rushed to hospital.
In resus, doctors confirmed the diagnosis and she was immediately given antibiotics through a drip.
Early treatment is vital with sepsis, as health officials say “every hour counts” with the rapidly progressing condition.
Jemma said: “The quick diagnosis of sepsis at this point alongside the antibiotics are undoubtedly what saved my life.
“The next part of my hospital journey becomes a blur as I was so ill I am unable to remember the details.”
After scans and tests, doctors discovered Jemma had Lemierre’s syndrome, a rare complication of an infection.
Odds of contracting Lemierre's are about one in a million.
In people with Lemierre syndrome, the initial infection spreads into tissues and deep spaces within the neck, leading to the formation of an infected blot clot.
The infected clot then circulates in the blood which can lead to sepsis or blood clotting in the lungs.
An ultrasound showed that Jemma had a blood clot in her neck which, as part of her treatment, was resolved with blood thinners.
After 13 days in hospital, Jemma was able to go home but the sepsis had some long term effects – as is the case for 40 per cent of people diagnosed.
Jemma said: “Three months after leaving hospital, my hair started to fall out. I realised it is a symptom of post sepsis syndrome that many sufferers go through after recovering.
“Two years on, and my hair continues to fall out and grow back in a cycle. Each piece of hair that grows back reminds me how strong my body is to have gone through such trauma.
“Although my hair falling out has its own challenges for me personally, I remind myself of how many people die from sepsis each year and how lucky I am to still be alive, losing my hair is a small price to pay.”
Jemma was able to return to university two months after falling unwell, in January 2020, and continue her teaching studies.
KNOW THE SIGNS OF SEPSIS
Sepsis is the immune system’s overreaction to an infection or injury that becomes life-threatening.
With sepsis, the immune system attacks the body’s own organs and tissues.
If not treated immediately, sepsis can result in organ failure and death. Yet with early diagnosis, it can be treated with antibiotics.
Five people die of sepsis every hour in the UK, and there are between 48,000 and 52,000 deaths a year.
Of those that survive, 40 per cent have life-changing long-term effects.
The symptoms, according to the Sepsis Trust, are:
Slurred speech or confusion
Extreme shivering or muscle pain
Passing no urine
Severe breathlessness
It feels like you're going to die
Skin mottled or discoloured
A child might have sepsis if he or she:
- Is breathing very fast
- Has a 'fit' or convulsion
- Looks mottled, bluish, or pale
- Has a rash that does not fade when you press it
- Is very lethargic or difficult to wake
- Feels abnormally cold to touch
A child under 5 may have sepsis if he or she:
- Is not feeding
- Is vomiting repeatedly
- Has not passed urine for 12 hours
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