Could someone medical please come and talk to me about sepsis, anemia and blood transfusion please.

[junkcollector]

My mum has been in hospital for a month with Cellulitis and sepsis which was potentially caused by septic arthritis (or the other way round, they don't know). She was very poorly but had an operation to drain an abscess last week and is improving.

The hospital have now said that as she has low hemoglobin and anaemia they are going to give her a blood transfusion.

Does anyone know whether this is a measured response and routine (which is what the hospital are saying) or whether there is something they're not telling us about her condition?

That's pretty routine. She's had a major systemic infection and it will have wiped out a hell of a lot of her red blood cells. They would eventually replace themselves but not having enough hampers recovery (you need oxygen to regenerate cells - she doesn't have enough so the blood isn't circulating enough oxygen).

Try not to worry, this is actually a very positive thing - she will feel a lot better within a few days. Having had cellulitis and sepsis myself you do feel absolutely shitty, but in a few days with good treatment, you feel much better.

Chronic inflammation will tend to knock off the bone marrow and cause anaemia. Other things like the antibiotics may not help. Sometimes people with these problems also develop a bit of kidney failure which will also affect the production of red blood cells.

I was admitted to hospital last year with sepsis, my liver was starting to fail. I spent 16 days in hospital on a cocktail of antibiotics.
Also had severe rhuematoid reaction causing joint and muscle pain.
I have recovered well, it took 3/4 months for my liver to return to normal and my hemoglobin was very low and kept reducing even though the infection was going. It's ok now though.
Hope your mum continues to improve x

Don't wish to worry you but I would ask if the blood that she will be given is free from the rogue vCJD prions, currently donated blood in the UK is not screened for vCJD (human form of mad cows disease) and no advice is given to patients about this. It is an outrage that one can go into hospital and then be given potentially infected blood, it is a fact that blood donors have died from vCJD, who were the recipients of their donated blood? Look up blood safety on www.justiceforandy.com or write to our new coalition government for urgent action.

Thanks everyone for your replies-

Who moved- that's very reassuring thank you.

Thanks Uggmum, that sounds horrible glad you're better-

Pardon- Yes, My mum had acute kidney failure but they've kicked back in now.(It's been a very worrying month!!)

Beaaware, I'll check that out.

For the blood transfusion, you can ask that the blood be filtered using the P-Capt prion reduction filter. This filter is CE marked has been recommended by a government expert committee last November for children born after 1996 but the government has yet to make the policy decision. It is also noted that a House of Lords private members bill on Contaminated Blood would have required universal filtration of blood but this bill died on the order paper in the House of Commons when the election was called.

Whether you actually will get the filter is another question but by asking you will begin to raise pressure in the system that anyone regardless of age should have access to filtered blood to reduce the risk of obtaining vCJD thru blood transfusion. If you want additional information, please let me know and I will post it.

Regarding the filter, please see below a BBC news article as well as a BBC television news report.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8379879.stm

videos.wittysparks.com/id/720576 62166790602

Thanks azul1 these newspaper articles are extremely informative and excellent advice regarding the P-Capt prion reduction filter for anyone requiring a blood transfusion, of course this has come to late for one of my relatives as they were unaware of this when they had a blood transfusion. If all blood donors were screened individually & anonymously for vCJD we would'nt have to worry.