I knocked my leg at the races... now I’ve lost it to sepsis
WHEn he knocked his leg against a metal barrier at the races, John McCarthy grimaced and then got on with enjoying his day.
But a week later he was being given the last rites in hospital after developing sepsis.
Doctors had to amputate his right leg above the knee after the deadly condition, which can be difficult to diagnose, took hold.
Mr McCarthy, 48, faced his lifeanddeath battle after what he thought was the most minor of injuries on a day at Cheltenham racecourse in April 2016.
The finance worker hit his leg as he tried to avoid a ‘crush’ of people ahead of him, and thought no more about it.
A few days later his leg became sore and he noticed a rash was developing. He went to hospital, where his leg was X-rayed and doctors diagnosed cellulitis, a common bacterial skin infection. He was sent home with a dose of antibiotics.
‘I was prescribed flucloxacillin and told “on you go”,’ he recalled. ‘As I left, the doctor drew a line across my leg and said “if the rash goes above that, come back”.’
But two days later, he felt so ill that he went to Accident and Emergency, even though the rash hadn’t reached the line. ‘It was the same doctor but a markedly different response and then I was admitted straight away,’ he said.
‘I spent that night in intensive care and three months in hospital and then I left with what I call a “weight loss programme” – I had my leg amputated above the knee within the week.’
Although his ability to see the lighter side of his ordeal is remarkable, Mr McCarthy, who is from Liverpool but lives in Stratford-uponAvon, is still coming to terms with how easily it happened.
‘It was just a bang. People were coming towards me and I took a step to the right and banged myself into the barrier,’ he said.
‘It’s one of those things that happens every day.’
While he can’t be entirely certain it was the knock which caused his sepsis, he said the rash that developed was in the same spot.
As his condition worsened, he was too ill to be aware of what had happened to him or how close to death he was.
‘I was out for the count – I didn’t know anything about it,’ he said. ‘It was my family. Everyone was travelling round from Liverpool and the doctor said: “We think it’s sepsis”, and they had to sit there and go through all that.
‘A priest came to read the last rites and my mother was in bits.’
After leaving hospital, Mr McCarthy was grateful to be alive – but explained that he has had to cope with more than just a major physical change.
‘I noticed cognitively I wasn’t functioning the way I was before,’ he said. ‘I think that’s the new normal.’
Sepsis occurs when the immune system goes into overdrive as it tries to fight an infection.
Sepsis and septic shock can result from an infection anywhere in the body.
The lungs, urinary tract, abdomen and pelvis are the most common sites of infection. The Daily Mail’s End The Sepsis Scandal campaign has raised awareness of the illness, which affects 150,000 people in the UK each year.
Around one third of those who develop sepsis die, making it the leading cause of avoidable deaths in the UK.
Mr McCarthy paid tribute to the UK Sepsis Trust, which has supported him throughout his recovery. He now acts as a patient advocate for the organisation. The Trust says that early identification and treatment could save 14,000 lives in the UK each year and result in 400,000 fewer days in hospital.
Mr McCarthy said he decided to share his story because he doesn’t want anyone else, or another family, to have to face his ordeal.
Last week, the Daily Mail reported how psychiatrist Jaco nel, 52, from Manchester, lost both legs, nearly all his fingers and needed facial reconstruction after a nip from his dog led to sepsis.