Charles’ friend tells how being bitten by a f ly almost killed him
Lord suffered organ failure and spent days in coma
AN ARISTOCRATIC friend of Prince Charles has spoken of his horrific brush with death after he suffered blood poisoning caused by a fly bite.
Keen huntsman Lord Bathurst, who runs the 15,500-acre Cirencester Park estate in Gloucestershire where the Royal Family have long played polo, spent eight days in an induced coma and four months in hospital after suffering multiple organ failure.
The 55-year-old has had six operations, including removal of his hip joint, and faces further surgery to rebuild his pelvic area in January. He has spoken out in the hope it will alert others to the dangers.
I hope my experience will highlight the terrible effects of septicaemia and the symptoms,’ he said. ‘Whilst my recovery will eventually be realised, I am under no illusion as to how close I was to losing my life and it is
‘His life hung in the balance for weeks’
vitally important we all familiarise ourselves with the causes, so it can be identified and treated fast.’
Lord Bathurst was admitted to Cheltenham General Hospital on July 26 after complaining of acute joint pain and high fever. His wife Sara, the High Sheriff of Gloucestershire, said medics believe he developed an infection after a bite from a Blandford fly or a deer fly, both common summer pests.
‘He became increasingly ill, and three days later, he suffered multiorgan failure,’ Lady Bathurst, said. Her husband’s life ‘hung in the balance’ for four weeks as his system fought the infection but he eventually began to recover ‘against all odds’, she added.
He was firstly transferred to a general ward in Cheltenham, before spending a month in the Bone Infection Unit at John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, and then more time back at Cheltenham.
Lord Bathurst – who normally hosts the Vale of the White Horse Hunt every Boxing Day – is temporarily confined to a wheelchair after returning home last week.
Lady Bathurst said: ‘It was a truly frightening time for us, and, to be honest, I don’t remember much of it as I was in a state of total shock. But the NHS was magnificent. The doctors and nurses were absolutely amazing once the diagnosis had been confirmed and their care, determination and commitment, not only to my husband, but also to me personally, was second to none.
‘We are both incredibly grateful and humble for all they did.’
Septicaemia is a potentially lifethreatening infection of the blood.
It occurs when a bacterial infection enters the bloodstream from elsewhere in the body.
Symptoms include a high temperature and shivering as well as rapid respiration and heart rate. This can develop into confusion, nausea and red dots on the skin.
Unless treated, septicaemia can progress to potentially fatal sepsis, where inflammation spreads through the body causing blood clots and starving vital organs of oxygen.