Yahoo News Strictly's Amy Dowden collapsed from "sepsis shock" and nearly died
Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden has revealed her terrifying sepsis ordeal amid her chemotherapy treatment.
The professional dancer was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year, and has shared her journey with fans since as she embarks on chemotherapy.
Speaking to The Mirror, Amy has opened up on her battle with sepsis that almost cost her her life during her first round of the treatment. She told the publication that she initially "felt great" following the treatment, but collapsed two days after going on a five-mile walk with her father.
Related: Strictly shares special message for Amy Dowden as she misses launch show
"I remember going into hospital and them telling me I had an infection, but the following day it got very bad, I was unresponsive to antibiotics for hours," she said. "My last memory is a load of doctors around me in the early hours of Sunday morning. On Monday a nurse explained I had gone into septic shock. They said my blood pressure was that low my vital organs would have started failing."
Amy was taken to intensive care but revealed she doesn't remember much of her time there while speaking about the intensive treatment she received to combat the infection.
"I had severely low blood pressure, a low heart rate, I wasn't passing urine for 14 hours, my infection markers were at dangerous levels. I had three different types of antibiotics and I finally responded to the third type," she continued.
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"We met the paramedics a week later and they said if I had gone to bed that night I might not have woken up the next morning."
However, Amy was faced with more bad news during her second round of chemotherapy where she developed blood clots and "ended up back in hospital".
"I had the chemo on the Thursday and ended up in hospital on the Monday until the Wednesday," she said. "My arm swelled up and went purple and I was really short of breath. So I was rushed back in. It was frightening, too. I'm on blood thinners now for six months."
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays and Sundays on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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