Teenager left in coma after believing rare blood infection was food poisoning from BBQ chicken

Ellie Mayling, aged 19, from Burntwood, began suffering from severe sickness not long after eating barbecue chicken at a restaurant.

But within hours, the college student was rushed to hospital and left fighting for her life after doctors diagnosed her with sepsis – an infection in the blood that can be fatal.

Ellie had to be placed into an induced coma so that her body could recover because her blood was being poisoned.

Shortly after waking from the coma, Ellie's index finger started to turn black and she was warned loss of limbs was common with this type of infection.

Ellie said she had eaten some BBQ chicken at a pub and it was later that day started to feel sick and drowsy.

"It came out of nowhere, I was freezing and I had a really bad headache too," she said.

"I threw up a few times throughout the day and night and I assumed it was food poisoning or a sickness bug.

"I'm so lucky I survived, I never imagined I actually had a life threatening infection.

"Doctors were unable to confirm why I got sepsis."

Ellie can recall turning blue and fainting in her bathroom, before waking up in hospital.

She said: "After a few hours, my mum noticed a rash on my arm and I had a stiff neck, which she thought was meningitis.

"Before she called the doctors it was too late, I had already fainted on the bathroom floor and my lips and nose turned blue.

"I was absolutely terrified and the next few weeks were horrific, I had to go into intensive care before I was placed into an induced coma due to blood poisoning.

"Doctors came to the conclusion that I had sepsis due to my blood being so badly poisoned."

Ellie's entire family were advised to come to the hospital, as her blood pressure was so low, they were warned they might have to say their final goodbyes.

She was placed on loads of medication before being put into a coma, which enabled doctors to treat her blood in order for the poisoning to be fought off.

Ellie's body recovered but then a few days later she started to notice something strange on her hand.

Ellie said: "When I woke up from the coma I started to feel better.

"It wasn't until a few days later that I started to notice my index finger turning black, I had never seen anything like it before.

"I remember the doctor saying to me that some people with sepsis do lose limbs, so I started panicking, not only about my finger but if other parts of my body would be affected too."

"I couldn't move my finger and I was in absolute agony, it just got more and more black and my family were so worried.

"There was nothing I could do apart from wait to see what happened.

"After a few months the tip of my finger swelled to the point that it fell off, I was fortunate not to lose too much of my finger or any other limb."

Ellie is still suffering small symptoms from sepsis, and knows that it could return at any point.

She said: "I still have short-term memory loss from the sepsis but I've recovered a lot now, I'm hoping to go to university next year and become a teacher.

"I'm fully aware that the sepsis may come back at any point, but it's something I just have to live with.

"I hope my story can raise awareness for other people suffering with symptoms from sepsis, and they visit the hospital earlier to prevent this horrible disease causing any harm."