Braintree woman will 'never forget' sepsis experience

Sepsis is a life-threatening reaction to an infection, when your immune system overreacts and starts to damage your body’s own tissues and organs.

For 21-year-old Isabelle Fisher, the first symptom was a "sudden, excruciating pain and swelling" in her left knee.

On Friday, June 21, Izzy, from Braintree, went to Broomfield Hospital A&E with her left knee twice its normal size.

Swollen - Izzy's left knee had ballooned to twice the size of her right knee. (Image: Isabelle Fisher) She had an X-Ray, which revealed no break and nothing abnormal, and she was then given liquid morphine and advised to take over-the-counter painkillers if the pain continued.

Within 24 hours, Izzy returned to A&E in “excruciating pain,” and waited more than four hours to be seen.

Izzy said: “I was hysterical, so confused and extremely worried.”

One Consultant saw Izzy and determined she was able to go home, as the fluid taken from her knee was not cloudy.

Izzy said: “I tried to stand and immediately vomited.

“Luckily, my godsend of a sister fought for me and got me admitted to a ward where they finally did a blood test, two days too late.”

Shock - Izzy's knee was completely normal in this photo, just 24 hours earlier, when she walked her dog Ralph. (Image: Isabelle Fisher) The blood test showed she had a dangerously high CPR level, which revealed she was suffering from septic arthritis.

“I was then quickly treated with IV antibiotics to save my life,” Izzy said.

"If I'd gone home, I would've been at severe risk of organ failure and death." 

It took almost eight weeks to treat the infection, while she spent seven nights in Broomfield Hospital and had a further six weeks of daily home visits to administer heavy IV antibiotics.

Izzy said: “It was incredibly scary.

“I have minimal recollection of my experience when I was quickly deteriorating.

“I felt weak, dizzy, faint, I was uncontrollably shivering and vomiting.

“The fear of the unknown and what was going to happen to me next was something I will never forget.”

Strong - This photo was taken on day five of Izzy's seven-night stay at Broomfield Hospital. (Image: Isabelle Fisher) Statistics from the UK Sepsis Trust show that sepsis affects 245,000 people in the UK each year, and kills 48,000, which is more people than breast, bowel, and prostate cancer combined.

Sepsis kills five people every hour in the UK, but it’s often treatable if it’s caught early.

Izzy is now suffering from post-sepsis syndrome.

She said: “It affects your cognitive function, so you can feel anxious, depressed, you get crazy memory loss, muscle weakness, fatigue, PTSD, lots of things.

“I’m still experiencing some of these symptoms.

“My knee is nowhere near how it was, and it will probably never be the same because of the damage the infection has done to the joint.

“I’m still receiving physio and will be until about November, December, which is crazy bearing in mind it started to flare up in June.”

Hard - Izzy's knee might never be the same after the damage the infection caused. (Image: Isabelle Fisher) Izzy continued: “I think people don’t realise how ill sepsis can make you and how life-threatening it is.

“Everyone knows the symptoms of cancer—if you have a lump or a weird looking mole, you go to the doctor.

“It’s very important to know the symptoms of sepsis, because it is common.”

There are lots of possible symptoms of sepsis, some of which are blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, a rash that does not fade, and difficulty breathing, but it can be hard to spot.

Izzy added: “What I went through was horrific, and I would hate for anyone else to go through what I went through.

“Please learn the symptoms because it may just save our life or someone else’s, because who would’ve thought that a poorly knee would have been life-threatening.”

If you think you or someone you look after has symptoms of sepsis, call 999 or go to A&E.