Caitlin Alsop is a 23-year-old woman from Australia with a heck of a story to tell. Per PEOPLE, Alsop had been fighting a recurring facial rash. "I went to a couple of doctors, but I didn't really think there was anything going on and then I ended up with some flu-like symptoms," she told news.com.au.
She was diagnosed with the flu. The doctor even told her to take it easy for the next couple of days. Unfortunately, that's when things started going from bad to worse. One day, while going out to eat with a friend, she experienced odd symptoms. First, her tongue started swelling and she began drooling. Then, she discovered that she had a hard time swallowing.
A multi-colored rash formed on her body, and she was slipping into unconsciousness. A CAT scan revealed the true cause of the issue: an impacted and infected wisdom tooth. "I had no pain, no symptoms and this nearly killed me overnight. It's absolutely crazy," Alsop recalled. Emergency surgery commenced to get rid of the tooth. However, Alsop went into a nine-day coma as her jugular vein became crushed from the infection's pressure.
A Young Woman Nearly Dies Due To An Infected Wisdom Tooth
"I didn't know that an infection could be so serious. Like so many young people, I had no idea an infection could lead to this. I was walking around and then I was literally burning from the inside out in the ICU as a medical mystery," Alsop stated. She had open wounds that took nearly a year to fully heal.
The infection was formally diagnosed as a severe case of sepsis. In the wake of her own trials and tribulations with sepsis, Alsop started the FACE Sepsis project to spread awareness of the disease. "We all have to work together to make sure that we do prevent loss of life from sepsis," Alsop concluded. "I'm so determined to make sure that I leave this world a better place."
It took a while to get there, but ultimately, the story ended on a high note! From tragedy and pain came purpose and action, and the world will be better off for it!
