Chris Orr

Survivor

I am married with two adult children. I make my living as a meteorologist, journalist and broadcaster.

My first bout of cellulitis occurred in 2004 as I was working on a weather-related project in an area filled with brush. The brush scratched my legs, which caused a mild case of cellulitis, but I learned the symptoms and how quickly it can spread. (Sepsis and Cellulitis)

In July 2009 I had another bout, starting as small itchy dot at 6 am. By 4 pm my entire left leg below the knee was hot and red. I was already at the ER because my mother-in-law had had a stroke that afternoon, so I just walked out the doors to triage and wound up being admitted overnight with IV antibiotics.

That’s the set-up for February 2013. One evening I spotted a small red dot on my left ankle at 9 pm. I half jokingly asked my wife to check on me if she woke up during the night.

By 3 am I was cold, breathing rapidly and shaking uncontrollably. A few extra blankets did not provide any warmth. My fingernails were blue and my left calf was completely red and hot. My fever was 103 (my normal temperature is 97.8).

At 4 am we decided it was time to go to the ER. We debated calling 9-1-1 and opted for my wife to drive to the hospital. We arrived at 5 am.

The physician began his exam and I was mostly out of it – only somewhat aware of my surroundings, but enough so to see my blood pressure on the white board and thinking, “Great, I don’t have to take my pill today!” It was 55/30. I remember the doctor grabbing my shoulder, saying, “You’re a very sick man.”

My wife says that by 6 am. I was on 3 IV bags of fluid and an IV of antibiotics. By 7 am I was in the step-down ICU. Most things are fuzzy, but I do recall being quite at peace with dying, praying God would take care of the wife and kids. The peace of knowing Jesus Christ as my Savior was overwhelming. I could not recall Bible verses, so I kept singing, “Come now, angel band, carry me away on your snowy wings to my eternal home”…

We were told it was severe sepsis, although that really didn’t mean much – we had never heard of it.

Fluids tacked on nearly 25 pounds to my weight. It took a couple of days for the cellulitis and vitals to stabilize.

I was well enough to go home five days later with home health care and an IV as my constant companion for another six weeks. I felt lousy for several weeks, always tired, couldn’t remember to do even the basic daily activities, my speech was somewhat slurred and I would completely skip saying words even if I was reading aloud.

The cellulitis flared up again one afternoon in July 2013. At 3 am we called 9-1-1 and went to the ER by ambulance. The paramedics alerted the ER that I had a history of sepsis and we were met at the hospital by a team of about 8 nurses, doctors, lab techs and who-knows-who. They performed some of the blood tests in the room.

Within minutes I had IV fluids and antibiotics. I was amazed at the response. My wife noticed that sepsis posters were all around the ER department.

Officially, I was mildly septic and spent six days in the step-down ICU on the cardiac floor. They were concerned the infection may have affected my heart and breathing was very painful. The large triple mochas my daughter sneaked in would help my breathing for an hour or so.

Sepsis affected my memory, my speech and has shortened my breath at times. My memory is improving, but complex activities can be very frustrating. (Sepsis and Post-Sepsis Syndrome)

My speech has improved a lot – I don’t slur words any more. I used to skip words, as if there was a short circuit between the brain and tongue, but that’s pretty rare now. A church in the region needed an occasional preacher, so that gave me a lot of practice. I also worked a talk show for three months and still podcast – all of it helps retrain the brain.

I workout and that’s helped my breathing quite a lot.

I am thankful that my primary work involves telecommuting. Working from home is a great blessing.

Surviving is an ongoing process. I am always working to improve my brain. I avoid shaking hands, people who sneeze and cough, and do everything I can to avoid germs. According to the Urban Dictionary, I have crossed the line and have become a germaphobe.

The bottom line is that I will not be defeated by sepsis!

Send us Your Story
Learn More about SepsisSupport Faces of Sepsis