Health
‘I thought I had the flu’: Mom nearly died after dismissing deadly sepsis symptoms
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In the wake of NASCAR star Kyle Busch’s death from sepsis, a Virginia Beach mother who almost lost her life to the deadly condition is sharing her harrowing experience to raise awareness.
In 2015, Audrey Leishman was a healthy 31-year-old when she thought she’d come down with the flu. Instead, her condition spiraled into a severe case of sepsis that left her in the ICU for 10 days, including five days in a medically induced coma.
Now recovered, Leishman – who is married to professional golfer Marc Leishman – is dedicated to raising awareness about the condition through her nonprofit organization, the Begin Again Foundation. She has also written a children’s book aimed at helping families recognize the warning signs.
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Sudden decline
Leishman’ ordeal began when she began to feel ill one evening while caring for her sons, then 19 months and 3 years old, while her husband was traveling.
Audrey Leishman (far right, with her family) is a Virginia Beach mother who almost lost her life to sepsis. (Audrey Leishman)
“I had never actually had the flu before, but I was achy, feverish and cold. And so I thought, this seems like the flu,” she told Fox News Digital during an on-camera interview.
As the days went on, Leishman started to feel worse. Her fever spiked higher and she developed severe stomach issues.
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“At one point, I actually thought I was going a little bit crazy, because my right elbow and left big toe started hurting – it was the most random thing. I hadn’t injured myself,” she said. “I was really confused as to what was going on.”
When Leishman became too weak to care for her sons and started to have nosebleeds, her friend insisted that she see a doctor.
At Urgent Care, Leishman’s temperature and heart rate were abnormally high, and her blood pressure was dangerously low. She was taken by ambulance to the emergency room.
“I was a very, very sick person.”
While today’s hospitals have “come a long way” toward sepsis awareness and recognition, Leishman noted that wasn’t the case in 2015.
“They took a very long time to figure out what was going wrong with me,” she said, adding that doctors at first thought she was afflicted with autoimmune diseases.
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“They kept testing me for different things. Eventually, they admitted me, and I was in the ICU for a total of 10 days – five of which were in a medically induced coma.”
The sepsis ultimately turned into acute respiratory distress syndrome.
“I very much remember not being able to breathe,” Leishman recalled. “That was by far the scariest part. It got to the point where I had to pause between every word to take a breath, and it was basically like sipping air.”
Now recovered, Leishman is dedicated to raising awareness about the condition through her nonprofit organization. (Audrey Leishman)
At one point, she later learned, there was a “good chance” she wasn’t going to wake up from the coma.
“When I finally did wake up, it was quite the process of relearning how to walk again, dealing with at-home physical therapy and being on a PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter),” Leishman shared.
The first year of recovery was “very difficult,” she said. “My immune system was so compromised that I was sick constantly.”
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Today, Leishman says she is healthy but that her memory “is not what it used to be” and that she gets fatigued more often.
The original cause of her sepsis remains unclear, she said, but it may have been linked to her recent IUD removal.
“I did have the diagnosis of toxic shock syndrome, but I also had tonsillitis, strep throat, a UTI and pneumonia,” she said. “I was a very, very sick person.”
What to know about sepsis
In severe cases, infection can spread into the bloodstream, triggering the widespread, life-threatening inflammatory response that is sepsis.
It can quickly lead to tissue damage, organ failure and death if not treated right away, according to Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel.
“The body reacts by making inflammatory chemicals. It’s the immune system revving up … but it can hurt more than help,” he previously told Fox News Digital.
“When I finally did wake up, it was quite the process of relearning how to walk again, dealing with at-home physical therapy and being on a PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter),” Leishman shared. (Audrey Leishman)
Leishman explained the response with an analogy: “Instead of your body sending out the Navy SEALs, it sends out the entire U.S. armed forces.”
As sepsis worsens, it can cause a drop in blood pressure and interfere with the delivery of oxygen to the body’s tissues, potentially leading to lactic acidosis — a dangerous buildup of lactic acid in the bloodstream.
“Instead of your body sending out the Navy SEALs, it sends out the entire U.S. Armed Forces.”
Organ failure is a serious risk, particularly affecting the kidneys, Siegel warned.
“The kidneys fail, toxins from the kidneys build up, blood pressure goes down, fever goes up, the lungs fail — something called ARDS,” he said.
“In a time when people are struggling, if I can help ease that burden – even just the tiniest bit, so they can focus more on the recovery – it is my absolute passion and honor to continue to do that.” (Audrey Leishman)
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) occurs when inflammation causes fluid to leak into the lungs, making it difficult for oxygen to reach the bloodstream.
Common warning signs of sepsis can include high fever, confusion, rapid breathing, extreme weakness, low blood pressure, fast heart rate and bluish or mottled skin, per the CDC. Patients can also feel very cold and experience extreme pain, Leishman added.
Turning survival into a mission
After Leishman was discharged from the hospital, she was struck by how little people knew about sepsis, which led her to start the Begin Again Foundation.
“I had never heard of sepsis – and I realized that was why I almost died,” she shared. “If I had known what the symptoms were and what to look out for, I would have sought treatment earlier.”
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The expensive medical costs – for everything from home healthcare to antibiotics to a walker and other equipment – were also shocking. “I learned that sepsis is the most expensive hospitalization bill there is,” Leishman said. “I remember thinking, ‘What if we didn’t have the money to afford this?’”
Every hour that sepsis goes untreated, the mortality rate increases by up to 8%, Leishman noted. (iStock)
“In a time when people are struggling, if I can help ease that burden – even just the tiniest bit, so they can focus more on the recovery – it is my absolute passion and honor to continue to do that. And that is the main focus of the organization.”
Leishman’s children’s book, “Katie Koala’s Biggest Bite,” focuses on a young girl who gets injured and becomes ill, then her mother takes her to the doctor soon enough to catch sepsis before it becomes life-threatening.
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“My goal for this book is that it will be in both little hands and their parents’ bigger hands … and that by reading this story, they learn about what sepsis is and what symptoms to look out for,” she said.
“I’ve read too many stories of parents who did seek treatment, who took their child to the doctor, and were told it was just a virus.”
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Leishman said the simplest thing parents can do is to ask the doctor: “Could this be sepsis?”
“Just asking that question could lead them on the path to run a different lab panel or look at the symptoms in a different way,” she added.
“I’ve read too many stories of parents who took their child to the doctor and were told it was just a virus.”
Every hour that sepsis goes untreated, the mortality rate increases by up to 8%, Leishman noted.
“Time truly is the most important thing – and getting that early treatment can prevent you from even being hospitalized.”
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One of the most important things people should know, according to Leishman, is that sepsis can happen from any infection.
“The most common causes are respiratory infections, UTIs and kidney stones, but it can happen from a cut. It can happen from strep throat, the flu,” she warned.
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A popular antipsychotic medication was found to reduce obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) – but it also led to impaired driving the next morning.
That’s according to a small randomized controlled trial published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
Researchers from Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, conducted the study in 15 adults with OSA who also had difficulty maintaining sleep. Each participant underwent two overnight sleep studies approximately one week apart, according to a press release.
Researchers from Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, conducted the study in 15 adults with OSA who also had difficulty maintaining sleep. Each participant underwent two overnight sleep studies approximately one week apart. (iStock)
The participants took 50mg of quetiapine (Seroquel) before bed one night, and took a placebo the following night.
Quetiapine is a widely prescribed antipsychotic that is prescribed for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. It is also often used off-label at lower doses to treat insomnia, anxiety and other sleep issues.
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The researchers monitored the participants throughout the night, looking at their breathing, brain activity, oxygen levels and leg movements.
A female driver yawns while sitting behind the wheel, illustrating the concept of falling asleep at the wheel. (iStock)
The participants who took the quetiapine had more than 40 minutes more total sleep time and 45% less wakefulness during the night, the study found. Their apnea-related events also reduced from 27 to 20 events per hour.
Despite these improvements, the drug appeared to slow reaction time behind the wheel compared to those taking a placebo. This was based on a driving simulator test and a 10-minute reaction time test, administered within 30 minutes of waking up.
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Those taking quetiapine experienced more than triple the number of attention lapses and swerved out of their lane more often in the driving simulator.
Eleven out of 15 of the participants reported feeling sleepier the morning after taking the medication, but roughly one in four people did not recognize their level of impairment. This was concerning because they may be more likely to operate a vehicle or machinery without realizing their reaction time had slowed.
Other mild to moderate side effects included nausea, restless legs and a sudden blood pressure drop upon standing. (iStock)
Other mild to moderate side effects included nausea, restless legs and a sudden blood pressure drop upon standing, which affected one in three people taking quetiapine.
The study did have some limitations, including the small sample size, the authors noted. The participants were only evaluated for one night, and the study’s laboratory setting may not reflect the participants’ real-world use.
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Larger, longer-term studies are needed to confirm the findings before making decisions about prescribing quetiapine for sleep apnea and insomnia, the researchers said.
Pending follow-up studies, the researchers recommend that people avoid driving or other safety-critical tasks for at least 9.5 hours after taking quetiapine.
Women generally metabolize these drugs more slowly than men, which can influence both efficacy and the risk of next-day side effects, an expert said. (iStock)
Ashley Curtis, PhD, director of the Cognition, Aging, Sleep and Health (CASH) Lab at the University of South Florida, noted that certain hypnotic medications exhibit sex differences in metabolism.
Women generally metabolize these drugs more slowly than men, which can influence both efficacy and the risk of next-day side effects, warned the expert, who was not involved in the study.
“Future studies should carefully examine whether these newer agents demonstrate similar sex-specific patterns to ensure optimal dosing and safety recommendations,” she told Fox News Digital.
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The impact of quetiapine on next-day cognitive function warrants further investigation, particularly among older adults, according to Curtis.
“This population is already vulnerable to cognitive and related side effects related to polypharmacy, making it essential to understand the potential trade-offs between sleep benefits and daytime functioning,” she added.
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Insomnia is often the result of “learned behavioral and cognitive factors” that persist over time, according to Curtis.
“Even when medications are effective in the short term, behavioral interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia remain an important component of long-term management,” she said.
“This population is already vulnerable to cognitive and related side effects related to polypharmacy.”
Chelsie Rohrscheib, head sleep expert at Wesper, a sleep analysis company in New York, agreed that patients shouldn’t be alarmed by these findings.
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“But if they’re taking quetiapine for sleep, especially if they have sleep apnea or wake up feeling groggy, they should talk with their doctor about whether the benefits outweigh the risks and whether other treatment options might be appropriate,” noted Rohrscheib, who was not affiliated with the research.
Fox News Digital reached out to the drug manufacturer and to the study researchers for comment.
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The keto diet may help individuals with anorexia nervosa, new research from UC San Diego School of Medicine suggests.
The small study, published in the journal Nature, enrolled 22 women between 18 and 45 years old who had a history of anorexia nervosa and a BMI (body mass index) above 17.5.
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe psychiatric disorder involving food restriction and low body weight, the researchers describe. This is often followed by body dissatisfaction, an intense fear of eating, and a preoccupation with body shape and size even after weight restoration.
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The participants followed a ketogenic therapy plan for 14 weeks, aiming for a diet consisting of 70% fat, 20% protein and 10% carbohydrates, according to a press release.
The participants followed a ketogenic therapy plan for 14 weeks, aiming for a diet consisting of 70% fat, 20% protein and 10% carbohydrates. (iStock)
The goal was to maintain weight while inducing nutritional ketosis — a metabolic state in which the body produces and uses ketones for energy because carbohydrate intake is low enough to shift metabolism toward fat burning.
The researchers monitored the participants via ketone testing, weekly weight checks, symptom questionnaires, and nutritional and psychiatric support.
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Among the remaining 18 participants, eating disorder symptoms reportedly improved in several areas, including restraint, depression scores, and concern with eating, shape and weight.
Overall scores on the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) also improved, with 72% of participants scoring in the recovered or normal range.
Eating disorder symptoms reportedly improved in several areas, according to the study findings. (iStock)
The participants’ body weight did not change significantly, and no BMI fell below 17.5, according to the results.
Those who continued to follow ketogenic therapy three months after the intervention had slightly better EDE-Q scores.
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The study authors concluded that ketogenic dietary therapy is “well-tolerated” and demonstrated “potential efficacy” in reducing anorexia nervosa symptoms in adults who are mildly underweight or weight-restored.
Although the study was “sufficiently powered,” the authors noted that the small sample size of predominantly White females limits the scope of the findings.
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“Future research should replicate these findings in more diverse populations and incorporate objective assessments of brain function, such as metabolic PET imaging, to assess brain glucose metabolism,” they wrote.
Those who continued to follow ketogenic therapy three months after the intervention had slightly better scores on the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire. (iStock)
Lead study author Guido Frank, MD, professor of psychiatry at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, who has studied and treated anorexia patients for more than 25 years, launched this study to broaden treatment options for this high-risk population.
Frank wrote in a statement that new approaches to anorexia nervosa are “urgently” needed.
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“Our work with ketogenic therapy looks beyond standard therapies and potentially at the underlying physiology of the disorder,” he went on.
“Growing evidence links anorexia nervosa to neurometabolic dysfunction, and we are hopeful that direct metabolic intervention can regulate neural function and address the psychological symptoms patients experience.”
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A new injectable therapy is showing positive results in reducing melanoma throughout a five-year period.
The personalized mRNA cancer therapy, called intismeran autogene, combined with the cancer immunotherapy drug KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), is a collaboration between Merck and Moderna.
The results from the phase 2b KEYNOTE-942 study were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago on May 27.
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After about a five-year follow-up, the combo drug was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone.
The researchers analyzed data from 157 patients with high-risk stage 3 and 4 melanoma whose cancer had been removed via surgery. The participants were split into two groups — one received the combo therapy and the other only received pembrolizumab, according to a press release.
The therapy was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone after a five-year follow-up. (iStock)
The findings revealed that the combination group saw benefits that were “sustained and durable over time.”
Intismeran autogene is designed using mutations identified in a patient’s own tumor, with the intention of teaching the immune system what the cancer looks like so that it can recognize and attack it.
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According to the researchers, intismeran is “well-tolerated” with a “manageable” safety profile.
The most commonly cited side effects of the personalized mRNA vaccine plus KEYTRUDA were fatigue, injection-site pain, chills, fever and headache. The researchers reported no new long-term safety concerns and no severe vaccine-related adverse events.
The combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study — the final confirmation stage.
Patients with late-stage melanoma have a “significant risk” of cancer recurrence, according to an expert. (iStock)
In a Merck press release from January, Kyle Holen, MD, Moderna’s senior vice president and head of development, oncology and therapeutics, noted that this data highlights the “potential of a prolonged benefit … in patients with resected high-risk melanoma.”
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“We continue to invest in our platform in oncology because of encouraging outcomes like these, which illustrate mRNA’s potential in cancer care,” he said.
Dr. Marjorie Green, senior vice president and head of oncology, global clinical development at Merck Research Laboratories, also commented that for many patients with stage 3 or 4 melanoma, there is a “significant risk of recurrence following surgery.”
Researchers confirmed that the combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study. (iStock)
“As such, demonstrating the longer-term potential of intismeran autogene and KEYTRUDA to reduce the risk of recurrence for certain patients with melanoma is a meaningful milestone,” she said.
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The company cited encouraging five-year follow-up data and pointed to upcoming late-stage INTerpath trial results with Moderna in several hard-to-treat cancers.
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