Internet users have lately been made aware of the terrifying symptoms of sepsis — a lethal disease — thanks to a TikTok video by a Canadian cancer survivor who disclosed the warning signals of the "silent killer" after having a near-death experience.
Lauren Wagner experienced sepsis after multiple surgeries to remove a cancerous tumour from her spine and shared the warning signs on TikTok in July, highlighting the "life-threatening emergency."
"This information is so important, and it might save your life or somebody else's one day," the 26-year-old said.
Initially, Wagner ignored the symptoms of what she believed to be a bad case of the flu as it had been the "most sick" she had ever felt. She hoped that the symptoms would get better, but they continued to get worse, the Daily Mail reported.
"I didn't know it at the time, but I was actually dealing with sepsis," she said in her TikTok video.
"I wish I had seen a video like I'm making right now because I would have gone to the ER a heck of a lot earlier, and that would have been very beneficial to me."
Sepsis is a medical emergency that has been dubbed a "silent killer" by medical professionals and is fatal if left untreated.
It is caused by the human body's strong response to an infection and occurs as a result of the infection setting off a series of events that shut down body tissues and organs.
Its symptoms that you must look out for include a very high or low fever, sweating, intense pain, clammy skin, dizziness, nausea, a rapid heartbeat, slurred speech, and confusion.
"That is why it is so important to seek out treatment early and not wait and just hope for things to get better like I did because the longer you wait, the scarier things get," Wagner said.
Sepsis affects 1.7 million people across the US annually and kills 350,000 annually, while, in the UK, it causes 245,000 cases and 48,000 deaths annually.
Infections leading to sepsis typically occur in the lungs, urinary tract, skin, or gastrointestinal tract, which indicates that people aged 65 and older, children under one year, those with weakened immune systems, and those who have experienced sepsis in the past are more susceptible to this disease.
Wagner said: "The number one symptom that I personally had that led me to go to the ER was just how sick I was feeling. I was feeling the most sick I've ever felt. Every day it was getting worse. It was very scary."
With the help of TikTok, she now hopes to raise awareness about the disease and urges people to get help as early as possible.
She said: "I truly believe sepsis is not spoken about enough. It is not taught in schools, and it is so important that we have this information in our back pockets,"
"Any infection in anyone can lead to sepsis at any time. It is so important that we know what it is and the warning signs to look out for so we can go to the ER sooner and get treated and have a better outcome. I hope this helps just even one person out there," the survivor added.