Feature
FILL IN THE BLANKS
WHEN Hannah Fielding saw her husband Philip on life support after his organs had failed one by one, she gave him permission to die.
Just two days earlier, they had been sitting on the sofa watching TV while their two boys, five and three, were tucked up in bed.
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Philip had been off work with what they both thought was a bad case of “man flu”.
But it became pneumonia and Philip developed sepsis, a deadly infection which claims 44,000 UK lives a year.
Despite Hannah saying her goodbyes in hospital, Philip miraculously survived. But both his legs had to be amputated below the knee.
Now Hannah wants to raise awareness of the horrific condition.
She says: “We all fear cancer and heart attacks but so few know about sepsis. It causes more deaths in the UK than bowel, breast and prostate cancer combined.
“If we had spotted the symptoms earlier, our lives might have been very different now.”
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Philip, 36, started feeling unwell while at work in March 2016. He came home and went to bed.
Hannah, 38, says: “It was a Tuesday evening and Philip said he’d fallen asleep in a meeting.
"He had a high temperature and was shivering. There was little improvement over the next few days.
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“On the Saturday, I went out with the boys. When I came home he suggested watching telly.
"He looked pale but I thought he must be feeling a little better as he was up and about.
"When I woke the next morning he’d sent a text saying he had gone to see an out-of-hours GP.
"I called and he said the doctor sent him to A&E.”
The facts
DR RON DANIELS, of the UK Sepsis Trust, says: “Sepsis is the way the body responds to an infection.
“It often develops after a chest infection or a urinary tract infection but it can also develop after a cut, a bite or sting. If not treated quickly, it can lead to organ failure and ultimately death.
“We all know what having an infection feels like. You might feel a bit under the weather. But those with sepsis often feel like they are at death’s door.
“If you feel something isn’t right, call NHS 111 or speak to your GP and ask, ‘Could it be sepsis?’ It’s crushingly common. There are around 250,000 cases a year in the UK. It’s more common than heart attacks.
“The numbers recorded by the NHS are going up by ten per cent a year.
“Sepsis claims 44,000 lives a year but 40 per cent of survivors are left with long-term health issues.
“That’s 50,000 to 60,000 people every year.”
Hannah arranged for her father to come to the family’s home in Stotfold, Beds, to look after their sons, now seven and five. Then she headed to Lister Hospital in Stevenage, Herts.
She says: “By the time I arrived he was covered in a purple, grey rash. Within hours he would be in a coma. All of his organs were failing rapidly.
“He had full heart, liver, lung and kidney failure over the next couple of days.
“By the Tuesday, the Philip I loved had all but gone. He had turned purple and the gangrene was setting in. There was no sign of life.
"The nurse told me to speak to him, as I had to accept that we were near the end of life. I told him I could see his body was in a lot of pain. I gave him permission if he needed to go, not to hang on. I didn’t want him to suffer any more.
Litres of black, infected fluid poured out of his lungs
Hannah Fielding
“But I said, ‘If you think you’ve got anything left to give, then please keep fighting’.
"I told the children Daddy was sleeping. But then my eldest said, ‘He will wake up though, won’t he?’
“My mum was with me and we were taken by his medical team into a private room. They said there were one or two things they would try but they didn’t hold out much hope.
"They thought a chest drain would make him haemorrhage and die. But, as we had nothing to lose, they went ahead.”
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Incredibly, Philip showed small signs of improvement.
Hannah says: “Litres of black, infected fluid poured out of his lungs. The doctor came to see me, his eyes watering. I said: ‘Has he gone?’.
"But he said: ‘I’m crying as I don’t want to give you false hope. But he has made the night and is improving.’
“Philip was in a coma for two weeks.
"The doctor said it was likely he would at least lose some toes and fingers and a chance he would be brain damaged. We wouldn’t know until he woke up.”
Philip was not brain damaged but had to have his legs amputated below the knee and the tips of his thumbs. He was in hospital for six months.
How to avoid
- Say yes to vaccinations. The jabs may reduce your risk of infection and sepsis.
- Wash your hands regularly – especially in hospitals, where infections thrive.
- Properly clean skin wounds. Disinfect and wash with soap and water. Clean out any dirt.
- A quarter of sepsis infections are thought to come from urinary tract infections. If you have one, seek treatment quickly.
- Only use antibiotics when you really need to. If you take them for viruses such as colds and flu, which really don’t need them, you are contributing to antibiotic resistance. It makes septic infection more likely.
- Use probiotics to boost levels of “healthy” bacteria in your stomach. The jury is out on whether this is effective but most doctors agree that it can’t do any harm.
Hannah says: “Philip is quite an able disabled person. He can use prosthetic legs but after a day wearing them, he is tired and in pain.
"At home he is dependent on a wheelchair. Despite everything, we count ourselves lucky. Philip will get to see the boys grow up.
“Philip is incredibly determined. He is on the Team GB wheelchair tennis development squad and it’s amazing he can still play.”
Philip says: “Sepsis can happen to anyone. One minute I was leading a healthy, active life. Barely a week later, I was struggling to survive.
"I owe my life to the incredible hospital team that cared for me. If you ever feel so ill you think you might die, ask, ‘Could it be sepsis?’”
The symptoms
- Slurred speech or confusion
- Extreme shivering or muscle pain
- Passing no urine in a day
- Severe breathlessness
- Skin mottled or discoloured
We talk to a mum who feared she would lose her baby girl to the infection — and The Sun’s Lynsey shares her own frightening story.
'Put in induced coma'
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LOUISE DAVIES, 35, a primary school learning mentor, lives in Sutton Coldfield, West Mids, with teacher husband Brian, 36, and daughters Isla, nine, and Aoife, four.
She says: "Aoife was nine weeks when she picked up a cold at the weekend. She wasn’t feeding or sleeping and had a high temperature.
"I went to my GP on the Monday and was sent to A&E.
"Aoife was gasping for air. She was put in an induced coma and given a blood transfusion.
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"I was lucky Dr Ron Daniels, who set up the UK Sepsis Trust, was working and spotted the signs.
"We were told to prepare for the worst but on the Friday, Aoife came off life support.
"She had human metapneumovirus, which caused sepsis.
"Not all families get this happy ending."
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'I was in labour when my temperature rocketed'
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SUN journalist Lynsey Hope, 36, was diagnosed with maternal sepsis during labour with her second child.
The mum, who lives in West Malling, Kent, with policeman husband Nick, 38, and children Jacob, three, and Olive, one, says: "I was many hours into labour with Olive and the pain was really starting to set in.
"But suddenly I started shaking and it was clear from the panic around me something was wrong.
"The midwife was running around looking for a doctor. My temperature skyrocketed. I felt freezing cold and I remember asking my husband for blankets.
"I was given paracetamol to bring down my temperature and I remember I kept hearing the word 'infection'.
"Luckily, the midwife picked up on it early. I was quickly examined by a doctor and pumped full of intravenous antibiotics.
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"I did hear them saying the word 'sepsis'. At the time, it was the least of my worries. I still had to give birth to a baby.
"It was only afterwards the reality of the situation sank in.
"I remained in hospital for three days. I was also given probiotic drinks to try to restore the balance of healthy bacteria in my body.
"I had to return to my GP’s surgery several times after I was discharged to give regular blood and urine samples.
"I was warned about the signs of infection and told to head straight back to the hospital if I had any concerns.
"Sepsis is not something people know much about. It’s not something I realised you could pick up during labour.
"Pregnant women are also at an increased risk, which I never knew."
Abi Bannatyne says she 'felt like she was going to die' after mistaking sepsis for hangover