Woman, 48, with a kidney stone despatched residence by hospital – solely to wish all her fingers and toes AMPUTATED after going into septic shock

A woman has shared the horrifying moment her hands and feet turned black from septic shock – just days after she was sent from hospital with a ‘small’ kidney stone.

In July 2022, Louise Marshallsay, 48, of Swansea, attended hospital complaining of a ‘stabbing’ pain in her side which was reminiscent of a kidney stone she needed to have surgically removed three years prior. 

Medics diagnosed her as again having a kidney stone and sent her home, advising her to wait for the mass – described as ‘small’ – to pass naturally. 

Kidney stones are hard object made of minerals and salts that form inside the kidneys, and are often formed due to not drinking enough fluids. 

That evening, however, she began to fall in and out of consciousness and within a few hours, her hands and feet had turned black and purple.

She was rushed to hospital in an ambulance, but collapsed upon arrival. 

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.

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 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. 

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.