Amber Duncan

I was a happy and healthy 31-year-old whose world was changed. I went to work on a normal Monday and everything was just fine. Tuesday, after being at work for about 2 hours I felt that the world around me was a fog. It happened so quickly. I was in so much pain from head to toe and my mind was unclear. I had severe pain under my right rib that caused me to be doubled over. I went home and slept away the rest of the day.

The next morning I couldn’t get out of bed. I was again so lethargic and weak, and was running a temperature. By 1 o’clock in the afternoon, I told my husband I needed to go to the hospital. After arriving at the hospital I was hooked up to an IV as they waited for my blood results. My heart rate was 132 and my blood pressure was 48/32. I was diagnosed with septic shock and admitted to the ICU where I stayed for about 12 hours.

They transferred me to a regular room and about 6 hours later. I had gotten up to use the restroom and had to pull the emergency cord. I was out of breath and was on the verge of passing out. I was taken for an emergency X-ray where they found I had fluid filling one lung and half the other lung. By day 3 I was receiving an EKG because I was now showing signs of congestive heart failure. They found that my heart was surrounded by extreme amounts of fluid causing chest pain. I spent a total of 6 days in the hospital. I really can’t recall the first 3-4 days. I feel I am not the same person as before.

I now have asthma. I also feel like my brain is not working as efficiently as before. I am more forgetful and can’t seem to find words to say. I make mistakes that I never would have done before. I used to always be cold even in the summer and now I sweat and feel hot all the time. When I sweat it is the most sour awful smell imaginable. I have to wash my bedding multiple times a week as I sweat so much I am literally dripping of sweat. My world has changed.