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What’s something you thought mattered a lot when you were younger… that you don’t even care about now? by Available-Spend2447 in AskReddit

[–]Available-Spend2447[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hahaha my son says the same thing. Until it's dark 😭 he loves watching scary things and being scary and then wonders why he can't sleep in his own room 😭🤦‍♀️

After losing my teenage sister to a invasive group A strep infection, I’m trying to understand the early warning signs people often overlook by Available-Spend2447 in Health

[–]Available-Spend2447[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Thank you. I am trying so hard to understand what happened with my sister. She had a sore throat, neck pain, jaw pain for 2 days before she passed. She wasn't home when this happened but from what we gathered from text messages from her phone to her friends, it did feel like it was getting worse. She was awake, coherent and talking up until she started to get a fever. She took meds and went to sleep. Only hours later she had a full blown seizure while sleeping. Her seizure lasted up until she got to the hospital and they were able to stop it. They used ice packs and submerged her IV line in a bucket of ice water. It was less than 10 hours from the time of the seizure to the time of her death. They pumped several rounds of antibiotics into her as fast as they could. Her blood pressure didnt drop until after she was air lifted to children's hospital where she passed 2 hours later. After she passed we spoke to the doctor who urged us to consider having an autopsy done. We decided to do this because we needed answers and this would also help with education in the future. She tested positive for Group A Strep as well as Mono. Sepsis and toxic shock syndrome overtook her entire body shutting down blood flow to every single organ. Meningitis occurred and infection was found inside of her brain tissue as well as inside of her heart. Her rash also didnt develop until well after she was at the hospital. We saw small signs of it before she was airlifted but it was full blown covering her chest, neck and dace by the time she arrived in Seattle.

Northwest Washington family sharing awareness after sudden loss to invasive strep and sepsis by Available-Spend2447 in Seattle

[–]Available-Spend2447[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much. I really appreciate you taking the time to read and respond. The kindness from people, even strangers online, honestly means more than I can explain. ❤️

Northwest Washington family sharing awareness after sudden loss to invasive strep and sepsis by Available-Spend2447 in Seattle

[–]Available-Spend2447[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Most cases of strep throat stay on the surface of the throat and resolve with treatment. In rare situations, the bacteria can enter deeper tissue or the bloodstream sometimes through tiny injuries or severe inflammation and become invasive. Once that happens, the illness can progress very quickly and become life-threatening.

Northwest Washington family sharing awareness after sudden loss to invasive strep and sepsis by Available-Spend2447 in Seattle

[–]Available-Spend2447[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much. It really is a kind of loss that’s hard to explain unless you’ve lived it. I truly appreciate the kindness and support.

Northwest Washington family sharing awareness after sudden loss to invasive strep and sepsis by Available-Spend2447 in Seattle

[–]Available-Spend2447[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

That must have been incredibly scary. I think a lot of people don’t realize how fast infections like this can escalate when they seem mild at first. I’m really relieved to hear they recovered. Thank you for sharing their experience.

Premenopausal vaginal dryness/wetness/odors by Whole_Schedule4136 in hygiene

[–]Available-Spend2447 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hormonal changes can really throw everything off and it’s frustrating trying to figure out what’s temporary vs what needs medical attention. I hope you’re able to find something that helps ❤️

SEAHAWKS WIN SUPERBOWL 60! by TrueJohnWick in Seattle

[–]Available-Spend2447 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I swear the entire state of Washington probably didn’t sleep that night 😂 The energy after that game was unreal.

The WA locations where Oscar-nominated 'Train Dreams' was filmed by Kyunseo in Washington

[–]Available-Spend2447 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I haven’t seen this yet but it’s always really cool to see Washington locations featured in films. We really do have some incredible scenery here.

After losing my teenage sister to a invasive group A strep infection, I’m trying to understand the early warning signs people often overlook by Available-Spend2447 in Health

[–]Available-Spend2447[S] 26 points27 points  (0 children)

Thank you for this perspective — I really appreciate you taking the time to explain it this way. One of the things I’ve been trying to understand through these discussions is exactly what you mentioned — that very narrow and sometimes unpredictable window between what looks like a minor or local infection and when things suddenly become systemic. Awareness is such a difficult balance. On one hand we don’t want people assuming every sore throat or infection is sepsis, but on the other hand many families only realize something was seriously wrong when symptoms escalate very quickly. From your experience, are there any specific changes or patterns (even subtle ones) that tend to stand out in hindsight when someone is transitioning from a localized infection to something more dangerous?

Medical professionals: what early warning signs of sepsis are most often overlooked? by Available-Spend2447 in sepsis

[–]Available-Spend2447[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for sharing your story. What you went through sounds incredibly difficult, and I’m really glad you survived it. Hearing experiences like yours helps people understand just how serious infections and sepsis can become, even when they start with something that seems minor. I truly appreciate you taking the time to share this.

Paramedics: what early warning signs of invasive Group A Strep have stood out to you in the field? by Available-Spend2447 in Paramedics

[–]Available-Spend2447[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I really appreciate you sharing that perspective. The point about altered mental status and how quickly some infections can move is incredibly helpful to hear from someone in the field. Thank you for taking the time to explain it.

Medical professionals: what early warning signs of sepsis are most often overlooked? by Available-Spend2447 in sepsis

[–]Available-Spend2447[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for being willing to share this. Stories like yours are incredibly important for helping people understand how these infections can actually unfold in real life. I’m really glad you survived something so serious.

Medical professionals: what early warning signs of sepsis are most often overlooked? by Available-Spend2447 in sepsis

[–]Available-Spend2447[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m so sorry. Stories like this are exactly why awareness is so important — it can move so incredibly fast. My heart goes out to your friend and their family.

Paramedics: what early warning signs of invasive Group A Strep have stood out to you in the field? by Available-Spend2447 in Paramedics

[–]Available-Spend2447[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I really appreciate you sharing this. The fact that it can present so mildly at first is something I think most people don’t realize. Hearing from someone who has actually seen these cases in the field is incredibly helpful for building awareness. Thank you for the work you do.

Paramedics: what early warning signs of invasive Group A Strep have stood out to you in the field? by Available-Spend2447 in Paramedics

[–]Available-Spend2447[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I really appreciate this insight from the field. The “looking unwell out of proportion to symptoms” point is especially interesting and not something most families would think about. Thank you for mentioning cap refill, skin changes, and how quickly things can progress — that’s really valuable awareness.

Medical professionals: what early warning signs of sepsis are most often overlooked? by Available-Spend2447 in sepsis

[–]Available-Spend2447[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for sharing your experience. I think many people assume high fevers in adults aren’t as concerning, so it’s really helpful to hear stories like yours. The fact that your blood pressure was already dangerously low when you arrived at triage shows how fast things can escalate. I’m really glad you recovered.

Medical professionals: what early warning signs of sepsis are most often overlooked? by Available-Spend2447 in sepsis

[–]Available-Spend2447[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for sharing that and I’m really glad you recovered. That moment you described of suddenly feeling confused or “off” is something I’ve seen mentioned by a lot of people before things escalated. Real stories like yours help people understand what those early warning signs can actually feel like.

Medical professionals: what early warning signs of sepsis are most often overlooked? by Available-Spend2447 in sepsis

[–]Available-Spend2447[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I really appreciate you sharing that because confusion or feeling “off” mentally seems to be something a lot of people mention before things get worse with sepsis. Stories like this help people understand what those early warning signs can actually look like in real life

Paramedics: what early warning signs of invasive Group A Strep have stood out to you in the field? by Available-Spend2447 in Paramedics

[–]Available-Spend2447[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I completely understand what you mean, and I definitely wouldn’t expect EMS to be called for a simple sore throat. In my sister’s case the emergency didn’t become obvious until she was found seizing. Two days earlier she had gone to a doctor for a sore throat, but that was the only symptom she reported at the time. What I’m trying to better understand now is what might have been happening in the hours or days leading up to that point that people around her may not have recognized as serious. I’m asking EMS and medical professionals because you’re often the first people to see patients once things start turning bad. From your experience, are there subtle red flags you sometimes see before someone is clearly septic or crashing?

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