A BUILDER was given 24 hours to live just two days after being prescribed antibiotics for a suspected scrotum infection.
Stephen Brown, 33, visited his local GP surgery after experiencing pain in his back and legs.
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After completing a round of tests, doctors suspected the builder had epididymitis or prostatitis – inflammation in the scrotum or prostate area – linked to an infection.
Despite Stephen insisting that he was “in agony”, he was sent home with antibiotics.
But Stephen’s condition continued to get worse.
The builder, from Milton, Staffordshire, took himself to the Royal Stoke University Hospital accident unit just two days later.
Medics diagnosed him with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and a pulmonary embolism – a blood clot that stops flow to an artery in the lung.
He was told he could have died if he’d waited a further 24 hours to come into A&E.
The dad-of-two said: “The doctor at the GP surgery had told me they thought I had an infection.
“I said, ‘I’m sure it’s more than that, I’m in agony’. I was prescribed antibiotics and told to stay at home and rest.
“At the hospital, a doctor turned around and said I had two blood clots.
“Both could have been fatal. They told me it was lucky I came in tonight because in 24 hours there was a high possibility I could have been dead.”
DVT happens when a blood clot clogs up a vein in the leg, while a pulmonary embolism is when a clot blocks a blood vessel in your lungs.
Both can be life-threatening if not treated quickly.
Thankfully, medics were able to treat Stephen’s blood clots over several days in hospital.
But he was bed-bound for a further eight weeks and forced to give up his job as a builder as he relied on a stick to walk.
Now, the dad has to take blood thinners – medicines that prevent blood clots from forming – for the rest of his life, and wear compression socks.
It’s affected my whole life
Stephen Brown
Stephen said: “I’ve had to learn to walk again, I’ve had to have a stick for two months.
“I had five months off work – I’m broke. I’ve had to stop working as I’m not fit enough to do it.”
The former builder has also felt the effects of his health scare in his family life.
“I’ve got two children and for three months I couldn’t do anything with them,” he said.
“They wanted me to play on the Playstation but I couldn’t physically sit down.
“It’s affected my whole life. I wasn’t healthy before but I was kind of fit.
“I can’t do half the stuff I used to.”
Stephen submitted a complaint his GP surgery, which concluded that Stephen’s “clinical situation had evolved” between his GP visit and rush to A&E.
Symptoms of a blood clot
BLOOD clots can be very serious and need to be treated quickly.
They can block blood vessels in your legs or lungs.
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot in a vein, usually in the leg.
Symptoms include:
- Throbbing pain in one leg (rarely both legs), usually in the calf or thigh, when walking or standing up
- Swelling in one leg (rarely both legs)
- Warm skin around the painful area
- Red or darkened skin around the painful area – this may be harder to see on brown or black skin
- Swollen veins that are hard or sore when you touch them
Meanwhile, pulmonary embolism is when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel in your lungs.
Symptoms include:
- Difficulty breathing that comes on suddenly
- Chest pain that’s worse when you breathe in
- Coughing up blood
You should get medical help as soon as possible if you have any of the above symptoms.