'I thought my cough was down to smoking then I ended up in a coma'

Tracey I’anson ended up in a coma after going to the doctors with a cough

A woman ended up in a coma after going to the doctors with a cough – after it turned out to be a symptom of a rare blood condition. Tracey I’anson , 49, was admitted to hospital for what she believed was a chest infection or cough caused by her 10-a-day smoking habit.

She was then blue-lighted 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 6 in a million people, according to the NHS. Tracey, who is now in remission and takes aspirin and folic acid every day, 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.”

Tracey was initially admitted to Royal Preston Hospital’s Emergency Department in September 2018 before being rushed to Royal University Liverpool Hospital. 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.

She was kept in hospital for nine weeks in total, but was let out for two days in between to be able to meet her granddaughter, Eden, born on October 30. 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.”

Tracey, from Preston, has to attend hospital in Liverpool every four to eight weeks for blood checks. 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.

She was in hospital for six hours after becoming extremely fatigued with her body aching before being discharged. Formerly a cook at a school, she has now been medically retired.

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 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 have 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.”