Sepsis Dog Lick — sepsis dog lick linked to woman's quadruple amputation
Warning: this article contains images some readers might find upsetting. The sepsis dog lick phrase has been used by doctors who believe a lick from a pet may have triggered the infection that left Manjit Sangha critically ill. The 56-year-old survivor has returned home after months of intensive treatment and now wants to warn others.
Sepsis Dog Lick: woman's warning issued
After 32 weeks in hospital, several cardiac arrests and a quadruple amputation, sepsis survivor Manjit Sangha has finally returned home. Doctors believe her sepsis might have been caused by something as innocent as a lick from her dog on a small cut or scratch, and she now wants to warn others of the danger, saying "it could happen to anybody. "
Hospital stay and cardiac arrests
Medics had thought the 56-year-old would almost certainly die during her ordeal. While in intensive care at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton, Manjit Sangha's heart stopped six times. She spent a total of 32 weeks in hospital and experienced several cardiac arrests during that period.
Rapid collapse and early symptoms
Manjit, who had worked seven days a week before her illness, returned home on a Sunday afternoon in July last year feeling unwell. By the following morning she was unconscious. Her hands and feet were ice-cold, her lips had turned purple and she was struggling to breathe. Her husband, Kam Sangha, described the shock: "Your mind is all over the place, " and added, "You're thinking 'how can this happen in less than 24 hours?'" He recalled the sequence: "One minute on a Saturday she's playing with the dog, Sunday she's gone to work, Monday night she's in a coma. "
Surgeries and quadruple amputation
Surgeons at Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley later had to amputate both of her legs below the knee, as well as both of her hands, because of the spread of the condition. The former pharmacy worker also lost her spleen, battled pneumonia and developed gallstones which she was told might require further surgery. Reflecting on the early period she said, "I didn't know what was happening, " and added, "The first month I do not remember anything. " She also said, "It's difficult to explain the experience, " and warned, "Losing your limbs and your hands in a short time period is a very big thing. It's very serious and not to be taken lightly. "
Discharge from Ward 9
She left Ward 9 at Moseley Hall in Birmingham on Wednesday and received a hero's welcome from her family in Penn, on the Wolverhampton/Staffordshire border. Despite the severity of her condition and the expectation that she might not survive, she returned home to begin recovery and rebuilding her life.
What sepsis is and symptoms
Sepsis is a rare but serious medical condition which occurs when the body's immune system, which is meant to fight against disease and infection, starts to attack the body's own tissues and organs. The NHS says it is life-threatening and can be hard to spot. The UK Sepsis Trust says there are about 50, 000 sepsis-related deaths in the UK each year. In adults, symptoms can include but are not limited to slurred speech, extreme shivering or muscle pain, severe breathlessness and skin that is mottled or discoloured.
Manjit Sangha's case has been presented as a cautionary example: doctors linking a sepsis dog lick to a severe, rapidly progressing illness that required intensive care, multiple surgeries and a lengthy hospital stay. She has made clear she wants others to be aware of the danger and has warned, "it could happen to anybody. "
Closing detail: the sequence of events — playing with the dog on a Saturday, feeling unwell on a Sunday afternoon in July last year, becoming unconscious by the following morning, multiple arrests and prolonged intensive care, followed by surgery at Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley and eventual discharge from Ward 9 at Moseley Hall in Birmingham — is the full chain of circumstances described by the family and medical teams involved in her care.
