Sepsis leaves Cardiff medical scholar going through life with no limbs

“When you’re young you think, as I did, that these kind of conditions don’t affect you,” mentioned Lily.

“You feel a bit invincible, and you don’t want to worry about your health because you’ve got a social life to live.”

Described by her pals as “a fantastic sportswoman”, Lily was keen about swimming, operating and being on the seashore.

But as she lies in her mattress at Cardiff’s Llandough Hospital, she remembers the day her regular scholar life-style was turned the other way up, and contemplates how she will return to an lively life-style.

“I felt a bit under the weather, but I was still going about my daily life,” she mentioned.

“I was sat at home with my housemates at uni.

“Then I watched Gavin and Stacey all day sat on the couch.”

This was on 14 January, and she decided to go to bed at about 23:00, adding: “I simply thought I’d have a relaxation and sleep it off.”

But as the night went on, Lily’s condition deteriorated.

She added: “My housemate noticed my mild was nonetheless on when she acquired up within the evening, and got here to see me.

“I was sick everywhere and had been incontinent.”

Her pals Lucy and Ella cleaned her up and took her to A&E, at which level she seen a rash that was beginning to unfold on her physique.

Lily was taken to the resuscitation space, and was nonetheless not totally conscious of the seriousness of her situation, including: “I was able to walk into A&E and so at that point I thought I’d just receive some antibiotics and go home the next day.

“But in resus I bear in mind the advisor asking for my mum and pa’s cell numbers.”

Apart from being in a room surrounded by doctors and nurses, she remembers very little after this, until about three months later in April.

Lily did not even know she had suffered a cardiac arrest, and describes it as “fairly surreal” finding out about this from a post her sister had written.

“I do not assume I actually realised the size of what had occurred till about May after I was beginning to have a look at my physique,” she added.

“I’ve been instructed I rapidly went into septic shock.

“My blood stress was very low and inside 24 hours I’d had two cardiac arrests and was identified with meningococcal septicaemia.”

Sepsis happens when the physique responds improperly to an infection, inflicting the organs to work poorly.

It may cause a dramatic drop in blood stress and harm the lungs, kidneys, liver and different organs.

According to UK Sepsis Trust, one of many key challenges in figuring out sepsis is that it may well current very otherwise in every affected person.

There are six key signs to look out for:

S – slurred speech or confusion

E – excessive ache in muscle tissue and joints

P – passing no urine in a day

S – extreme breathlessness

I – folks saying “it feels like I’m going to die”

S – pores and skin that is mottled, discoloured or very pale

“I’m fortunate to have lost my limbs in an age where there’s lots of technology,” Lily mentioned.

She is contemplating units comparable to hand cycles, including: “I’ve always liked swimming and being in the water and I’m really excited about the sense of freedom I’ll have without gravity in the water.

“So I hope that may occur quickly.”

Lily will head back to Jersey in November, and is looking forward to seeing her grandparents, going to the beach and to “recuperate and replicate on what’s occurred”.

Friends and family are also raising money to help give her as many opportunities as possible, and she describes feeling emotional about support from Wales, Jersey and further afield.

Housemate Ella Jennings described how compassionate and caring she is, and how Lily would go out of her way to help others.

“Since she’s acquired poorly she’s simply that and extra, she’s so optimistic,” Ella added.

“Every time I see her she’s making extra progress and excited about the long run, she’s so decided.

She’s nonetheless the identical Lily asking about everybody else and caring about everybody else.

“Honestly she blows my mind, every time I see her, she astounds me with her attitude and her outlook on life.”