Christmas Eve

A woman who was in seemingly good health has described how a hard-to-detect case of sepsis resulted in her having both legs amputated.

Beth Budgen, from Newbury in Berkshire, thought She just had a cold when She woke up feeling ill on Christmas Eve .

But She started developing agonising pain The Next day, vomited blue liquid and was rushed to A& E in Basingstoke.

The 46-year-old spent seven months in hospital but is now back At Home trying to adapt to her new way of life.

Warning: This story contains a graphic image That some readers may find upsetting.

She told She wanted to share her shocking story to raise awareness so others could spot the symptoms earlier.

A few hours after arriving at hospital, doctors told her family to " prepare for the worst" as She was put into an induced coma for Six Weeks .

" It think it all kind of happened pretty quickly from There . . by Boxing Day I had a complete organ failure, " She Said .

Ms Budgen was not responding to Life Support and medics soon established That - as well as flu and pneumonia - She had contracted the strep A bacterial infection That ultimately led to sepsis.

When She came out of The Coma her feet were black and doctors told her She had to have both legs amputated.

" I can't honestly tell you how That felt, " She .

" I think I was just so utterly shocked by it. "

She underwent surgery at Southampton General Hospital , where She also had parts of her hands removed.

" It's surreal. At first everything is Bandaged . . you can see everything is shorter but you can't really see what they look like, " She Said .

It was only when the bandages were taken off That reality sunk in.

But Ms Budgen said She considered herself lucky and has " always been an optimistic person".

Returning Home after the amputation, however, has presented her with difficult challenges.

" First night I was here on My Own in My Own house I made the mistake of leaving my Medication downstairs, so having made the 30-minute trip getting upstairs I realised I didn't have my Medication - and That was my first meltdown, " She Said .

" I Am pretty determined to wear my [prosthetic] legs as much as I can. It's just exhausting. "

" If this happened to me it can happen to anyone That you love, " Ms Budgen said.

" People really need to be aware of The Signs of sepsis and educate themselves. "

Ms Budgen's family has launched a campaign to help her raise money for Everything Else She will need, from various adaptions to her home to a bespoke pair of legs.

Source of news: bbc.com