A woman recounted the terrifying moment when her hands and feet darkened to black due to septic shock, just days after being discharged from the hospital with what was deemed a “small” kidney stone.

In July 2022, Louise Marshallsay, a 48-year-old from Swansea, visited the hospital suffering from a severe, stabbing pain in her side. This pain was similar to what she experienced three years prior, which resulted in the surgical removal of a kidney stone.

The hospital staff determined she had another kidney stone and discharged her with instructions to allow the “small” stone to pass on its own.

Kidney stones are solid masses made of minerals and salts that can develop inside the kidneys, often due to insufficient fluid intake.

That same evening, Louise began experiencing episodes of unconsciousness, and within hours, her extremities had turned black and purple.

She was urgently transported back to the hospital in an ambulance but collapsed upon reaching the facility.

When she regained consciousness, the mother-of-one was shocked to learn that four days had passed and she had gone into septic shock, a life-threatening condition where a viral or bacterial infection triggers widespread inflammation leading to seriously low blood pressure. 

It is the final stage of sepsis, also known as blood poisoning, and can lead death due to organ malfunction or failure.

Louise Marshallsay, 48-years-old, went into septic shock

Due to the severity of Ms Marshallsay’s condition, the doctors had to restrict the blood flow in her body in order to save her major organs which caused the tissue in her extremities to die. 

Two weeks after the initial kidney stone incident, Ms Marshallsay was still in hospital and was told that the fingers and toes on the right side of her body needed to be amputated. 

The former teaching assistant said: ‘I was horrified when I looked down. I was awake during the amputation, so I saw each finger being taken away from me.

‘It was like something from a horror movie.’ 

But things got even more grisly during her recovery. 

She said: ‘I gasped when my bandages were removed.

‘The remains of my fingers were swollen, bruised and had stitches in the tips.

‘I cried from the pain and shock.’

Ms Marshallsay fingers before the amputation

Her hands with her new prosthetic fingers

Ms Marshallsay was in hospital for a total of six weeks, and was only discharged after her remaining toes and fingers had been removed. 

Doctors had waited to see if they would recover before making the drastic decision to also amputate them. 

‘I hoped I wouldn’t lose all my fingers and toes, as I didn’t know what I would do without them,’ she said

‘My muscles had started to waste from the lack of use and I had also lost hearing in my right ear.

‘But, I was alive, and that was the most important thing. 

‘There was no way my little girl was going to lose her mum.’

In October 2022 her final digits were removed by surgeons, and she was discharged to the care of her parents because she was unable to walk due to lack of balance, and unable to cook, shower, or use a kettle.

Thankfully, after being referred to a prosthetics laboratory things began to improve, even though doctors did not have any of her fingers to model her man-made digits on. 

Ms Marshallsay was awake during her surgery

She was unconscious for four days battling blood poisoning 

The mother-of-one has since been fitted with prosthetic fingers

She said: ‘The doctors told me my case was unique, as usually they use the remaining fingers to model the prosthetic.

‘A technician looked at a photo of my hands before and noted that her fingers looked the same as mine.

‘And she was right. We had identical hands and fingers – I had met my hand twin.

‘Along with old photos, doctors were able to figure out the correct dimensions to use.

‘When I first saw them, I couldn’t believe it.

‘They looked just like the real thing, right down to the blue streaks for veins and intricate creases around the knuckles.

‘I was overwhelmed.’

Ms Marshallsay has since learned to adapt to her new ‘normal’ and has even found love through sharing her story.

She added: ‘I can’t forget I was on death’s door for a few days.

‘I’m so grateful to be here, and, fingers crossed, things can only get better from here.’

Sepsis causes around 52,000 deaths a year in the UK, and research by Sepsis Alliance found that one per cent of sepsis survivors undergo one or more amputations of a limb.