“A life-threatening condition changed my life... but for the better’’
Mary Anderson-Ford, 40, owns and runs recruitment agency AQUAretail. She lives in thames ditton, Surrey, with her husband, Matt.
when a spot on my buttock became increasingly red and painful, my GP said it was an infected hair follicle and prescribed painkillers and penicillin.
But the area became more inflamed and i developed flu-like symptoms. when i googled it, sepsis leapt out.
i couldn’t believe i’d developed blood poisoning from a hair follicle, but soon my breath became raspy and i felt seriously ill. at a walk-in clinic, the doctor took my blood pressure and sent me straight to a&e. they took five hours to see me, but moments after entering the cubicle i was surrounded by a team of doctors and a consultant, who gravely announced that i needed to be admitted for life-saving surgery before my organs began failing.
i was admitted to critical care, the infection was cleaned out under general anaesthetic and i was given intravenous antibiotics. when i came round, the doctor confirmed the sepsis had gone, but >>
i had no idea about the ramifications of this terrible condition. apparently, if i’d been older or less fit, i’d probably have died. i had to have the wound cleaned every couple of days for two months, lie flat for weeks and it took a long time to recover. no doctor mentioned post sepsis syndrome – my eyelashes fell out, my periods stopped and i had recurring infections as my immune system recovered. i also found it impossible to sleep or concentrate.
a year later and with my health restored, i feel each day is a blessing. i savour every moment. i used to save nice things for best, but not any more. Last year, matt and i treated ourselves to a wonderful holiday in muscat – we’d been too cautious before.
i want to raise awareness of sepsis and when the uk sepsis trust asked me to speak at the royal society of medicine, i agreed. i am so thankful i got help in time and i want to do all i can to save lives and make a difference.
Got to sepsistrust.org for more details.