Glenn Stoll
Glenn submitted his story as a day-by-day, hour-by-hour recounting of his fight with sepsis. Now, 45 years old, a few years ago Glenn underwent routine hernia surgery, after which began the chain of events that led to his life-threatening illness. (Sepsis and Surgery)
Day 1
8:00 a.m. – Routine outpatient hernia surgery
10:00 a.m. – Surgery complete
3:00 p.m. – In a lot of pain. Doctor decides to keep me overnight in hospital
8 to 10:00 p.m. – Very extreme abdominal pain. Morphine is increased. I can’t sleep.
Day 2
4 to 6 a.m. – Very extreme abdominal pain. Morphine dose increased by ER doctor.
a.m. and early p.m. – Napping for 15 to 20 minutes until the morphine wears off.
3:30 p.m. – Finally, a doctor sees me. Tell him about the pain. Notices redness on my stomach. Orders antibiotics. Staying overnight again.
6 to 8 p.m. – Very extreme abdominal pain. I tell the nurse. I tell the wife. I’m calling this pain “episodes.” These episodes hurt worse than my ruptured appendix did a few years earlier.
10:30 p.m. to midnight – Another episode
Day 3
8 a.m. – Episodes all morning. Tell the wife. Morphine increased again. Dosage so strong that I’m hallucinating, also my eyes go into REM and I pass out.
10 a.m. – Another doctor sees me. My wife and I explain what’s happening. Notices more redness and orders more antibiotics. Seen by two doctors in 48 hours.
1 to 6 p.m. – More episodes and more often. Wife can’t take it. Calls in a family friend doctor. Our doctor makes the diagnosis right away. Calls in a different surgeon.
8 p.m. – Emergency surgery. Bowel had been nicked twice. Lose 6 inches of bowel. Wife still doesn’t know the extent and seriousness of this surgery/infection and neither do I.
11:50 p.m. – Surgery successful, but put on life support and into a coma to fight the infection. Wife is told how serious this is. She was told I was in septic shock. Neither of us had ever heard of this before.
Day 4
11 a.m. – Our family friend doctor is arguing with the surgeons to have me transferred to a larger/better hospital. Surgeons will not.
Noon – Wife has a meeting with our doctor and surgeons. Our doctor explains to her that she can’t transfer me unless she tells/insists they do.
1 p.m. – Arrangements are being made to have me transferred.
Day 5
10 a.m. – Transferred to University Hospital in very critical condition
Day 6
6 p.m. – Doctors tell my wife “you should prepare to make arrangements for a funeral.”
Days 7 through 19
In a coma on life support. No improvement
Day 20
a.m. – A very experienced and expert doctor in this field is called in to help.
Day 21
10 p.m. – Wife gets a call from doctors. I’m starting to react positively to the drugs being administered. Still in very critical condition.
Day 22
I’m reacting very well to the new drugs. Still on life support. Coma drug is stopped.
Day 23
They tried twice today to take me off the ventilator but both times I stopped breathing
Day 24
a.m. – I’m awake, my only communication is nodding my head
5 p.m. – Ventilator is taken out and I’m breathing on my own. Still in serious condition.
Days 25 through 29
Still in ICU. Many MRIs. I’m talking and joking with the nurses and doctors. I still don’t know how serious this is/was or how long I’ve been there.
Days 30 through 40
Transferred to a regular bed in the hospital. My wife, family and friends didn’t tell me anything that had happened. I had to learn how to walk again, along with many other tasks.
Day 41
Doctor that discharged me told me I was one of the lucky ones. I didn’t realize what he was saying until my wife told me everything. God bless her, she went through a lot. At home, I had nursing care for the next three months, along with physiotherapy.
In all, I lost 55 pounds in 41 days. My wife lost 10.
Today, I’m back to normal, but get tired easily. My wife says I’m back to being fat and sassy. Thank God, family, friends and community for their prayers, cards, meals and support.
The next time someone has a hernia or gallbladder surgery, please keep a close eye on them.
