Amy Dowden reveals ‘life-threatening’ sepsis diagnosis amid cancer treatment
Amy Dowden has revealed that she was not too long ago recognized with “life-threatening” sepsis as she underwent cancer treatment earlier this month.
The Strictly Come Dancing star, 33, instructed her practically 490k followers on Instagram that she suffered a “setback” in her treatment and needed to spend “a number of days in hospital” being handled by an ICU workforce.
In June, Dowden underwent a mastectomy after being recognized with stage three breast cancer the month prior. She started chemotherapy earlier this month after docs discovered one other sort of cancer.
Chatting with Hello! journal in a brand new interview, the skilled dancer mentioned she began feeling ailing two days after her first spherical of chemotherapy and began getting a fever.
“I began having a temperature of 37.7 levels Celsius,” she recalled. “On the time, I didn’t realise that having a temperature of 37.5 or above may very well be deadly for a chemo affected person. I simply thought it was my response to chemo, however because it turned out, I had already received an an infection.”
She added: “I felt freezing chilly however I used to be all clammy and shaking. My mum and pa rang my crimson card [which provides the chemotherapy team’s contact details and current treatment information] they usually mentioned to hold up and ring the ambulance.”
Dowden continued: “I didn’t wish to go into hospital; on the time I didn’t realise how ailing I used to be.
“I knew it was a Saturday night time, so A&E would most likely be crowded, and it was harmful being round individuals because it’s extra possible you’ll decide up an an infection.
“On chemo, you don’t have your white blood cells to combat an infection. We now know I had the an infection simply earlier than I began chemo, however we had been by no means in a position to pinpoint what truly brought about it.”
Dowden mentioned she was so ailing that she couldn’t actually perceive the hazard she was in.
“The docs and nurses had been telling me I had sepsis and that it was life-threatening, however I wasn’t taking it in,” she mentioned.
Amy Dowden shares a well being replace about present process chemotherapy
(Instagram/Amy Dowden)
“I didn’t develop into correctly conscious till later. I instructed my dad, ‘I’ve received sepsis’ and he mentioned, ‘I do know!’”
On her birthday on 10 August, Dowden spent the day in hospital after her temperature went up once more. She is at the moment recovering at residence and has been in a position to proceed her chemotherapy treatment.
The treatment has brought about the TV star to start out dropping her hair and she or he now wears a wig, however she is hopeful she is going to have the ability to seem on the forthcoming sequence of Strictly indirectly.
She revealed that the Strictly manufacturing workforce is “getting me some fabulous wigs prepared”.
“The workforce are being guided by me – they’ve been completely superb,” Dowden mentioned. “We’ve received some dates within the diary, however it’ll rely on how I really feel. We’re taking it a step at a time.”
Dowden’s skilled dancer colleagues on the present have been sending her movies, flowers and presents to encourage her as she undergoes treatment, she added.
Dowden on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ in 2021 with McFly’s Tom Fletcher
(BBC/Man Levy)
“I communicate to Dianne [Buswell] each single day. That is impacting on them as nicely as a result of we’re a workforce,” she mentioned.
“I’m grateful they’re together with me as a result of Strictly will assist me get via the subsequent few months, mentally. It’s simply the tonic that I want.”
Final week, Dowden opened up about her hair loss and admitted she was discovering it “so onerous”.
She shared a photograph of a clump of her hair that had fallen out with a sequence of damaged coronary heart emojis and wrote: “A lot on a regular basis! So onerous! Someday at a time!”
After her mastectomy, Dowden was instructed she wanted chemotherapy as docs discovered additional tumours after the surgical procedure.
In an Instagram Dwell chat, she mentioned: “They discovered one other sort of cancer after which they instructed me I wanted chemo – for me that was an enormous blow. It wasn’t within the plan, initially – and I do know the plan you’ll be able to’t get fixated on.”
Dowden is married to her long-term accomplice Benjamin Jones, who can also be an expert dancer. The couple wed in 2022, after having to reschedule their wedding ceremony because of the Covid pandemic.
