Express & Star

BBC WM breakfast host: 'I nearly died from sepsis ordeal'

"I would have died. They saved my life at Sandwell Hospital. They literally saved my life."

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Samantha Meah and Daz Hale - photo BBC

BBC WM presenter Samantha Meah spent three weeks in hospital after suddenly going into septic shock just before conducting an on-air interview.

After two blood transfusions, and a spell in intensive care, the relieved presenter appeared back on the radio today to chat about her terrifying ordeal.

She had only just started presenting her new morning show Sam & Daz - with co-host Daz Dale - on January 14 before being rushed off in an ambulance four days later.

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Speaking to Daz this morning on their breakfast show, Sam said: "I didn't realise that it was sepsis at the time, but I was suddenly frozen cold.

"I was shaking, my teeth were chattering. I could not open the computer that was in front of me. I knew something was seriously wrong.

"We were about to interview Faye Tozer from Strictly and I was all excited about that, but was so incapable of doing anything.

"So an ambulance was called and they took 45 minutes to stabilise me. I was taken to Sandwell Hospital where I was seen and treated extremely quickly."

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that comes when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs.

UK Sepsis Trust said it kills 52,000 per year - five people per hour.

Antibiotic treatment should start within an hour of diagnosis to reduce the risk of serious complications or death.

Sam added: "I had a CT scan and discovered that I had been walking around for some time with a perforated bowel, because I have diverticular disease as a lot of people do.

"In my case I had an episode I was unaware of; I had a perforation in the bowel, that had caused an infection. The infection had spread to my liver, so I had abscesses on my liver and then the infection in turn spread to my lungs. So I was full of nasty and unpleasant infection."

Diverticular disease is a condition that affects the large bowel. It happens when small pouches develop in the lining of the bowel and push out through the bowel wall - which in some people can cause stomach pain.

Her co-presenter Daz Hale has called Sam 'a pro' and asked her what would have happened if she had gone into septic shock at home.

She replied: "I would have died. They saved my life at Sandwell. I was in intensive care for a few days, had two blood transfusions and I was in there for three weeks. They literally saved my life."

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