Jay Ford

Sat. March 19 walking along and stepped off a curb and landed flat on my face in the driveway. really shaken. But only apparent injury was a cut lower lip inside and out. Lower teeth were slightly sandpapered since I apparently had my mouth open…probably saying, “Oh!”

Mon. March 22 went to the doctor who did normal joint, limb, and neurological type exam and found nothing. Went to the dentist to have him check teeth. He found nothing to worry about. Went to chiropractor who adjusted my back and neck and jaw and wrists, since I had fallen with hands up in front of my chest.

One week later I started chills and slight fever …went to bed after breakfast and slept for five hours. Dragged myself around for the rest of the day.
The next day I had a higher fever and slept again. I Thought it was the flu. Next day I had roaring diarrhea. Every hour up and alum…by end of day exhausted. All the while I have forgotten to take any of my blood pressure or thyroid meds…

The next morning my daughter came and I told her about the week and causually mentioned I could not pee. (And I had a swollen and red area about eight by six on the inside of my arm and elbow…not painful. When the hospital asked if I had any infections, I remembered that one grandchild had strep throat and the other had a rash attributed to strep.)

Daughter, Sam, jumped into action, whipped out her cellphone and had me in an ambulance in ten minutes, hospital in twenty. ER for three hours with fluids and tests. They decided to admit me to ICU. ICU CALLED IN AT LEAST FOUR SPECIALISTS. They found I had sepsis. My kidneys had shut down, blood pressure low, white blood cells higher than high, then breathing difficulties and heart irregularity. A large eight inch clear blister appeared on my inner forearm where it was swollen.

I started losing reality and behaving quite strange, they called it delirium; and sleeping all the time. I was transferred to heart unit ICU. Nurses woke me up to do things and then I would go back to sleep…. They were sweet and cheerful and efficient, and in my delirium I loved them all.

I was not in pain, I was in “sleep.” My children came, I declared myself “Queen of the Day” and had them laughing uproariously. My daughter called all my friends and I spoke with them. They helped ground me.

Three antibiotics and about four MRIs and two dozen tests later, I went to regular floor and slowly recovered over the next ten days. Then two weeks of rehab and I was home.

I was so lucky!! My daughter, with some medical background and advice from two nurse relatives, was able to speak to medical staff every day and ask the right questions. She kept an eye on me every day…when I started to lapse into delirium again she alerted the nurses. She brought me sweet smelling cream and flowers and read to me to help bring me out of my “sleep state.” She arranged my iPad so I could have music.

Neither of us really knew how deadly this was until after I came home. When I started looking at sepsis sites online, I was so sad. Sad for those who did not survive and shocked at how much I did not remember when I was in danger. And grateful for my medical team, hospital, rehab staff, and my family. I still cannot internalize how close I came to the outcome going the other way. It just has not hit me…thankful for the delirium and sleep for protecting my mind from full understanding.

Am now testing normal with all my bloods, kidneys, heart, and thyroid. I have been so lucky for quick response of daughter, ER, ICU, and all my wonderful medical teams. And mostly, the reality of just being alive. There I’ve said it all, now. Thank you for listening!