My wife had a mild cold but days later she died from silent killer disease – know the symptoms
A HUSBAND has told of his heartbreak after his wife died a few days after contracting a mild cold.
Ricky Hill, 41, said his world has fallen apart after wife Lindsey died at the end of January.
Lindsey had flu-like symptoms over Christmas - but sadly passed from what was actually a silent killer disease.
The 40-year-old, from Coventry, suffered from existing health problems and was advised by her GP to take antibiotics to help with her condition.
Unfortunately, Ricky still felt "something was not quite right" and called 999.
Lindsey ended up being hospitalised.
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As her symptoms worsened, she became weak and contracted sepsis.
Ricky was told by doctors his "one in a billion" wife could not be saved.
He told : "Lindsey, my beautiful wife, gained her angel wings on Saturday, January 28 and I sadly lost her.
"She was one in a billion.
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"She would go into any room and she would light it up."
Ricky said he now looks up at the sky and sees Lindsey in the "brightest star".
A has since been set up to help Ricky fund the funeral.
Nearly £2,500 has been raised in the hopes of reaching a target of £3k.
What is sepsis?
The condition is always triggered by an infection - but it is not contagious and cannot be passed from person to person.
Most often the culprit is an infection we all recognise - pneumonia, urinary infections (UTIs), skin infections, including cellulitis, and infections in the stomach, for example appendicitis.
Typically, when a person suffers a minor cut, the area surrounding the wound will become red, swollen and warm to touch.
This is evidence the body's immune system has kicked into action, releasing white blood cells to the site of the injury to kill off the bacteria causing the infection.
The white blood cells and platelets form blood clots in the tissues around the cut.
Blood vessels swell to allow more blood to flow, and they become leaky, allowing infection-fighting cells to get out of the blood and into the tissues where they are needed.
This causes inflammation, which appears to us as the red, warm swelling.
When sepsis happens, this system goes into overdrive.
The inflammation that is typically seen just around the minor cut, spreads through the body, affecting healthy tissue and organs.
The immune system - the body's defence mechanism - overreacts and the result is it attacks the body.
It can lead to organ failure and septic shock, which can prove fatal.
Bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites can all trigger sepsis - though the most dangerous culprit is bacteria.
In developing nations, the condition remains a leading cause of death.
Known by its colloquial name "blood poisoning", sepsis is also often referred to as a "flesh-eating disease".
What treatment is available and can you prevent sepsis?
If you suspect you or a loved one are suffering sepsis it must be treated as a medical emergency.
Think of the reaction you would have to a heart attack, stroke or major car crash - dial 999.
A person's chances of surviving sepsis are highly dependent on their getting medical intensive care as soon as possible.
The longer it takes to receive medical care the more likely it is a patient will die.
Patients who appear to have a least one sign of sepsis must be seen by a senior doctor within 60 minutes, an NHS watchdog has said.
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Given it is a condition triggered by an infection, preventing that initial infection can prevent sepsis.
But how can we prevent the many infections out there from infecting us?
What are the signs of sepsis you should never ignore?
If you, a loved one, or in the case of medical professionals their patient, feels "severely sick", doesn't appear to be themselves and shows any of the following symptoms, sepsis should be suspected:
- Weakness
- Loss of appetite
- Fever and chills
- Thirst
- Difficult or rapid breathing
- Rapid heart rate
- Low blood pressure
- Low urine output
If a person is suffering these symptoms and they are thought to have suffered an infection - pneumonia, abdominal infection, urinary infection, or a wound - sepsis is a likely cause.