West Norfolk politician tells of experience with sepsis to coincide with international day of awareness
A West Norfolk politician has told of his experience of sepsis, to coincide with an international day of awareness.
Today marks World Sepsis Day, and Brian Long, leader of West Norfolk Council, hopes his story will help others to seek help if they develop symptoms.
Mr Long said if he had not done so, the outcome of his illness could have been very different.
Towards the end of August, he had just returned from a week-long family holiday in Bulgaria when he started having issues with his breathing.
“On the night before, I just felt I was either getting a chest infection or that something wasn’t right with my asthma, but when I woke up I was really having breathing difficulties,” he said.
Mr Long rang the non-emergency NHS 111 service on Bank Holiday Monday, who said he should go to the A&E department at Lynn’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
“While I was seeing the triage nurse, I collapsed.
“I went straight up to the medical assessment unit and was diagnosed with sepsis in my lungs.”
Mr Long spent three days in hospital, where he was given antibiotics and was put on a saline drip.
“I think I was lucky that it was caught early in my lungs,” he said.
“The message from me, as far as if you have got symptoms, and if you feel different from a normal pre-existing medical condition, then seek medical guidance.
“111 is really helpful, and I have to thank the people who I saw at the QEH, everybody I came into contact with was first-rate.”
While in hospital, Mr Long was also diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his leg.
Since his three days at the QEH, he has had a few follow-up appointments but he has been discharged.
It is believed the cause of his illness may have been due to the air conditioning on the plane or in his hotel room.
“It’s really made me think twice because of how easy and rapidly I got pretty ill, pretty quickly,” Mr Long added.
“The definition of sepsis the consultant gave me was any infection that starts to affect other organs of the body.
“In my case, it wasn’t just affecting my lungs.
“It was a bit of a wake-up call for myself and a bit scary for my wife, my son and my family.”
He added: “It can be fatal, if I had not had the treatment, it could well have been that serious.”
The ambulance service serving West Norfolk is encouraging people to learn to spot the signs of sepsis, and to know what to do if it strikes.
The East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) says the illness is estimated to kill 30 million people a year globally, including up to 44,000 in the UK.
And one of its senior call handlers, Shelley Moore, says her own daughter nearly ended up in intensive care with the condition.
She said: “I also volunteer as a Community First Responder and on one call I attended, the paramedic talked me through the signs of sepsis. I believe that conversation saved my daughter’s life.
“Sepsis kills. It could have killed my daughter. Talk about sepsis – be sepsis aware.”
Sepsis happens when the body reacts aggressively to infection, and because of this, its initial symptoms can easily be mistaken for routine viral infections such as flu.
But there are tell-tale signs that can let you know that you or member of your family have sepsis – and you need to act fast.
EEAST say the following symptoms can indicate sepsis:
- Slurred speech or confusion
- Extreme shivering, muscle pain or fever
- Passing no urine all day
- Severe breathlessness
- It feels like you’re going to die
- Skin mottled or discoloured
If you or a relative have a confirmed or suspected infection and experience these symptoms, you should contact your GP or NHS 111.
If the symptoms appear in a person recovering from surgery, receiving cancer treatment, having any other immune-suppressant condition or who is elderly, an infant or otherwise frail, call 999 and say you suspect sepsis.