Hello all and welcome to this week's waffle, in which, we always try to strike a balance between dealing with the inherently important and serious matter of protecting your health, with keeping the general tone light, fluffy and uplifting.
That being said there are times when we do need to get our serious face on, and as we head in to peak lurgy season, the topic we have on our revision list today is:
Would you recognise the point at which feeling rotten tips over in to being a hospital emergency?
Specifically we are talking about recognising sepsis, aka blood poisoning. You will almost certainly heard of it, but did you know that it is not an illness that you catch or even one that you can necessarily prevent. It is, in a funny way, something that any of us can 'do to ourselves' - a supreme overreaction by your own immune system to another challenge (e.g. flu or another infection or illness).
You might call it an immuno-tantrum, of dangerous, Michael Douglas in Falling Down-esque proportions. Once triggered, there is no DIY calming down of this situation. Even if one of our GPs diagnoses the condition, their advice will be the same: this is a hospital matter for some 'no messing' antibiotics and more, combined with careful monitoring. The guidance for starting treatment after onset is 1-6 hours.
The challenge, for us lay folk, is in spotting when matters have escalated in to this more dangerous territory. To begin with it will masquerade as a continuation of the original illness, but multiple other symptoms could start creeping in, as further body systems become affected. Some key ones include:
mottled skin or a rash that does not blanche when a glass is pressed on it
rapid breathing
delirium or confusion
not passing urine for 12 hours
in children, a weak cry or one that is more high pitched than normal
Symptoms present differently each time, and the absence of some symptoms does not rule out the condition. Hmmm, if this is starting to feel a bit like nailing jelly to a wall, fear not because the UK Sepsis Trust is an excellent resource. It has an Online Sepsis Assessment Tool for the Public, which is a Class 1 medical device registered with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and we would heartily recommend you bookmark it and highlight it to anyone you care about - truly an invaluable accessible resource in a situation where time is of the essence.
At the simplest level, the overarching advice would simply be:
1) be alert to the possibility of sepsis ('Think Sepsis')
2) listen to your gut
If you or someone you are with is ill, and symptoms are progressing and worsening in a way that feels in any way 'other' and not in a good way... do not ignore that 'spidey sense'- seek medical support without delay.
Wishing you all a wonderful week,
Gemma, Tom and all at Winchester GP