Karen Singer, 42, from East Kilbride was living life perfectly normally as a mum to eight year old Cameron and wife of 13 years to Graham. When she wasn’t working as a legal secretary for Aberdein Considine she enjoyed going to the gym, walking with a friend, socialising and listening to music. Karen explains how an apparently run-of-the-mill sore throat led to a sudden and terrifying brush with sepsis.
In late November 2022 I started with a very sore throat and I was struggling to breathe. After a few days I went to my GP and was told it was a viral infection.
But the next day – 24th November – my neck started to swell up; I was even more short of breath and my lips started turning blue. My husband called NHS 24. He explained all of my symptoms and then the nurse also spoke with me. She said she didn’t like how I sounded and that an ambulance was on its way. I was checked over by paramedics then taken straight to Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride.
Immediately I had a CT scan which revealed an abscess in my throat which was tracking down into the area surrounding my heart. I also had a collection of fluid around my lung. The cause of this infection was Streptococcus A. I wasn’t aware at this stage that I had sepsis.
I had to have an emergency operation that night to drain the abscess and as my airway was significantly compromised I also had to have a tracheostomy tube inserted so that I could breathe.
From here I was taken to the intensive care unit for ongoing treatment and observation. I was on a ventilator for nine days and was given an intensive course of IV antibiotics as I was so seriously unwell. My family were told I was critical and that they should hope for the best but fear the worst.
After nine days and still on a lot of IV antibiotics, I began to show signs of improvement and they started to bring me out of sedation. It was then that I was told by the doctors that I had had sepsis. My family were devastated and really worried. They were always by my side and got regular updates from the doctors and nurses. This whole phase was absolutely terrifying for me, especially since I couldn’t speak because of the tracheostomy. It was about a week later that I got the tube removed.
I was left unable to walk or really move my arms so physiotherapists supported me to get me back on my feet. Once I was out of intensive care and high dependency I was moved to a respiratory ward because of the fluid on my lungs.
After six weeks in hospital, which included Christmas and New Year, there was enough improvement for me to go home and finish my antibiotic treatment there.
Sepsis was the most terrifying thing I have ever faced in my life and I constantly worry it might happen again. I was shocked by my diagnosis – especially by how quickly I had become so ill – and I was really frightened. Before my operation, when my husband and I were told that I might not survive, it was terrifying – we couldn’t believe what we were hearing, especially since it all started from a sore throat. I also worried that I would be left with long-term damage.
I have been left with some fluid on my lungs and the consultant wasn’t able to give an indication as to how long it will take to clear completely. No further treatment is needed at the moment though and I am starting to feel better and get more active. I do worry though that something like this might happen again to me. I realise how lucky I am to still be here.
The nurses in ICU in Hairmyres were exceptional and helped me a lot. I also have a brilliant family support network who were all there for me. Now I really want to raise awareness so that anyone who has any sepsis symptoms knows that they should seek urgent medical attention. I want to stop anyone else getting as ill as I did.
I hadn’t heard about Sepsis Research FEAT before. A lawyer I used to work with reached out to me as he is a trustee of the charity. He suggested I share my story which I really wanted to do to raise awareness. And it has really helped. My message to others is to please look out for the signs of sepsis and if in any doubt please seek medical help as soon as possible: it hit me so fast.