A woman who thought she simply had a cold has revealed how she started coughing up blood as her body was poisoning itself.
Elysha Sacre thought her runny nose and tickly cough would soon go away.
Until she began spitting out clots of blood.
The 28-year-old visited the doctors multiple times, though countless tests always returned back clear.
It wasn’t until her body crippled over in pain that it was found her life was on the line.
And it was because her own body was poisoning itself.
“I prepared myself for them to tell me there was nothing wrong – but, in fact, everything was wrong,” the part-time hotel worker, from Dagenham, told Need To Know.
“If I hadn’t been admitted to hospital then, I wouldn’t be here today.
“I was told my body was essentially killing itself.
“And sadly, there was no cure.”
Elysha had just landed her job in one of London’s poshest hotels when symptoms started.
She had been struggling for almost a year with cold-like symptoms, which only continued to worsen.
Then, suddenly, blood clots started to appear whenever coughing and she had to discreetly spit out the masses into a tissue behind the reception desk.
When extreme fatigue and crippling stomach pains took hold, Elysha was signed off work.
She said: “I was completely bedridden with pain, as my body was shutting down.
“For four days, I slept.
“I kept telling my best friend that something was really wrong a few nights before I went to hospital.
“I remember saying I’ll be dead before it’s taken seriously.
“Not for one moment did I think that would almost be the case.
“On the day I got admitted, I noticed blood when I went to the toilet and this was when my partner rushed me to hospital.
“I kept falling asleep and passing out while I was waiting for the results.
“Doctors told me that my organs were failing and while shocked, I was relieved to be taken seriously at last.
“I burst into tears, weirdly of happiness.
“But the worst was yet to come.”
Doctors struggled to find the cause, until a specialist confirmed in January 2020 it was vasculitis microscopic polyangiitis, a serious autoimmune disease which attacks small blood vessels, essentially poisoning her blood.
Her kidneys were only functioning at 10% and Elysha had to stay in hospital for two months while on steroids, as well as chemotherapy, to slow down her immune system.
Sadly, her mental health suffered as she was unable to do anything herself and had to quit her dream job.
Now, she has drug infusions every six months to keep her somewhat healthy, which will continue for the rest of her life.
Elysha is currently deemed in remission, even though the disease will never fully go away.
And even the tiniest bit of stress, or minor cough, could be detrimental.
She added: “For the longest time, I felt like I was going mad.
“Doctors kept telling me I was a young and healthy person – yet I was more ill than someone elderly.
“And while I was overjoyed to get a diagnosis, I couldn’t help but feel like my life was over.
“I didn’t recognise myself anymore.
“But I’ve tried not to let this battle hold me back in life.
“Fatigue pretty much rules my life and flare ups happen often.
“And if I don’t drink enough, I get excruciating kidney pain.
“There’s also nose bleeds, lung damage and broken nerves, which affects my blood circulation.
“I’m scared to go out most of the time as my immune system is so low and I catch colds constantly.
“I spend some days depressed in bed, but then I remember everything my body has fought through to keep me alive.
“It’s taught me that I’m the only one who knows my body.
“Always trust your gut instinct and if something doesn’t feel right, keep pestering people until they listen.
“It might seem hard, but it could save your life.”
