My sister was sent to bed with flu symptoms but then lost her legs and fingers… she was so bad the doctors were stunned

A mother-of-two has lost her legs and fingers after going to bed sick with flu-like symptoms.

Julianna Bransden complained about bad weather last Christmas and decided to rest in bed – but concerns grew when she couldn’t lift her head from the pillow.

5

5

5

The 44-year-old was told to wait until 111 and wait a few days, but husband Tim knew there was something seriously wrong with his wife.

His decision to call an ambulance for Julianna proved life-saving.

Jac Burgess, Julianna’s sister, said LancsLive: “The doctors told us afterwards that Julianna’s body was basically compensating for her and had kept secret how bad and sick she really was.

“She is young and healthy but suddenly fell off a cliff.

“In a 30-minute period, her heart stopped twice.”

Doctors at Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, told the family their mother and sister were 10 liters fluid deficit and in septic shock.

Shockingly, Julianna’s aunt had died of sepsis a few weeks earlier, and now it seemed her niece would face the same fate.

The 44-year-old’s family were told the patient required ventilation and was in intensive care – where she would remain for the next 66 days.

They were prepared for this to be according to doctor Juliannas’ prognosis last night.

Jac added: “When she first came into the hospital she was so dehydrated that they said her lips looked like they’d split completely if you’d touched them.

“There was a nurse who had been working for eight years, one for 22 and another for 10, and everyone said they had never seen such a dramatic accident in a patient.

“It was just crazy.”

The teacher was desperately battling septic shock and organ failure, but doctors also discovered a bad case of pneumonia, influenza, and invasive Strep A.

Since waking up from an induced coma, Julianna has had to amputate both of her legs and will unfortunately lose most of her fingers as well.

Her sister said: “We just prayed desperately that she would just survive. I think with sepsis people just think you either die or you live.

“But with Julianna’s condition, we want to raise awareness that it’s not just about being in the hospital and being a life or death situation.

“We are now very confident that she will come home. Also her character, she is determined that she is not going anywhere.”

The doting family have praised “shockingly stoic and super resilient” Julianna for recovering so quickly – and in good spirits.

“She’s doing so well, I just can’t imagine not even having a good cry and wiping away your own tears. She’s a superstar,” added Jac.

The family stressed that they still have a long road to recovery ahead of them, but they ultimately feel blessed to still have Julianna with them.

There is a GoFundMe founded to help her rebuild her independence and has raised £68,141 so far.

What is septicemia?

The terms sepsis and septicemia both refer to a blood infection typically caused by bacteria.

Although the definitions are closely related, there are some small differences.

Sepsis occurs when your body is reacting to a serious infection, while septicemia is the name of the infection itself.

The NHS explains: “Sepsis can affect multiple organs or the whole body, even without blood poisoning or septicemia.

“Sepsis can also be caused by viral or fungal infections, although bacterial infections are by far the most common cause.”

5

5