Dave Libbeter

I got home and remained in bed for a day, gradually getting worse, very high temperature, the shakes, in all over pain and could barely move. An ambulance was called. They did a few tests and took me by lights to hospital. I was prescribed a very high dose of antibiotics and morphine which took two and half hours to administer. By this time I was in unbelievable pain, was pretty delirious and was in quite a zombie-like state. I don’t remember much about being there but I do recall the surgeon from the operation coming to see me in A & E and telling that it was 50/50 whether I was going to be fit enough to make it. I remained in hospital for about a week on various concoctions of antibiotics and pain killers. Doing anything was unbelievably hard, sitting up, shuffling in the bed. I was barely conscious and I’m told when my fiancee came to see me. I didn’t know she was there or what was happening.  Strangely I do remember wanting her to be there and recognising her footsteps as she walked onto the ward! Without her I don’t know where I’d be.

I was sent home with more antibiotics and remained in a similar state for the best part of six weeks before I could start to move about again. In that time I was called by the hospital and told that my appendix was biopsied, and I was found to have a very rare form of cancer called Pseudomyxoma peritonei. Now, nearly a year later I’m still really struggling, no energy and I tire very easily, my mind is absolutely 100% different to before this episode. (Sepsis and Post-Sepsis Syndrome) I worked in a very high pressure job dealing with a great deal of risk. Now I feel like a zombie. My head feels constantly fuzzy, my concentration is awful, my memory is terrible and I struggle with basic tasks.

Throughout my time in hospital no one mentioned sepsis and I had no idea what it was. It wasn’t until I was copied into a letter between my consultant and GP that I saw that I’d had it. My blood levels at the time clearly show that I was in a very bad way. I’ve been to see my GP countless times regarding my memory and concentration, and I’m still being fobbed off with them suggesting that it’s all down to stress. I’m convinced it’s not and I’m plodding on trying to find someone with knowledge of sepsis to look at my blood results and give an opinion on whether PSS is the cause of it all.

I consider myself very lucky to have pulled through this as I’m not convinced that the hospital knew what there were dealing with. Whether they did or not I’m still here and making the most of every day!