Woman thought coughing was caused by her smoking - but it was something worse

19 February 2024 , 18:43

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Patients with TTP experience symptoms including fever, fatigue, headaches, confusion, rashes, bruises and stroke-like symptoms (Image: Tracey I'anson / SWNS)

A woman was in a week-long coma after visiting the doctors because of a cough - and it turned out to be because of a rare blood condition.

Mother Tracey I'anson was admitted to Royal Preston Hospital for what she believed was a chest infection or cough caused by her 10-a-day smoking habit. The 49-year-old was then rushed to another hospital after losing consciousness in the ambulance, where she put into an induced coma for a week.

When she woke up, she was told she was suffering from a rare, life-threatening blood condition called thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). The condition, which causes small blood clots in the body, affects around six in a million people, according to the NHS.

Now in remission and taking aspirin and folic acid every day, Tracey hopes to raise awareness of the little-known disorder. She said: "I don’t remember anything other than when I woke up a week later. It was a strange one. I didn’t know what was going on, I couldn’t take it all in. People need to be made aware of this condition – many doctors have never even heard of it.

After being rushed to the Liverpool Royal, she was kept in intensive care after waking up from the coma and had to have a plasma exchange twice per day for nine weeks. For two days, Tracey was let out to meet her granddaughter, Eden, born on October 30.

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She added: "It’s just been a whirlwind, it’s not been the nicest journey - I’m not the same person I was before. I was having nightmares about being in intensive care and things happening to me, it was horrible. I still wake up and check for bruises or signs that I’m going to relapse, I don’t think I’ll ever feel the same again."

After being rushed to the Liverpool Royal, she was kept in intensive care after waking up from the coma (Tracey I'anson / SWNS)

Tracey has to attend hospital in Liverpool every four to eight weeks for blood checks, LancsLive reported. Her condition is classed as being in remission, but in the run up to Christmas last year, she was readmitted after her TTP flared up. Tracey said: "I don’t have the same energy I used to when I get out of bed. My two daughters Frankie and Brook didn’t realise at the time what was going on or how poorly I really was. Now they're older, they realise how close I was to not making it, it was a really scary time."

Patients with TTP experience symptoms including fever, fatigue, headaches, confusion, rashes, bruises, and stroke-like symptoms, according to The Royal Liverpool University Hospital. The condition is fatal without treatment. The Royal Liverpool University Hospital has commissioned a film to share stories of TTP patients across the North West, including Tracey's, to raise awareness.

Dr Tina Dutt, Consultant Haematologist and TTP Specialist Centre Lead at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, said: "I cannot thank our patients enough for their honesty and bravery in sharing their stories in this film. We want this film to be a resource to empower others who may be diagnosed with TTP in the future, and to provide comfort and reassurance to patients who may currently be experiencing feelings of isolation and fear."

Jon Macpherson