'I thought I had the flu': Mom nearly died after dismissing deadly sepsis symptoms

In nan aftermath of NASCAR prima Kyle Busch’s death from sepsis, a Virginia Beach mother who almost mislaid her life to nan deadly information is sharing her harrowing acquisition to raise awareness.

In 2015, Audrey Wiggins was a patient 31-year-old erstwhile she thought she’d travel down pinch nan flu. Instead, her information spiraled into a terrible lawsuit of sepsis that near her successful nan ICU for 10 days, including 5 days successful a medically induced coma. 

Now recovered, Wiggins – who is joined to master golfer Marc Leishman – is dedicated to raising consciousness astir nan information done her nonprofit organization, nan Begin Again Foundation. She has besides written a children's book aimed astatine helping families admit nan informing signs.

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Sudden decline

Wiggins’ ordeal began erstwhile she began to consciousness sick 1 evening while caring for her sons, past 19 months and 3 years old, while her hubby was traveling.

Audrey Leishman (far right, pinch her family) is simply a Virginia Beach mother who almost mislaid her life to sepsis. (Audrey Leishman)

"I had ne'er really had nan flu before, but I was achy, feverish and cold. And truthful I thought, this seems like nan flu," she told Fox News Digital during an on-camera interview.

As nan days went on, Wiggins started to consciousness worse. Her fever spiked higher and she developed terrible tummy issues.

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"At 1 point, I really thought I was going a small spot crazy, because my correct elbow and near large toed started hurting – it was nan astir random thing. I hadn't injured myself," she said. "I was really confused arsenic to what was going on."

When Wiggins became excessively anemic to attraction for her sons and started to person nosebleeds, her friend insisted that she spot a doctor.

At urgent care, Wiggins’ somesthesia and bosom complaint were abnormally high, and her blood pressure was dangerously low. She was taken by ambulance to nan emergency room.

"I was a very, very sick person."

While today’s hospitals person "come a agelong way" toward sepsis consciousness and recognition, Wiggins noted that wasn’t nan lawsuit successful 2015.

"They took a very agelong clip to fig retired what was going incorrect pinch me," she said, adding that doctors astatine first thought she was afflicted pinch autoimmune diseases. 

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"They kept testing maine for different things. Eventually, they admitted me, and I was successful nan ICU for a full of 10 days – 5 of which were successful a medically induced coma."

The sepsis yet turned into acute respiratory distress syndrome.

"I very overmuch retrieve not being capable to breathe," Wiggins recalled. "That was by acold nan scariest part. It sewage to nan constituent wherever I had to region betwixt each connection to return a breath, and it was fundamentally for illustration sipping air."

Now recovered, Wiggins is dedicated to raising consciousness astir nan information done her nonprofit organization. (Audrey Leishman)

At 1 point, she later learned, location was a "good chance" she wasn't going to aftermath up from nan coma.

"When I yet did aftermath up, it was rather nan process of relearning really to locomotion again, dealing pinch at-home physical therapy and being connected a PICC statement (peripherally inserted cardinal catheter)," Wiggins shared.

The first twelvemonth of betterment was "very difficult," she said. "My immune strategy was truthful compromised that I was sick constantly."

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Today, Wiggins says she is healthy, but that her representation "is not what it utilized to be" and that she gets fatigued much often.

The original origin of her sepsis remains unclear, she said, but it whitethorn person been linked to her caller IUD removal.

"I did person nan test of toxic daze syndrome, but I besides had tonsillitis, strep throat, a UTI and pneumonia," she said. "I was a very, very sick person."

What to cognize astir sepsis

In terrible cases, infection tin spread into nan bloodstream, triggering nan widespread, life-threatening inflammatory consequence that is sepsis. 

It tin quickly lead to insubstantial damage, organ nonaccomplishment and decease if not treated correct away, according to Fox News elder aesculapian expert Dr. Marc Siegel.

"The assemblage reacts by making inflammatory chemicals. It’s nan immune strategy revving up … but it tin wounded much than help," he antecedently told Fox News Digital.

"When I yet did aftermath up, it was rather nan process of relearning really to locomotion again, dealing pinch at-home beingness therapy and being connected a PICC statement (peripherally inserted cardinal catheter)," Wiggins shared. (Audrey Leishman )

Wiggins explained nan consequence pinch an analogy: "Instead of your assemblage sending retired nan Navy SEALs, it sends retired nan full U.S. Armed Forces."

As sepsis worsens, it tin origin a driblet successful humor unit and interfere pinch nan transportation of oxygen to nan body’s tissues, perchance starring to lactic acidosis — a vulnerable buildup of lactic acerb successful nan bloodstream.

"Instead of your assemblage sending retired nan Navy SEALs, it sends retired nan full U.S. Armed Forces."

Organ nonaccomplishment is simply a superior risk, peculiarly affecting nan kidneys, Siegel warned.

"The kidneys fail, toxins from nan kidneys build up, humor unit goes down, fever goes up, nan lungs neglect — thing called ARDS," he said.

"In a clip erstwhile group are struggling, if I tin thief easiness that load – moreover conscionable nan tiniest bit, truthful they tin attraction much connected nan betterment – it is my absolute passion and grant to proceed to do that." (Audrey Leishman)

ARDS — acute respiratory distress syndrome — occurs erstwhile inflammation causes fluid to leak into nan lungs, making it difficult for oxygen to scope nan bloodstream.

Common warning signs of sepsis tin see precocious fever, confusion, accelerated breathing, utmost weakness, debased humor pressure, accelerated bosom complaint and bluish aliases mottled skin, per nan CDC. Patients tin besides consciousness very acold and acquisition utmost pain, Wiggins added.

Turning endurance into a mission

After Wiggins was discharged from nan hospital, she was struck by really small group knew astir sepsis, which led her to commencement nan Begin Again Foundation.

"I had ne'er heard of sepsis – and I realized that was why I almost died," she shared. "If I had known what nan symptoms were and what to look retired for, I would person sought curen earlier."

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The costly aesculapian costs – for everything from home healthcare to antibiotics to a walker and different instrumentality – were besides shocking. "I learned that sepsis is nan astir costly hospitalization measure location is," Wiggins said. "I retrieve thinking, ‘What if we didn't person nan money to spend this?’"

Every hr that sepsis goes untreated, nan mortality complaint increases by up to 8%, Wiggins noted. (iStock)

"In a clip erstwhile group are struggling, if I tin thief easiness that load – moreover conscionable nan tiniest bit, truthful they tin attraction much connected nan betterment – it is my absolute passion and grant to proceed to do that. And that is nan main attraction of nan organization."

Wiggins’ children’s book, "Katie Koala's Biggest Bite," focuses connected a young girl who gets injured and becomes ill, past her mother takes her to nan expert soon capable to drawback sepsis earlier it becomes life-threatening.

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"My extremity for this book is that it will beryllium successful some small hands and their parents' bigger hands … and that by reference this story, they study astir what sepsis is and what symptoms to look retired for," she said.

"I've publication excessively galore stories of parents who did activity treatment, who took their child to nan doctor, and were told it was conscionable a virus."

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Wiggins said nan simplest point parents tin do is to inquire nan doctor: "Could this beryllium sepsis?"

"Just asking that mobility could lead them connected nan way to tally a different laboratory sheet aliases look astatine nan symptoms successful a different way," she added.

"I've publication excessively galore stories of parents who took their kid to nan expert and were told it was conscionable a virus."

Every hr that sepsis goes untreated, nan mortality complaint increases by up to 8%, Wiggins noted.

"Time genuinely is nan astir important point – and getting that early curen tin forestall you from moreover being hospitalized."

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One of nan astir important things group should know, according to Wiggins, is that sepsis tin hap from immoderate infection. 

"The astir communal causes are respiratory infections, UTIs and kidney stones, but it tin hap from a cut. It tin hap from strep throat, nan flu," she warned.