Tuesday 1 November 2016

Sepsis – the Silent, Unknown Killer

Sepsis – the Silent, Unknown Killer


Last year I met up with an old friend.  It was great to catch up.  The post about Sepsis below reminds me of that reunion. 



One dark night in October or November 2014, my friend, who lives alone  went out to collect the Refuse Bin from the roadside and picked up litter from the ground.  She did not notice that among the litter was some broken glass and she must have cut herself lightly on the forefinger of the right hand without noticing.  The cut was bleeding only a little so my friend washed her hands and thought no more about it.  Later that night she felt a pain in her arm and on checking, noticed the famous and very visible blue vene running up her arm which indicates Sepsis.



At two in the morning, she was really alarmed and woke her neighbor who is a Nurse.  This lady knew the signs and severity of the situation and rang the Ambulance.  It was by then high time that measures were taken and Antibiotics were given intravenously.



My friend is left with a stiff forefinger that she will never be able to bend again.  She was lucky as the outcome could have been fatal as the article describes. 

It is alarming that Sepsis kills more people every year than prostate cancer, breast cancer and AIDS combined, a staggering 250.000 people. 



Thinking back, my childhood was spent catching one infection after another and I cannot count how often I had those visible blue lines either on my arms or my legs.  Come to think of it I am lucky to have survived.




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