Dying of sepsis, and horseriding accidents

[elmenora]

Setting: fictional history, kind of a mashup between the roman empire and early turkic peoples plus lots of made-up stuff.  This particular scene is in a fairly remote desert, in early spring (very warm days, near-freezing nights).  The characters are going to a market town on their own to trade some things, and have no way to contact anyone else

Comments

[anonymous]

Red streaks are exactly what you want; it's caused by the infection getting into the lymphatic system and spreading systemically. As the infection spreads she will get a fever and chills, and eventually she will go into septic shock. This entails red, hot, sweaty skin (unlike most other shock, which causes skin to be pale/cool/clammy), so that's another visual thing you can show, along with slowing pupil response and confusion/delirium/decreased level of consciousness. Less visual signs include a rapid, weak pulse and fast, shallow breathing. Once she goes into shock she's not long for this world.

On that subject, sepsis kills incredibly quickly. She could easily go from feeling completely normal to dead in 24-48 hours. Four days sounds like a good time frame; a couple days for the infection to start setting in enough for her to notice symptoms, and another day or two to death.

I'll let someone with more horse knowledge answer the second question.

[anonymous]

Same anon here - it just occurred to me to ask if you have any questions about what they might do to try to treat the infection before she dies.

[elmenora]

Oh, thanks! No, they're not able to do much and they know it. Briefly consider amputation and then realize how much it's spread and how unqualified they are, so they settle for keeping her warm and giving broth.

[anonymous]

I ask because bathing the wound in hot water/salt can help to draw out the infection, and doesn't really require any medical expertise. Interestingly enough, honey can have a similar effect; it has antimicrobial properties and was used as a wound dressing in ancient times.

Once the infection has gone systemic, of course, they're fighting a losing battle, but if you do decide to show some of their failed first aid attempts that might be helpful.

[elmenora]

Honey was actually one of the things I found in earlier research. (who'dve thought putting sugar in a cut would help?) I think they'd use that in the initial treatment, not so much later on.

[anonymous]

Isn't that odd? It's because honey releases hydrogen peroxide as it breaks down. You'd also be surprised at how effective those little treatments can be later on. Immerse the wound in salt water, and you can sometimes visibly see the red streaks start to recede back down the arm. Not enough to halt an infection that has gone septic, but still worth trying, since they're probably desperate.

[elmenora]

Interesting... I didn't realize it worked that far along. Definitely something to have them do then.