‘It could have been too late’: Welsh pharmacist helps wedding-goer spot early sepsis signs
32-year-old Florrie visited Abergavenny’s H. Shackleton Pharmacy when she was in the area for a wedding as she had a sore throat.
Prescribing pharmacist Kyle Price attended to her but recalled from information from Aneurin Bevan University Health Board’s sepsis awareness campaign on what the key signs were for the condition.
After a consultation and providing antibiotics for the throat infection, Price told Florrie about sepsis and gave her leaflet with more information on what to look out for and to seek emergency help if her symptoms worsened.
Read more: ‘True life savers’: Asda pharmacy saves man’s life with CPR
Florrie praised Price and said “everything that Kyle did that ultimately saved my two young children from losing their mummy”.
He said “campaigns like this really do make a difference” and “I’m just glad I had the resources to hand and could pass that knowledge on”.
Florrie’s condition deteriorated the next day and after following Price’s advice, she rang the emergency services and shared her possible sepsis diagnosis.
Read more: Pharmacist saves three lives in four weeks
After receiving treatment at the hospital, doctors said if she delayed getting help much longer than her condition could have been far more serious.
Florrie said: “I cannot express my gratitude enough for everything he did, when I’m sure he was ready to shut up the pharmacy for the day at 4.55pm on a Friday evening.
“Sepsis itself is so scary, and without knowing about pharmacy services and utilising Kyle’s experience, by the time I got home and saw my own registered GP on the Monday, it could have been too late.”
Read more: 'Real-life drama': Pharmacy treats acute asthma attack during TV interview
The health board’s sepsis campaign highlights how noticing the following signs can help prevent the infection becoming life-threatening:
- Slurred speech or confusion
- Extreme shivering or muscle pain
- Passing no urine (in a day)
- Severe breathlessness
- It feels like you’re going to die
- Skin mottled or discoloured
It comes after an Asda pharmacist, alongside a retail colleague, took it in turns to perform CPR on a man who had collapsed while queuing for a prescription.
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A pharmacist saved my life similarly. They insisted my mum took me straight to hospital instead of dispensing an antiemetic a GP had prescribed for nausea and diziness post appendectomy.