A bodybuilder has revealed how he nearly died of sepsis after his ‘shoulder clicked’ and his wife and seven-year-old son were told to say goodbye.
Mark Oakes, 51, of Essex, a former professional bodybuilder and black belt in karate, was cleaning windows at home in the summer of 2022 when he felt his shoulder click.
Just hours later, he could no longer move his arm and went to bed early with a fever and chills.
After an emergency room visit, Mr Oakes was sent home on painkillers to await surgery, but his condition worsened and after testing his blood oxygen levels, which were far too low, he was rushed back to taken to hospital.
Doctors put Mr. Oakes to sleep to deflate his shoulder, but while he was unconscious his liver and kidneys began to fail and 15 hours later he woke up in intensive care – where he would spend the next 10 days. His wife Heather and son Lincoln were told to say goodbye.
Mark Oakes, 51, a former professional bodybuilder and black belt in karate, was cleaning windows at home in the summer of 2022 when he felt his shoulder click
After an emergency room visit, Mr. Oakes was sent home on pain medication to await surgery, but his condition worsened and after testing his blood oxygen levels, which were far too low, he was rushed back to hospital.
Doctors put Mr. Oakes (pictured with his son, Lincoln) to sleep to deflate his shoulder, but while he was unconscious his liver and kidneys began to fail and he awoke 15 hours later in intensive care – where he would spend next 10 days.
While awaiting surgery, Mr. Oakes spent a week on pain medication, which left him with constipation and difficulty sleeping and breathing properly.
Finally, he tested the oxygen level in his blood using Heather’s Apple Watch. This was 68 percent – much lower than the healthy average of 95-100%.
Mr. Oakes went back to the hospital and was put under general anesthesia so the doctors could drain his shoulder. But while he was unconscious, his liver and kidneys began to fail and his lungs began to fill with fluid.
He woke up 15 hours later to find a respirator stuck in his face. “I looked like Bane,” he said.
He spent the next ten days in intensive care, and his condition worsened before getting better.
Mr Oakes, a non-smoker and non-drinker, said: ‘Intensive care is a difficult place to be as a patient. There is very little you can do anything for. yourself – you’re bedridden, you’ve been given all these drugs.
Mr Oakes’ wife Heather and his seven-year-old son Lincoln (all pictured together) were told to say goodbye as his condition worsened
While waiting for surgery, Mr. Oakes spent a week on pain medication, which left him with constipation and difficulty sleeping and breathing properly.
“There are alarms going off all the time because everyone there is very bad. You are often disturbed by tests and more medicines.’
After three days, his doctor told Heather to bring their son Lincoln over to say goodbye.
Mr. Oakes said: ‘However, Heather was convinced that I would be all right in the end – she sees me as strong and as a fighter. She worked exceptionally hard to keep Lincoln’s life as normal as possible, and she also came to visit me. She has had without a doubt the hardest journey of all of us.’
Mr. Oakes eventually recovered, although the shoulder problems persisted, as did the fatigue and lack of focus from the illness.
Now he has teamed up with Sepsis Research FEAT, a UK charity that not only aims to raise awareness about sepsis, but also fund essential medical research into understanding and treating this potentially deadly condition.
In Britain, 245,000 people are affected by sepsis, while at least 48,000 people die each year from sepsis-related illnesses. Nearly 270,000 people die each year in the United States.
The karate black belt eventually recovered, although problems with his shoulder persisted, as did fatigue and a lack of focus from the illness.
September is Sepsis Awareness Month and to mark the occasion the charity is launching a research survey that will set priorities for sepsis research over the next decade, inviting those affected by sepsis in their lifetime to participate and cast their vote to be heard.
Since surgery at a bone infection unit in Oxford in early August, Mr Oakes is back in a sling but now believes he has made a full recovery.
He said, “I really feel like this will be the end now. I feel like the infection is gone.’
Colin Graham, chief operating officer at Sepsis Research FEAT, said: ‘Sepsis is the leading cause of preventable death in the world and often has life-changing consequences for those who survive.
“Our goal as a charity is to raise money for sepsis research and to raise awareness about this cruel and often life-threatening condition. Sepsis Awareness Month helps us do that by educating more people about the symptoms of sepsis so they can recognize them quickly and act quickly to get treatment.
“This is an unprecedented opportunity for those affected by sepsis to speak out and contribute to the direction of sepsis research for the future.”