It was shortly after 4am when Linsay Robertson woke up and screamed.

She was curled up in a tight ball on her bed in Edinburgh, the pain excruciating.

Graham, her partner, sat anxiously beside her waiting for the ambulance he had called to arrive.

"I thought I was dying," she says. "It was like someone had stuck their hands in to my insides and was squeezing them tightly."

Earlier that evening, it was Linsay's daughter, Morran, who had lain next to her, a T-shirt wrapped around her mouth as they joked about her catching flu.

But this wasn't flu. Linsay's face had gone suddenly pale and her lips were turning blue.

Paramedics carried her down the stairs into an ambulance. A crash team was waiting at the hospital for her arrival.

She was pumped full of antibiotics but, one by one, Linsay's organs began to fail.

Running out of options, doctors put the 43-year-old into an induced coma. Her mother and father were allowed one minute with her before she slipped under.

The family were told the next 24 to 48 hours were critical. Within 24 hours of starting to feel unwell, Linsay was fighting for her life.

She spent 12 days in a coma as the disease burned through her body with the force of a wild fire.

But it was only as it grew fiercer that it left clues as to what it was.

Purple mottled patches began to appear on her skin, the calling card of meningitis. It was one of the few usual symptoms of the disease she had.

Which is why now, after an intense period of recovery, Linsay wants to warn others of how anyone can contract meningitis with or without the usual signs.

"It can affect anybody at any time at any stage in their life," says Amanda Harris, from awareness group Meningitis Now.

"We know at present there are about 42,000 people in Scotland who have been affected.

"Signs can include drowsiness, fever, muscle pain, headache, nausea, cold hands and feet and blotchy skin - but not all symptoms can appear at the one time."

All Linsay had experience was diarrhoea and sickness. She did not know meningitis could affect her age group.

It took just one day for the Edinburgh mother to go from a healthy adult to being trapped in a body in an all out war.

In the hospital ward, Linsay's kidneys and liver became compromised and her body began to swell.

Within 24 hours, her body had begun to shut down. Its only defence was to retreat and keep blood flowing to her vital organs.

As the sheer effort to keep her heart beating sapped her strength, her hands and feet became starved of blood and oxygen.

The skin and tissue began to die, leading to gangrene.

"I was like a whale," says Linsay. "Everything was so swollen, my body was swollen, my toes were like wee black chips.

"They said I would be fine and wouldn't need amputation but I just knew, you know your own body."

Later, doctors had no choice but to amputate both her feet, her right hand and four fingers on her left hand.

The lower half of her thumb was saved, which she says she is grateful for.

Her kidneys, however, were beyond recovery.

After spending six months in hospital, Linsay was finally discharged in November and is now on the transplant waiting list.

"I think one of the toughest things is having to start all over again," she says.

"Losing my legs has probably hit me harder than anything else. I used to run everywhere and I loved walking."

Her strength though, and sheer determination to live has not faltered.

Linsay has taught herself to walk on two prosthetic legs and the determined mother even started driving last month.

No one is more proud of her than Graham and Morran.

"It's heartbreaking that she has had to go through this, what I would call a living nightmare," says Graham.

"But thankfully, through the fantastic people who work for the NHS, and ultimately Linsay's spirit and determination, and sheer doggedness, she's come through it. She's fantastic."

"It's been tough," says Linsay. "Some days are better than others, but I'm getting on with life.

"It's something you would never ever imagine would happen to you.

"I'm a strong believer in never underestimating the human spirit," she adds.

"The human spirit can push through most things. It's a tragic story to tell but it's also a good story to tell. I'm still here. It tried to drag me down but I'm still here."

If you suspect someone may be ill with meningitis or septicaemia, trust your instincts and get immediate medical help.

For more information visit Meningitis Now. Freephone helpline 0808 80 10 388 (9am-5pm Monday to Friday).