For 35 year old mum of two Nicola McCaughan from Leicestershire, witnessing sepsis in her 12 week old daughter was shocking enough. She had no idea at the time that she would go through the same horrific experience herself just weeks later.
In the April after she was born my 12 week old daughter Neave developed a temperature and a rash and was just generally not herself. I rang 111 and spoke to a doctor over the phone who told me that it was likely to be viral. The next morning I was still concerned though so I rang my GP who sent me straight to A&E at Leicester Royal Infirmary. They triaged her immediately and rushed her straight in for treatment. The doctor in A&E told me they were treating her for sepsis because of how poorly she was. I was so shocked and upset at what she was having to go through at such a young age, but also thankful we had got treatment quickly and that she wouldn’t remember any of it.
She stayed in hospital for five days after that on IV antibiotics. She was then discharged with another five days of oral antibiotics to take at home. Five months on and she is due to have a paediatric follow up and scans in the next couple of months but she appears to have made a miraculous recovery.
Shockingly though, that is not where the story ends. Just four months after Neave had sepsis, in August 2023, I found myself in a situation I could never have imagined. I had my gallbladder removed in the same hospital – a routine procedure, or so I thought. Almost as soon as I woke up from the anaesthesia, I realized something was wrong though. I was struggling to breathe, and the nurses quickly placed me on oxygen. I spent a restless night in hospital then the next day they sent me home after lunch, thinking everything was fine.
Once I got home I began to feel really unwell again and went to bed. My temperature soared, and I was shivering uncontrollably. I felt disoriented and could hardly catch my breath. We rang 111 and they dispatched an ambulance. Finding myself back in the A&E department of Leicester Royal just four months on, I I found myself being treated for probable sepsis. This was confirmed as a diagnosis once my blood cultures came back a few days later. Doctors initially diagnosed pneumonia and a partially collapsed lung so the sepsis was shocking. My family was equally shocked and upset by the sudden turn of events.
I spent five days in the hospital receiving intravenous antibiotics to combat the infection. The medical team at Leicester Royal Infirmary took excellent care of me during this critical time and I was eventually allowed to go home to continue my recovery with my family. Thankfully, I’m no longer receiving treatment. I am so grateful that doctors caught my sepsis my daughter’s early and I’m just grateful to be alive. My husband Matt and I have our lives back with our daughters Grace, who is four, and Neave. And I will soon be back at work in a nursery looking after babies and toddlers, reading in my spare time and watching Ljncoln City FC.
When I reflect on the whole experience, it has changed my perspective on life. I’m reminded that life is short and fragile, and I’ve learned to cherish every precious moment. Live life to the full and treasure your kids I would say.
I hadn’t heard about Sepsis Research FEAT until recently but it has really helped reading the stories of others on the charity’s website. I am sharing my own story now to help make others more aware of sepsis and how dangerous it can be. I also know that the GenOMICC project that the charity supports is looking at the genetics of susceptibility to sepsis which I think could be really important for families like mine where sepsis has occurred in more than one family member.
If I had to share one last message it would be that If you have any of the signs or symptoms of sepsis that the charity talks about please take them seriously and get help fast. And trust your instincts when it comes to your children – sepsis can kill.
Neave and Nicola’s story further highlights the urgent need to understand the potential genetic causes of sepsis and critical illness and for further research to improve diagnosis, treatment and outcomes for sepsis patients worldwide. Sepsis Research FEAT was a founding supporter in 2018 of the GenOMICC study at the University of Edinburgh. Its aim is to identify potential genetic susceptibility to sepsis and other critical illness as well as new specific and potentially life-saving treatments. To find out more visit the Our research partners page on the charity’s website here.