Caitlin Alsop, 23, initially believed she had the flu, but what she was actually facing was a life-threatening sepsis infection triggered by an impacted wisdom tooth. Alsop, who spent nine days in a coma and battled severe complications, is now on a mission to raise awareness about the dangers of sepsis.
Alsop first noticed a sporadic facial rash and flu-like symptoms. “I went to a couple of doctors, but I didn’t think it was anything serious,” she told news.com.au. Following her doctor’s advice, she rested, hoping the symptoms would pass.
However, things took a dramatic turn when she went out for dinner with a friend.
During the meal, Alsop felt like she had bitten her tongue. Soon after, her tongue swelled, and she started drooling.
Suspecting an allergic reaction, she attempted to take an antihistamine but found herself unable to swallow due to the swelling. Alarmed, she went to the hospital, where doctors initially thought she was suffering from anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction. However, the usual treatments for anaphylaxis had no effect.
Alsop’s condition rapidly deteriorated. She developed a blue and red rash and began losing consciousness. Her tongue turned black, leading doctors to suspect necrotizing fasciitis, a severe bacterial infection, or Ludwig’s angina, a cellulitis of the tongue and neck. But a CT scan revealed the true cause of her life-threatening illness: an infected and impacted wisdom tooth.
“I had no pain, no symptoms, and this nearly killed me overnight. It’s absolutely crazy,” Alsop shared. Emergency surgery was required to remove the tooth, but by then, the infection had already caused significant damage, crushing her jugular vein and leading to a coma that lasted nine days.
Reflecting on her ordeal, Alsop admitted she had no idea an infection could become so serious. “I didn’t know that an infection could be so serious. Like so many young people, I had no idea an infection could lead to this. I was walking around and then I was literally burning from the inside out in the ICU as a medical mystery,” she told the publication.
The aftermath of the infection was equally harrowing. Alsop was left with open wounds that took a year to heal. She later learned that her infection had progressed to sepsis, a condition where the body’s response to an infection causes widespread inflammation, leading to organ failure and, potentially, death.
“It is really scary — and what’s the most scary is the amount of people who message me telling me that they’re concerned that their loved one is going through something similar, and they see my story and they want to make sure that it doesn’t happen to them,” Alsop said.
Determined to prevent others from suffering the same fate, Alsop founded the FACE Sepsis project. Through this initiative, she aims to educate the public about the risks of sepsis and the importance of early detection and treatment.
“We all have to work together to make sure that we do prevent loss of life from sepsis,” she emphasized. “I’m so determined to make sure that I leave this world a better place.”