Going off to college is exciting, and many students also start living on their own for the first time. With no rules and freedom from parents or caregivers, the real fun begins. But life is unpredictable, and when something tragic happens, it can really challenge students who have just left the nest.
Something similar happened to an 18-year-old who thought she was hungover after a night out with her friends. But when her condition worsened, she rushed to the hospital and found out she actually had sepsis and nearly lost her life. Scroll down to read all about her terrifying experience!
When 18-year-old Elle Black felt “dreadful” after a night out, she brushed off the symptoms as a bad hangover
DC Studio / magnific (not the actual photo)
Elle Black from Warwickshire, England, was 18 when the incident took place. She was in her first year of college at Cardiff University and went to watch Six Nations rugby with her friends. After enjoying a few drinks, the back of her throat was hurting when she went home.
Elle just took some ibuprofen and went off to sleep. When she woke up feeling “dreadful” the next day, she thought it was just a bad hangover. However, her alarm bells started ringing when the symptoms persisted, her tonsils got swollen, and she couldn’t make it to brunch with her parents as planned. She started contemplating whether she had a virus.
“I was overwhelmingly drowsy, couldn’t keep food down, and swinging between hot and cold,” Elle told Southwest News Service.
When she consulted a general practitioner online, the doctor suspected laryngitis. But Elle felt so “delirious” that she couldn’t collect the prescription. When she was hit with intense muscle pain, she realized it was time to go to the hospital immediately.
However, when she visited a hospital, Elle was diagnosed with sepsis, and a few hours of delay could have cost her her life
Within 15 minutes, she was evaluated and diagnosed with sepsis, as the doctors put her on IV antibiotics and fluids.
She acknowledged, “That speed is the reason I’m still here.”
Doctors verified that Elle had developed quinsy (a serious complication of tonsillitis where a pus-filled pocket forms near the tonsils), which turned into sepsis.
Experts at Cleveland Clinic define sepsis as a life-threatening reaction to an infection that causes your immune system to harm healthy tissues and organs. It can develop quickly and lead to organ failure or demise without urgent care. Doctors told Elle that if she had waited 12 hours longer, she could have lost her life.
Elle told the BBC, “Hearing that really brought home just how serious sepsis is, and how important it is to recognize the symptoms and act quickly. I’m incredibly grateful that I trusted my instincts when I did.”
Zoshua Colah / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Despite a full recovery, Elle realized how sepsis impacted her physical health for a long time
“My mum says it’s the scariest thing she’s ever gone through. They didn’t expect me to look so dreadful; they’d never seen me like that. I was completely pale, clammy. They are quite traumatized by it,” she added.
Elle was hospitalized for several days at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. Once the doctors got her infection under control and her condition improved, she was moved onto oral antibiotics.
Ultimately, she recovered fully, but sepsis impacted her physical health for quite some time. She stated that even after the infection had been treated, she was left feeling exhausted for weeks. Elle said that it completely changed her perspective. She no longer takes her health for granted, and she’s much more aware of listening to her body and trusting her instincts.
Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
She also admitted that she barely knew anything about sepsis until she went through it. Now 21, she started sharing her story to raise awareness among young people, and she hopes they learn from her experience. She believes that recognizing the symptoms and asking for help when she did was what saved her life.
“I also believe we need to do more to educate young people about sepsis. Students are often living away from home for the first time and making decisions about their own health. Knowing what sepsis looks like could make the difference between seeking help in time or dismissing the symptoms as something less serious,” she added.
According to WHO, there were 48.9 million cases and 11 million people were lost to sepsis worldwide, representing 20% of all global demises in 2020. However, it remains under-recognized and under-prioritized.
Sepsis affected 48.9 million people in 2020, yet it is still under-recognized, so Elle started raising awareness through her story
Sepsis Research FEAT / Facebook
To raise awareness, Elle is running the London Marathon for the charity Sepsis Research next year.
While she urged people to seek help, Elle stated: “With something as dangerous as sepsis, there’s not too many stories where it’s OK, and it all works out. It’s just so scary how fast it is. It’s not always a hangover; sometimes it’s something worse.”
She also said recognizing the symptoms of sepsis should be mandatory in university induction.
“Students are often living away from home for the first time and making decisions about their own health. Knowing what sepsis looks like could make the difference between seeking help in time or dismissing the symptoms as something less serious,” she added.
Lastly, Elle had a message for people. “Trust your instincts. If you or someone you know becomes suddenly and seriously unwell, don’t be afraid to seek urgent medical help. It is always better to be checked than to wait, because with sepsis, every minute matters,” she concluded.
Those are some wise words, don’t you think? Let us know your thoughts. Also, if you have experienced something similar, feel free to share it in the comments section!
Some netizens shared similar stories, while a few were unaware of sepsis
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