Trusting Her Gut Instinct Saved My Life”: Leah Denney’s Battle with Sepsis

Leah Denney believes she would be dead if she hadn’t trusted her own instincts and sought a second opinion, leading to her being diagnosed with sepsis by hospital doctors. This life-saving decision came after what initially appeared to be a severe cold turned out to be a combination of life-threatening conditions.

Leah, a mother from Kettering, Northamptonshire, first noticed severe cold symptoms, including body aches and fluctuating temperatures. Despite taking cold medication and getting plenty of rest, her condition worsened. Leah, 28, became unable to keep any food or fluids down and sought help at an out-of-hours urgent care center. There, she was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection (UTI) and prescribed antibiotics.

Despite the initial treatment, Leah’s condition continued to deteriorate. She returned to the urgent care center with sharp chest pains and side aches. The doctors prescribed more medication, but Leah felt no improvement. “I felt like I was dying and looked like a zombie,” she said, describing her deteriorating state.

Desperate for relief, Leah begged her mother to take her to A&E. At the hospital, doctors discovered that she was suffering from a severe combination of flu, Strep A, pneumonia, and a stage-three kidney infection, which had all led to sepsis. Leah was placed in an induced coma that evening, and her collapsed right lung was drained of 2.8 liters of fluid.

After spending 12 days in a coma, Leah was finally brought around and eventually allowed to go home. She had to relearn basic functions, such as eating and walking. “Even now, I think about it and it tears me up at the thought of Ralphie being left without me,” she reflected, speaking about her four-year-old son.

Although Leah made a good physical recovery 18 months after her hospitalization in January 2023, she now suffers from post-sepsis syndrome (PSS). This condition has caused her hair to fall out, her skin to shed, and chronic joint pain and memory loss. Despite these ongoing struggles, Leah remains grateful for her survival and the opportunity to be with her son.

Leah warns others to trust their instincts if they feel unwell. “It was horrible. The thought of never waking up, never being there for my child or my family never seeing me again was quite scary,” she said. Leah’s story serves as a stark reminder of the importance of seeking medical help and trusting one’s gut instincts when it comes to health concerns.

Leah’s harrowing experience began just before Christmas 2022, with symptoms she thought were part of a severe cold. After initial misdiagnoses and treatments, her persistent feeling that something was seriously wrong ultimately led her to A&E, where her life-threatening condition was identified. Now, Leah’s focus is on managing her post-sepsis symptoms and raising awareness about the condition.

“From a medical point of view, I got better very quickly once I woke up,” she said. However, the post-sepsis symptoms appeared almost immediately. “The trouble sleeping, the lethargy, and a thick layer of skin on the palms of my hands and the soles of my feet started peeling straight away. I was shedding like a snake; it made me feel disgusting.”

Leah’s journey through illness, misdiagnosis, and recovery underscores the critical importance of advocating for oneself in healthcare settings. Her story is a powerful testament to the life-saving potential of trusting one’s instincts and seeking appropriate medical care.