Gran, 54, nearly dies and will have all her limbs amputated after a PAPER CUT got infected triggering sepsis
A GRAN nearly died and will lose all four limbs after a paper cut got infected.
Marguerite Henderson's family were told to say their goodbyes, while she lay in a medically-induced coma for seven days.
The 54-year-old from Fife developed sepsis, and despite pulling through against the odds, she is now set to have all four limbs amputated.
Her eldest daughter, Kim Donnachie, said: "She noticed she had a tiny cut on her index finger on her right hand.
"It was that minuscule, she doesn't even remember how she got it.
"It was just the size of a paper cut."
Kim said by the following day the cut looked infected, so her mum went to the local chemist to see if they had anything for it.
The pharmacist told her to get it checked by her doctor, so she booked an appointment for the next day.
But the infection had already started to take hold.
Marguerite felt too poorly to go to the doctors, and the next day the Beast from the East struck the UK, bringing icy cold winds and snow.
Kim recalled: "By lunchtime she was so unwell she couldn't walk, her lips were blue and she was turning grey so we rushed her to hospital."
There doctors told Marguerite, and her two daughters, Kim, 27 and Emma, 18, that she was battling blood poisoning, or sepsis.
SPOT THE SIGNS Sepsis claims 40,000 lives in the UK a year and kills fast - these are the signs to watch out for
A day later and the 53-year-old was in intensive care, as her organs began to fail and she was put on dialysis.
Doctors told the family Marguerite would be put into a medically induced coma for a few days, to try and give her body a chance to recover.
But not long afterwards, medics told them to prepare for the worst.
Kim said: "As soon as she was put to sleep they told us she could die.
"We've found out now that nurses were told at the time she was going it, and it was just a matter of time.
"But she's been a fighter."
Marguerite was kept in a coma for seven days.
But then came more bad news. Last Monday the family were told she would lose her limbs.
"We were sat down and told it's definite she would be having to get all her limbs amputated," Kim said.
"The amputation of her arms is scheduled for Tuesday and her legs will be a couple of weeks later.
"They're all black and bandaged up at the moment so they can dry out before surgery."
The family have launched a to raise £80,000 to give the former nursery worker a bionic hand, prosthetic legs and an electric wheelchair.
At the moment, the NHS can provide basic prosthetics but told Kim and her family it is highly unlikely they could get further funding for better limbs.
“She used to drive and would always be on the go," Kim said. "She was so devastated about it all but now she is saying she knows she’s lucky to be alive.
"She wants to make the most of her life and enjoy being a grandmother.”
MORE ON SEPSIS
Sepsis is the primary cause of death from infection around the world and claims around 40,000 lives in the UK each year.
The condition is triggered by an infection.
Common signs and symptoms include fever, increased heart rate, increased breathing rate, and confusion.
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