Woman From Queensland Was in Coma for Days After Doctors Mistook On-Off Rash as Common Cold Symptom; What Is Sepsis?

Caitlin Alsop from Queensland nearly died after her wisdom tooth extraction got infected before her body started shutting down.

Alsop was only 23 when she experienced sepsis. Her first symptoms included a light fever, rashes, and extreme fatigue. Two days later, Caitlin was in a coma after her tongue swelled, blocking air paths.

Caitlin revealed how the attending doctors mistook her light rash and fever fatigue as signs of a common cold, an error that almost took her life.

The cause was later identified as an infection brought by an impacted wisdom tooth.

Caitlin was in a coma at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Her tongue became so swollen that doctors thought they might need to amputate her taste.

In an interview, Caitlin, now 27, told FEMAIL that she had been having an "easy day" trying to get over the fever-like symptoms when things deteriorated quickly.

How Caitlin Struggled with her 'Mystery' Illness

She remembered how she was lying in her bed after dinner and relaxing. But she felt something hot that didn't feel right.

One side of her tongue swelled up to the point that she could not swallow anything. She went to her local physicians, who assumed that Caitlin was just having a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is a severe bodily reaction from allergens that can be-anaphylactic shock-fatal, according to Medical News Today.

She was then given some painkillers and two shots of adrenaline and told that she would be out for 45 minutes after. But she wasn't.

Caitlin's condition continued to worsen, she became covered head to toe with a red and blue mottled rash, and her rate got so bad that she kept passing out.

The attending physician then decided to transfer her to the University hospital, which has the advanced equipment to handle her condition quickly. Initially, doctors found her illness as a "mystery."

When she was transferred to the university's medical facility, she said that her family was not allowed to ride the ambulance with her, which she described as "terrifying." Instead, the doctors joined Caitlin in case she had trouble breathing and they had to do an emergency tracheotomy (placing a tube into the hole to use for breathing).

At that point, Caitlin needed to mask up for her breathing. She felt like she was going to die.

She was informed by the ambulance personnel that she would likely be put into a coma, but she doesn't remember much of those. "They told me it was really serious," which she terrifyingly remembered all too well, worrying if she would wake up again.

Nine days later, she woke up. A hundred medical practitioners were tasked to find out what was wrong with Caitlyn, the "mystery girl."

Mystery Illness Eventually Identified

"They found out that I had an infected compound wisdom tooth," Caitlin said. The tooth had never shown any infection.

The problematic tooth was extracted along with another wisdom tooth. The drains were cut into her throat to relieve the swelling.

She received high doses of antibiotics to get rid of the fatal infection.

Caitlin's swollen tongue eventually melted off and she had to learn to talk and eat again.

After waking up from the coma, she came home as a treated out-patient, which left gratefulness on her face.

Sepsis: The Silent Killer

Sepsis a serious medical condition caused by the body's response to an infection and can be life-threatening. Bacterial infection are the common causes of sepsis, according to Cleveland Clinic.

Its symptoms often mimic other less serious illnesses such as fever or gastro, making it hard to identify and can vary in a lot of cases, which can be trivial to know if unforeseen situations occur.

According to Children's Health Queensland, symptoms are unstable breathing patterns (fast breathing or long pauses), blotchy pale or blue skin, untreated rashes, drowsiness, and a lot of pain or very restlessness.

Caitlin said that sepsis could happen to anyone, starting with any infection. She is now making her life mission to share awareness about the disease.

Reflecting on her experience, Caitlin pointed out that her fever and swollen tongue are her primary indications of sepsis; she didn't blame anyone for not noticing it quickly.

Currently, Caitlin has a lisp and is affectionately called 'Dory' by loved ones because of her difficulty remembering a common side effect of a coma. It has been four years since the incident happened, but Caitlin still fears she will get an infection. She's afraid that her body will start to pass out again.

She added that her story is "the story of thousands of people."

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