“EXCRUCIATING pain” caused Kingston councillor Rosemary West to go to her doctor but she was surprised by the diagnosis – sepsis.
Sepsis is blood poisoning caused by toxins and is ultimately what killed boxing legend and activist Muhammad Ali this month when the 74-year-old, who also suffered from Parkinson’s disease, succumbed to organ failure due to “septic shock”.
Cr West says a doctor told her she had the highest level of toxins in her blood seen in a St Vincent’s Hospital admission.
“The disease, sometimes described as a staph infection, blood poisoning or most simply sepsis is not well known,” she said.
The disease is often caused by toxins entering the blood stream, usually through infection of a wound.
“I’m keen for people to be aware of sepsis in case someone else finds themselves in excruciating pain with no apparent cause and needs to remind their doctor to test their blood for this especially nasty bug.”
Sepsis sufferers can lose legs due to poor blood flow but fortunately this was not the case for Cr West.
Cr West’s hospital stay meant she was unable to attend the public council meetings over the past two months.
“A bit of good fortune is it’s not contagious so I have the all-clear to resume my council duties as soon as I am strong enough.
“For someone who has virtually never been ill before, it has certainly been an adventure, though not one you would wish on anyone.”
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 22 June 2016
