“Usually I’m the kind of person who thinks I need to just ‘sleep off’ illnesses; this time, I knew something was different.”
Abigail Webb is completing a PhD in Biological Sciences, specialising in parasitology, while working alongside her research in a laboratory. When she’s not working, she’s usually outdoors: hiking, running, camping, and spending time with her family’s dogs and horses. In August 2024, at just 26 years old, a urinary tract infection (UTI) she barely registered as serious nearly cost her life.
Abigail describes herself as someone who typically avoids seeking medical help. “Usually I’m the kind of person who thinks I need to just ‘sleep off’ illnesses,” she says. “I don’t want to take that time or take people away from those who need it more than I do.” It’s an instinct that very nearly worked against her.
The onset of sepsis symptoms
Abigail’s symptoms began on 8th August 2024 with back pain, a typical symptom of a UTI that has spread to the kidneys. Over the following two days, it worsened – she lost her appetite, developed a temperature, and struggled to sleep through the discomfort. She assumed it was something she could ride out.
On the morning of 10th August, everything changed. Walking back from the bathroom, Abigail fainted, which is something that had never happened to her before. Living alone, she has no idea how long she was unconscious. When she woke, both her legs were bleeding from the fall. She made it back to her bedroom, then fainted again.
“This time, I knew something was different,” she says. “I had never fainted before.”
A fast decline
After speaking to her family and her partner, Abigail called 111. What followed, in her own words, is “a bit of a blur”. The hospital rang her every hour to check on her condition, and a paramedic made contact too. By this point, she couldn’t keep food or water down without being sick, and she had fainted a further two times.
A friend who had travelled to see her that weekend arrived and began speaking to medical staff on her behalf. More friends arrived shortly after, and Abigail was taken to hospital, where she was admitted with sepsis.
A simple UTI that became life-threatening
At first, Abigail was optimistic as she assumed she’d be discharged the next day. However, her temperature began spiking, and doctors confirmed she had a urinary tract infection, along with a suspected kidney infection. Scans also revealed two abscesses in her kidney and bloodwork signalled septicaemia.
“I was told I had tested positive for every infection marker. And that if I had gone to hospital any later, it could have been a very different outcome.”
What had started as a UTI she initially dismissed had progressed into life-threatening sepsis in a matter of days.
Treating sepsis: the antibiotic challenge
Abigail spent just under two weeks in hospital, as the UTI went on to affect far more than her kidneys. Her heart began struggling, requiring continuous heart monitoring, and she also developed complications affecting her sinuses.
Bloodwork revealed that her body wasn’t responding to the antibiotics she was initially given, and the abscesses in her kidney weren’t shrinking. Doctors moved through multiple different types of antibiotics before finding one that worked. At one point, Abigail believed she would need surgery to remove the abscesses but ultimately that wasn’t necessary once the right antibiotic had been found.
Treatment included multiple courses of the correct IV antibiotics tailored to her bloodwork, alongside ultrasounds, CT scans and an MRI. She was later moved to oral antibiotics, with a follow-up ultrasound confirming the abscesses had responded.
“I went from being a relatively healthy, fit individual – hiking and running weeks before – to so unwell, so quickly. I was in shock.”
Family and support through sepsis recovery
Abigail was being treated in Aberystwyth, Wales – where she is studying for her PhD – and it’s around three hours’ drive from her family in the West Midlands, and six hours from her boyfriend in Essex. Determined not to worry them unnecessarily, she initially played down the situation, believing she’d be discharged quickly.
“When I knew that wasn’t going to be the case, I think they were very worried,” she says. Once the severity of the infection became clear, her family and boyfriend made the journey to be with her.
Life after sepsis, and a PhD put on hold
Abigail’s recovery was supported by more than just medical care. Her PhD supervisors gave her time away from her research project to recover fully, recognising that some laboratory work wasn’tpossible while her immune system remained compromised.
“The doctors, nurses and hospital staff at Bronglais Hospital were incredible,” she says. “My family, boyfriend and friends were incredibly supportive – they tried to make me laugh and smile as much as possible, and they helped so much when I was discharged, helping me to take it easy whilst I recovered.”
In November of the same year, Abigail developed another UTI – an experience she found “very worrying” given what had happened months earlier. This time, oral antibiotics resolved it quickly.
“I know that I should take any change in what’s typical for me and my health very seriously. Acting sooner rather than later can make all the difference.”
Why early diagnosis matters, and why UTIs shouldn’t be underestimated.
Abigail’s story is a striking example of how quickly a common, everyday infection can escalate into a life-threatening sepsis emergency. A urinary tract infection – something most people experience at some point without serious consequence – took her from mild back pain to septicaemia, kidney abscesses and heart complications within 48 hours.
Her case also illustrates a growing challenge in sepsis treatment: finding the most effective antibiotic and dealing with potential antibiotic resistance. Doctors had to work through multiple different antibiotics before finding one effective against her infection, while the clock was already running against her.
Abigail’s experience sits at the heart of a study Sepsis Research is currently funding. DALI-2, led by Professor Marlies Ostermann and Dr Dagan Lonsdale, is investigating whether the antibiotic doses currently used for critically ill adults and children in intensive care actually reach levels high enough in the bloodstream to kill the bacteria causing their infection. The original DALI study found that standard dosing only achieved effective drug levels in 60% of patients – meaning around 4 in 10 critically ill patients may have been under-treated without anyone knowing. For patients like Abigail, whose infection didn’t respond to her first rounds of antibiotics, this research could help explain why and point towards more precise, personalised dosing that gets the right treatment working faster the first time.
“Doctors had to try several different antibiotics before one worked. Research like DALI-2 is trying to make sure the first one works.”
How Abigail’s story reflects the UK’s top sepsis research priorities
“If I had gone to hospital any later it could have been a very different outcome” is a direct illustration of why speed matters so much in sepsis care, and why the instinct to “sleep off” symptoms, however understandable, can carry serious risk.
Abigail’s experience is exactly why the top-ranked Sepsis Research priority in the UK is to determine “how sepsis diagnosis can become faster, more accurate and reliable”. She had been experiencing worsening symptoms for two days before her collapse, and doctors only confirmed the full extent of her infection after admission, once scans revealed the kidney abscesses and bloodwork confirmed septicaemia. Faster identification could potentially have prevented the escalation to full sepsis.
The third-ranked Sepsis Research priority, “the urgent need for new treatment options and a better understanding of antimicrobial resistance”, is also directly reflected in Abigail’s experience of her body failing to respond to multiple rounds of antibiotics, and in the DALI-2 dosing research described above.
Her story also reflects a wider pattern in UK health data. A large NHS study analysing over 66 million person-years of primary care records found that, at every age, a UTI carries a greater risk of progressing to sepsis than a skin infection or a respiratory infection. For students especially, that’s a useful fact to know – UTIs are common, often treated lightly, but deserve to be taken seriously, particularly if symptoms worsen rather than improve.
“If I can help one person get more information or help for their UTI, when they need it, then sharing my story has been worth it.”
Recognising the signs of sepsis from a UTI
Abigail’s story is a reminder that sepsis doesn’t always begin with an obviously dramatic illness – sometimes it begins with back pain, tiredness, and a UTI that seems minor at first. Seek emergency medical help if a urinary or kidney infection is accompanied by any of the following:
- Fainting, or a first-time loss of consciousness
- A high temperature, chills, or feeling suddenly very unwell
- Inability to keep food or fluids down
- Severe or worsening back or kidney pain
- Confusion, extreme fatigue, or a rapid heart rate
- A general sense that something is seriously wrong, even without a clear explanation
As Abigail summarises:
“You know yourself better than anyone. Your gut instinct could be telling you that something isn’t right. Please listen to it. And it’s okay to ask for help – sometimes you’re going to need it.”
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Charity Comment:
Abigail Webb lives in the West Midlands and was studying for her PhD in Aberystwyth, Wales, at the time of her sepsis diagnosis. We are so grateful to Abigail for sharing her story as part of our student campaign to raise awareness of how quickly UTIs can progress to sepsis, and the importance of acting on instinct. If you or someone you know shows signs of sepsis – including fainting, a high temperature, confusion, a rapid heart rate, or severe pain that is rapidly worsening – seek emergency medical help immediately.