Sepsis sufferer two hours from death

SHELLEY Brooks was just hours away from dying after sepsis took hold of her body.

She survived, but now spends almost every moment in pain and her recovery is uncertain, amid calls for more sepsis-specific funding and support for Tasmanian sufferers.

Ms Brooks had undergone an invasive medical procedure at the Hobart Private Hospital in July last year and fell severely ill in the days after her discharge.

By the time she returned to the hospital’s emergency department four days later, she was repeatedly vomiting, could barely walk and was struggling to keep her eyes open.

So dire was her condition, her mother, who had rushed her to the ED, told hospital staff: “Don’t let her die. She’s all I’ve got left.”

Ms Brooks then endured a marathon secondary surgery where the extent of her illness was uncovered and she remained in hospital for three weeks.

Ms Brooks, a mother of four, said it was “pretty confronting” to consider how close she came to death.

“They said I had about two hours left,’’ she said.

“My whole body was shutting down.”

Ms Brooks said in the days following her discharge, she had suffered excruciating pain and was burning up.

“It was the middle of winter and I had the airconditioner on 19. Everyone else in the house was freezing and I was sweating,’’ she said.

“All I could do was sit on the couch and close my eyes.”

She said she was not told about the possibility of sepsis and, after she was diagnosed, says she has not been supported, told what to expect or how to manage the condition.

“We were told that it was sepsis, but we’ve never had any other information on sepsis, no one has said anything about it or explained anything like what could happen. I’ve pretty much gone from doctor to doctor,’’ Ms Brooks said.

“And no one can give us any answers. They can’t say six months, 12 months, two years, forever [for recovery]. No one seems to know.”

She now suffers what is known as post-sepsis syndrome, suffering significant pain and other difficulties.

“I struggle to find my words,’’ she said.

“Everything I do, there’s pain. I breathe, I go to the toilet, I sneeze, I cough, I laugh, there’s pain involved with any of that.

“It’s not just me, it’s my whole family. I’m angry all the time so my family cop it. Or I might have a day where I just cry all day.”

A spokeswoman for the Hobart Private Hospital said patient confidentiality considerations prevented the hospital from discussing a patient’s condition or treatment.

“Our highest priority is quality care and after-care for everyone who attends our hospital, and we take that very seriously,’’ she said.

A state government spokesman said sepsis was a life-threatening illness caused by a body’s immune system response to an infection that damages a person’s organ and tissue. More than 18,000 Australians are treated for sepsis in intensive care units each year.

“The THS has undertaken significant work in recent years to develop and implement clinical pathways and protocols to assist with managing patients with suspected sepsis, to improve the rapid detection and start treatment promptly,’’ he said.

“This includes the development of sepsis clinical pathways, as well as the establishment of antibiotic prescribing protocols.”

Sepsis Awareness Tasmania is conducting a ride on Saturday around the Hobart CBD, with riders clad in fluorescent shirts and the words: “Ask: Could it be sepsis?”

THEY SAID I HAD ABOUT TWO HOURS LEFT … MY WHOLE BODY WAS SHUTTING DOWN

SHELLEY BROOKS