A dad who spent months in hospital and underwent nine operations after falling ill with sepsis has thanked the teams who saved his life.
Craig Myall, from Dover, was taken to William Harvey in Ashford in January after suffering severe stomach pains.
Craig Myall, from Dover, in hospital while he battled sepsis. Picture: East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust
Doctors discovered the forklift driver had a serious intestinal infection, and surgeons removed 800ml of pus from his bowel.
The infection triggered sepsis, a condition which turns the body on itself when fighting an infection which can be fatal if not treated quickly.
Craig was placed in a medically induced coma in the hospital’s critical care unit – where he had terrifying hallucinations, including that there were scorpions on the ceiling.
He went on to endure a series of complications that required nine separate operations.
Craig now lives with a stoma and ileostomy, meaning he must wear a bag to collect his stoo. Yet despite the ordeal, Craig says he will be “forever grateful” that the care he received allowed him to return home to his two daughters.
He said: “I had heard of sepsis, but I didn’t really understand what it was, and I never thought it would happen to me.
“At the time, you don’t realise how ill you are, but it has a huge impact on your loved ones. The treatment I received was amazing; there’s no doubt I wouldn’t be here without it.
“Thanks to the hospital staff, I was able to come home and enjoy time with my children again.”
Craig spent 18 days in a coma and more than six weeks in critical care before being transferred to another ward to continue his recovery.
He was finally discharged at the end of May, but when he left the hospital, he needed to use a wheelchair and struggled with speech and memory.
Craig Myall, from Dover, after coming out of hospital following his sepsis battle. Picture: East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust
He still faces further abdominal surgery but hopes to return to work before the end of the year.
“I had to learn to do a lot again, including walking. At first, I couldn’t get my words out and I was very forgetful,” he said.
“I needed constant support, but now I can manage most things myself. With lots of physio, I can walk unaided, though the brain fog is still there.
“Essentially, I missed five months of my children’s lives.
“I also had terrifying hallucinations in critical care, like seeing scorpions on the ceiling, thinking I’d been kidnapped, or even thinking there was an IKEA outside the unit where I wanted a hot dog.”
As well as hospital staff, Craig was supported by his sister Sam, who paused her university studies to care for him, and his partner, who visited regularly.
Craig has been supported by the critical care follow-up team since his discharge home, as well his sister Sam and his partner – all of whom he was quick to thank.
In a visit back to the hospital, he met staff who looked after him, and he was able to thank them personally.
He said: “It felt right to go back and say thank you.
“So many people played a part in my recovery: dieticians, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, consultants, nurses, and health care support workers.
“Sam put her life on hold for me, they both sat with me for hours. My sister even kept a diary, though I haven’t been able to read it yet.
“I’m grateful to every single one of them.”