Champion teen waterskier Kristy Appleton from Brisbane might have been ‘dead within an hour’ after visit to Princess Alexandra Hospital – but for her mum’s one simple act

Water skiing champion Kristy Appleton could have been “dead within an hour” after a public hospital failed to diagnose a fatal illness, but her mother saved the day by seeking a second opinion.

Kristy, 17, checked into Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane on Friday, August 9, suffering from meningococcal disease, but was instead abruptly diagnosed with Covid-19 and sent home with only paracetamol to take.

It was only when Kristy’s condition deteriorated dramatically and she woke up screaming that she and her mother were rushed by ambulance to the Mater Private Hospital, where their concerns were finally taken seriously, they said.

Kristy, who is in Year 11 and also travels the world water skiing, says the staff at Princess Alexandra were completely dismissive of her.

She tested positive for Covid, but knew there was more going on.

“My head was exploding and my whole body was in pain, I was having trouble walking and was vomiting up huge amounts of fluorescent green stuff, but I felt like they thought I was exaggerating,” she told the Courier post.

‘Because of my sport I have a very high pain threshold, but this was terrible.

“One of the nurses said, ‘You should be happy you have Covid, there are people here with influenza A who are worse than you.’”

Kristy’s mother Pamela Appleton, 51, said she and her daughter were “slammed” every time they tried to speak to one of the doctors, saying “he had the records” so he “knew what he was talking about.”

One thing that may have fooled Princess Alexandra’s staff is that Kristy did not have a reddish-purple rash, which is a telltale sign of meningococcal disease.

She was later told that the rash did not appear immediately because the bacterial disease, which is fatal in 10 percent of cases and injures a third of patients, was only in the brain and had not yet caused sepsis in the blood.

Kristy was discharged from hospital at 4.36am on Friday, 12 hours after arriving at Princess Alexandra Hospital. She was told to take paracetamol and rest for a few days to fully recover.

However, once home, Kristy’s condition deteriorated rapidly and by lunchtime she was experiencing seizures. vomiting and diarrhea every 15 minutes.

Mrs. Appleton was prescribed medication over the phone from a medical center, but it did not help.

At 4pm Mrs Appleton began to think she should take Kristy to Mater Private, but her daughter seemed too exhausted to be moved.

Ms. Appleton and Kristy were even more tired from jet lag after returning from Canada that week, where the teen won the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation Girls Overall Champion title in the under-17 category.

The mother said she felt “guilty” because she wanted to catch up on some sleep and didn’t go to the hospital that afternoon.

Mrs. Appleton’s final rest was terrifyingly interrupted when Kristy woke up screaming around midnight.

She could not tolerate anyone touching her and had become extremely sensitive to bright light.

The family called an ambulance and when the emergency services arrived they insisted that Kristy be taken to Mater Private, which Mrs Appleton agreed to.

Mrs Appleton said the contrast between the private and public hospital was like night and day.

She said the Mater doctor immediately recognised the seriousness of Kristy’s condition and actually listened to what was being said to him.

The doctor told Mrs. Appleton not to worry, but that he was going to treat the mysterious illness as bacterial meningitis and that he needed to get her on antibiotics quickly.

Scans were performed, a lumbar puncture was done, and blood cultures were taken.

Saturday morning around 5am, Mrs. Appleton noticed a purple spot on Kristy’s neck.

At 7 a.m., an infectious disease specialist confirmed that Kristy had meningococcal disease.

The specialist told Mrs Appleton that without the emergency antibiotics Kristy could have been ‘dead’ within the hour.

Kristy was vaccinated against meningococcal bacteria A, C, W and Y, but not against virus B, which may have been contracted in Canada.

Although Kristy continues to suffer from lethargy and hearing problems, she is expected to make a full recovery and return to school on Monday.

Ms Appleton has called for greater awareness of meningococcal disease and has called on the State Government to raise the age at which people can receive free vaccinations to 25.

Dr Jeremy Wellwood, chief executive of Princess Alexandra Hospital, told Daily Mail Australia on Saturday that ‘when a patient comes to hospital they are assessed based on the symptoms they present with and treated accordingly’.

“We wish Kristy the very best and a speedy recovery,” said Dr. Wellwood.

‘We thank the family for expressing their concerns and are currently evaluating the care provided.

‘It is important for patients and their families to provide feedback and concerns so that opportunities for improvement can be identified.’