SHOCK HORROR
‘Healthy’ woman, 35, died just three days after doctors ‘dismissed’ three red-flag symptoms of killer disease
Find out the telltale signs something's wrong with your liver below
KERRY Joanne Wilkins was a "healthy" 35-year-old but died from liver failure - just three days after she first started showing symptoms.
Her sister Jessica Matilda Wilkins, 31, is now questioning why Kerry wasn't given a liver transplant and says it felt like medics "dismissed" how ill her sister felt.
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Kerry, who had no prior health conditions, passed away after going to the A&E department at Colchester Hospital in Essex suffering three symptoms - hot flushes, blotchy skin and vomiting.
The business owner had to wait six hours in A&E before she was seen.
Eventually she was given morphine before being diagnosed with liver failure - which is often deadly if left untreated.
Her sister Jessica said: "We were in shock the whole time she was in hospital - they were dismissing us.
Read more on liver failure
"She should have had a new liver, we don't know why they chose not to give her one.
"Kerry was a healthy 35-year-old woman, she didn't have any children but she was always on holiday with her family and her nieces and nephews.
"We thought she was going to pull through.
"I am still in shock now about how it unfolded."
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Jessica said the family have no idea what caused her liver failure and are hoping for answers at an inquest later this year.
It was May last year when Kerry went to A&E with her three symptoms.
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After waiting for six hours, she eventually had blood tests which showed she had a problem with her liver.
Doctors put her on intravenous (IV) fluids and said she didn't need urgent care at the time.
Medics then confirmed that Kerry's liver was failing and she was given morphine and anti-sickness tablets.
Jessica says Kerry was "completely delirious" and that she couldn't communicate with anyone the next day.
But when she questioned doctors about it, they said it was normal.
She died in hospital three days after she was first admitted.
Kerry was completely delirious, her eyes were grey and she couldn't correspond with us. When we brought it up with the nurses and the consultant, who were on the ward at the time, they said it was normal
Jessica Matilda Wilkins
Jessica said: "Kerry was completely delirious, her eyes were grey and she couldn't correspond with us.
"When we brought it up with the nurses and the consultant, who were on the ward at the time, they said it was normal.
"They were shouting at Kerry saying 'answer Kerry, your family want to speak to you' but she didn't respond."
Jessica also says that she realised that Kerry, of Clacton, Essex, was on her period while being in hospital, so asked the nurses if they had checked to see if she was wearing a tampon or pad.
She was worried that Kerry would develop toxic shock syndrome - which is a rare but life-threatening condition that's caused by an infection when using a a tampon or menstrual cup.
Jessica says the nurses didn't check so she took Kerry to the toilets, where she became even more unwell.
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She said: "I brought my sister to the toilet to see if we could check and she became even more unwell and fell to the floor.
"I screamed for their help but nobody helped me get her up and nobody helped me get her back to her bed.
"She was looking at me like she was lost, it was like her eyes were saying 'help me'. Kerry's condition deteriorated even more, to the point where she couldn't recognise her own family members."
Jessica then asked medics why Kerry wasn't on a combination of antibiotics, to help her, but they said they were waiting to see how she was reacting to other medication.
Kerry then became unconscious and she was taken to intensive care because her organs were failing.
She was then given a combination of antibiotics - like Jessica had previously asked for.
Why did they let her get to that state before they helped her?
Jessica Matilda Wilkins
Jessica said: "It was an absolute shock to the system to see Kerry in intensive care.
"Why did they let her get to that state before they helped her?"
Jessica has also paid tribute to her sister, describing her as "the life and soul of the party" and added that she feels like she has "lost her right arm".
The mum-of-one said: "She was the absolute life and soul of the party.
"Everyone liked her and she liked everyone.
"She lit up the room - she was the best person.
"I can't even describe what we've lost, we feel like we've lost our right arm."
An inquest into Kerry's death will take place at Seax House in Chelmsford, Essex, on October 23.
Dr Tim Leary of East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Colchester Hospital said: "I would like to extend our deepest sympathies to Kerry's family for their loss.
"We understand the family raised some concerns regarding her care and we have listened and responded to them through our patient advice and liaison team.
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"We encourage patients and family members to raise concerns regarding the care they receive from our services and we are happy to look into these.
"There are many factors to consider in regards to the indications for a liver transplant and suitability, and it may not be an option for every patient."
Symptoms of liver disease
LIVER failure, a condition where the liver significantly loses its ability to function, can be caused by various factors, including infections like hepatitis, alcohol abuse, certain medications, toxins, and autoimmune or metabolic diseases.
Liver disease, especially when it progresses to conditions like cirrhosis, can also lead to liver failure.
The NHS says most types of liver disease don't cause any symptoms in the early stages.
Once you start to get symptoms of liver disease, your liver is already damaged and scarred. This is known as cirrhosis.
Symptoms of cirrhosis include:
- feeling very tired and weak all the time
- loss of appetite – which may lead to weight loss
- loss of sex drive (libido)
- yellow skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)
- itchy skin
- feeling or being sick
If you think you might have liver disease or cirrhosis, see your GP.
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