Reaction can be life-threatening if not treated right away

Picking up a camera is helping Kirsten’s recovery

want to or position myself to get certain shots, but it is all about being creative.

“It’s been a really big part of my recovery.”

Kirsten’s ordeal started in 2016 when she went into hospital to have her bladder removed.

She was suffering from Fowler’s Syndrome, which is a rare disorder affecting young women that stops urine being passed normally.

However, it proved to have further repercussions when she contracted sepsis.

“The first time I had just gone through major surgery,” she recalls. “I had my bladder removed and was in recovery from that.

“The doctors think that has weakened my immune system and made me more susceptible to getting it again.

“It’s done a lot of damage, it’s really knackered my immune system. I’ve been in hospital twice this year already.

“In 2019 I was critically ill and went into septic shock.

“I am pretty lucky to be sitting here speaking to you to be honest.”

That second time proved to be the most serious for Kirsten.

“It’s horrendous [having sepsis]. It’s the most terrifying thing, particularly the second time,” she said.

“It had a massive impact on me mentally. It left me with a PTSD diagnosis.

“From working on a shift on my own with no-one around and starting to feel really unwell, to ending up lying on the floor, it was terrifying.

“Suddenly it was all blue lights and sirens. I don’t really remember how I ended up in HDU.

“They were quite blunt after it. If I had gone home and went to bed, which is what I wanted to do, I would not be here right now.

“There is a little more awareness of sepsis now but not a lot about the after effects. There isn’t a lot of understanding.

“I was lucky the most recent time. The doctor caught it early and realised very quickly that I needed to go into hospital. I spent nine nights in PRI.”

Kirsten’s sepsis battles have had personal repercussions for her.

It led to a dream job offer in the prison service being withdrawn on medical grounds.

And she was part of the shielding group in the pandemic.

In the past she was working as a hotel receptionist and had organised events and raised money to help spread awareness of Fowler’s syndrome and for the urology department at Ninewells where she was treated.

All of that has been put on hold while

Sepsis happens when the body’s response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs.

It can by life-threatening if not treated right away.

Anyone with an infection can catch it but it is most likely to occur in: babies under one, particularly if they’re born early or their mother had an infection while pregnant; people over 75; people with diabetes; people with a weakened immune system, such as the world battles COVID-19, although she is still studying for a degree in politics through the Open University.

She admits it is sometimes hard to come to terms with what has happened.

“It is galling,” she says. “I had been offered my dream job in the prison service, which I worked really hard to get, but the offer was withdrawn on medical grounds.

“I went in for the surgery which I needed, so I will never regret having those having chemotherapy treatment or who recently had an organ transplant; people who have recently had surgery or a serious illness; women who have just given birth, had a miscarriage or had an abortion.

Symptoms in young children include: blue, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue a rash that does not fade when you roll a glass over it, the same as meningitis; difficulty breathing; breathlessness or breathing very fast; a weak, high-pitched cry that’s not like their normal that operation, but it’s very frustrating that the consequences of that has been the sepsis.

“I am lucky and unlucky.”

However, the prospect of catching the perfect photo continues to motivate her, and it has also got the competitive juices flowing.

“My dad and I are in healthy competition,” she laughs. “We are keeping count of how many pictures we get in the PA.” cry; not responding like they normally do, or not interested in feeding or normal activities; being sleepier than normal or difficult to wake.

In adults, symptoms include: acting confused, slurred speech or not making sense; blue, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue; a rash that does not fade when you roll a glass over it, the same as meningitis; difficulty breathing, breathlessness or breathing very fast.