Rutland retired businessman publishes debut book on his ordeal with triple sepsis

A retired businessman who survived a life-threatening condition following routine surgery has begun a career as a published author.

Bill Archer, from Braunston, successfully sued the NHS after he ‘almost died twice’ while battling triple sepsis, contracted following an operation to remove his gall bladder seven years ago.

He tells the story of his life both before and after the life-changing episode in his first book Mr Smiley Face: Adventures in the NHS and Elsewhere.

“I decided it was the only way I’d be able to get it out of my system and move on,” he said.

“I tried to be factual, but also to make it humorous because that is the sort of personality that I have.

“So it’s not dark and gloomy, but it does cover some dark days.”

He added: “When my wife first met me she said ‘you really are a Mr Smiley Face’.

“Through all the trauma, apparently I still kept smiling.”

Bill had just celebrated his daughter’s marriage and life was treating him well when he was booked in to have his gall bladder removed at the Woodland Hospital, in Rothwell, on May 16, 2017.

“I was going in as an NHS patient in a private hospital which gave me a lot of confidence,” he said.

“I turned up at 11.30 on the day and they said ‘you'll be home by 7 o clock’.

“But when I woke up I was in absolute agony. I’ve had a few operations in my time but I’ve never experienced pain like it.”

Bill was kept in overnight, but despite telling staff about reddish-brown discharge from his dressings, he was sent home the next day.

Blood tests taken two days after the operation, on May 19, revealed abnormal CRP levels -inflammation levels in the blood - at 484, which should fall below 10.

But Bill was reassured it would clear up and was not summoned back to hospital.

“I was in absolute agony at home for 10 days and then my wife got a doctor to come out,” he recalled.

“Thirty seconds after seeing me she ordered an ambulance and rang the hospital to say I was coming in as an emergency. Then I ended up being in hospital for 44 nights.”

Tests ultimately revealed pockets of sepsis in his abdomen, groin and liver, sparking medical staff into urgent action.

The condition is triggered when the body’s immune system overreacts to an infection and starts to damage tissues and organs.

“On the Thursday morning the registrar came round and said ‘we have a problem, we need to operate today, we haven’t got much time left’,” Bill said.

“They said they didn’t have time for the pre-med prep and did the operation straightaway.”

Bill spent 11 nights in intensive care - ‘I nearly died twice in there’ - but after five weeks recovering in hospital, he returned to his Rutland home.

Yet it took a further nine months before he got any mobility back.

“They told me I had post-sepsis syndrome and my recovery wouldn’t go any further than it already had,” he said.

A host of symptoms included serious fatigue, muscle and joint pain, impaired vision, dizziness and kidney problems.

“I had terrible problems with concentrating so I couldn’t do my job at all.

“I had been doing marketing, campaigns, building complex websites - I just couldn't do it, so had to drop out of everything and close the business down.

“I had a good life, but it was then like running into a brick wall.”

Bill ended up taking legal action against Ramsay Healthcare and Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust for lack of clinical care after the initial operation.

In January 2021, both trusts admitted breach of duty over the failure to act on the CRP levels which would have ‘avoided open surgery’ and prevented Bill’s spell in intensive care.

A settlement was finally agreed this year, leading to the decision to put down his experience in writing.

Retirement after a working life which had taken him to London by 8am and back home at 11pm every day, has finally opened up time for reflection and, of course, writing.

“I’ve got two more books in the pipeline - a factual, humorous one about golf, and a novel which I’m working on at the moment,” he said.

“I try to make things enjoyable all of the time and humorous. It’s easier to get through life that way.”

Bill’s debut book is available via Amazon, Waterstones, Google Books and Gardners online platforms.