Mum wrapped up like a mummy after flu stole all 4 limbs makes chilling plea ahead of winter
A MUM had to have all four limbs amputated after catching flu.
Kristin Fox is now issuing a chilling winter plea so no other family has to endure the same torment.
The 42-year-old first noticed something wasn't right in March 2020.
She fell ill with a sore throat and was later diagnosed as having influenza - a common infectious viral illness spread by coughs and sneezes.
Kristin, who had received her flu jab months earlier, was given some medication and told to get some rest, but the next day she could barely move.
"I felt like I was dying," she told .
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A friend whisked her off to the nearest hospital where she was put on a ventilator and told she had developed bacterial pneumonia, which was causing her organs to fail.
Her kidneys were allegedly shutting down and one of her lungs had collapsed.
She then entered septic shock - when the blood pressure drops to a dangerously low level after an infection.
Kristen was put into a medically induced coma and it was "touch and go" for the following week.
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Doctors then told her relatives they needed to act fast and amputated both her legs below the knee.
Two weeks later, her arms were amputated at the elbow.
Kristin, from Campbell, Ohio, US, woke up "so confused" but recovered quickly and was discharged on May 17.
Due to the pandemic, her children, aged nine and six at the time, hadn't seen her so they had no idea what to expect when she returned home.
"I hadn't told my kids about losing my arms and legs so they literally wrapped me up like a mummy because I didn't want them to see," she said.
"Between that and Covid, it was so much for them to get their minds around."
The mum-of-two then completed 12 weeks of physical therapy before getting prosthetics.
She now uses sets from a Florida-based organisation called 50 Legs.
Sometimes I catch myself complaining, but then I remind myself that my kids could have been mourning my death.
Kristin Fox
Adapting to her new life has been hard, but Kristin is slowly learning how to do everything again from exercise to driving.
The assistant headteacher said: "Sometimes I catch myself complaining, but then I remind myself that my kids could have been mourning my death.
"They're 12 and 10 now, and I can't imagine them living without me."
She and her community are now urging people to get vaccinated and brush up on the symptoms of sepsis, as what happened to Kristin could happen to anyone.
"I can’t go back and change [things], I can only hope to be an advocate for the future," she said.
Sepsis: a life-threatening reaction to any infection
Any kind of infection, including flu, can cause sepsis - the body's life-threatening response.
It can lead to shock, multiple organ failure and sometimes death, especially if it's not recognised early and treated promptly.
Five people die with sepsis every hour in the UK.
There is no single symptom, and it can present differently in children and adults, but there are some key signs to look out for.
According to the UK Sepsis Trust, you should seek urgent medical help if you or another adult develops any of these signs:
- Slurred speech or confusion
- Extreme shivering or muscle pain
- Passing no urine (in a day)
- Severe breathlessness
- It feels like you're going to die
- Skin mottled or discoloured
A kid may have sepsis if he or she:
- Is breathing very fast
- Has a 'fit'
- Looks mottled, bluish or pale
- Has a rash that does not fade when you press it
- Is very lethargic or difficult to wake
- Feels abnormally cold to touch
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And a child under the age of five might:
- Not feed
- Vomit repeatedly
- Not pass urine for 12 hours
Everything you need to know about flu jabs
HEALTH chiefs are urging Brits to get flu jabs, saying it killed more people than Covid last year.
Estimates from the UK Health Security Agency show there were 14,623 deaths as a result of flu in England last winter.
Meanwhile, figures show that 10,345 died with Covid in the same period.
This was despite the flu jab keeping 25,000 people out of hospital.
Doctors are particularly keen to increase vaccination rates in children and pregnant women.
Shots are free on the NHS for:
- Anyone aged 65 and over (including those who will be 65 by March 31, 2024)
- Those who are pregnant
- Children between the ages of two and three
- All primary school children
- Those in long-stay residential care
- People who receive a carer's allowance, or are the main carer for an older or disabled person who may be at risk if you get sick
- Frontline health and social care workers
- Brits who with someone who is more likely to get a severe infection due to a weakened immune system, such as someone living with HIV, someone who has had a transplant, or is having certain treatments for cancer, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis
People who have the following conditions are also eligible:
- Respiratory conditions, such as asthma (needing a steroid inhaler or tablets), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema and bronchitis
- Diabetes
- Heart conditions, such as coronary heart disease or heart failure
- Being very overweight – a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or above
- Chronic kidney disease
- Liver disease, such as cirrhosis or hepatitis
- Some neurological conditions, such as Parkinson's disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), or cerebral palsy
- A learning disability
- Problems with your spleen like sickle cell disease, or if you've had your spleen removed
Your GP may suggest you have the free flu jab if you have another long-term condition that isn’t mentioned above but may be made worse by flu.
You can have the NHS flu vaccine at your local GP surgery, certain pharmacies (if you're over 18), and some maternity services if you're pregnant.
Children will be given the nasal spray vaccine at school, a GP surgery or a community clinic.
The following pharmacy chains offer free jab to eligible adults:
Thousands of other pharmacies will also be offering the lifesaving vaccine.