Would you know how to spot sepsis?
Alexandra Ruddy saved her eight-year-old son’s life after spotting a red line on his wrist, that she thought could be an early sign of sepsis.
She was so concerned about she took her son, Ewan to the out-of-hours doctor to get him seen to immediately.
The doctors diagnosed him with sepsis – a killer of around 15,000 people each year in England.
Speaking on Facebook in a post that went viral having been shared 41,000 times, Alexandra wrote:
“I’ve been in two minds whether to post this but my husband convinced me as he said if I hadn’t been here he wouldn’t have realised. I am sure there are other parents who wouldn’t either and the only reason I knew is because it had happened to a friend’s son 2 years ago and she had shared.
A week or so ago the littlest fell over at the zoo. He took quite a bashing but once we got home I cleaned him up. I rang school on Farm school day to make sure he washed his hands after digging and I tried hard to ensure it was kept clean (hand and elbow). He’s an 8 yr old boy however.
The wounds didn’t look infected- they’d got bigger so I was concerned but they weren’t gunky etc. Yesterday on our way to the beach he showed me his hand. I wasn’t happy as I noticed red tracking down his vein. I then checked his elbow – the same. I took him down to the out of hours feeling a bit silly but when the doctor saw it he commended me on recognising it and getting down ASAP.
This is blood poisoning/ sepsis. It isn’t something you can “leave” until Monday when the doctors are back in the office.
Thankfully the antibiotics are working and he is well in himself! If you spot this red line running from a wound along the vein get yourself/ your child seen straight away. Hopefully my post might help someone the way my friend’s post from 2 years ago helped me ?”
Photo Credit: Alexandra Ruddy Facebook
Speaking about the incident, she said:
“My friends told me to make people aware as the wounds weren’t very gunky. A couple of them wanted me to share it and it just snowballed from there.
“It’s an example of social media being used for good. Ewan was at school on Monday and then took part in a triathlon the following week.”
What is sepsis?
Sepsis is a life-threatening illness that is caused by your body responding to an infection. It can lead to tissue damage, organ failure and even death.
If you are concerned about the welfare of your child, please speak to your GP or hospital immediately, but if you’d like to talk to other dads our forum is a great place to seek advice and support.
