Nina Khaira, a 38-year-old dentist from Cornwall, gave birth in October 2015 and eight days later, she was back in hospital fighting for her life.
Shortly after giving birth, she developed severe pain in her lower back. Her doctor diagnosed this as a kidney infection and was prescribed a routine antibiotic, trimethoprim.
However, Khaira had contracted sepsis which was triggered by a urinary tract infection that spread to her blood. The E.coli strain which produces Extended-Spectrum Beta Lactamase (ESBL) was resistant to most antibiotics, even the ones that were prescribed by her GP. The medication had initially helped soothe the pain but did not kill the infection. She had a fever and became shivery within two days and told her husband, “I think I'm going to die.”
She was rushed to A&E and following blood and urine tests that confirmed she had sepsis, she was moved to her own room and was given paracetamol, fluids and aztreonam, a rare antibiotic, three times a day for 12 days.
For 10 days, she showed no improvement as her temperature continued to soar. Her blood pressure had become so low that doctors were afraid she was in septic shock, a life-threatening state.
It took Nina Khaira nine months to fully recover, however, the thought of what could have happened still haunts her. She said, “I could have died, I could have left this child and my husband alone.”
