Kristy Bloomer

I was a 65 years old the night I started to shake violently. I did not know what the problem was. I became extremely cold and shivering. The next morning I woke up with a fever and thought I had the flu. The next day I made an appointment with a doctor but by evening time I told my husband to take me to the hospital. I had a bad UTI. (Sepsis and Urinary Tract Infections)

The emergency room doctor debated whether to admit me to the hospital. This doctor told me to be at my doctor’s office in the morning when the office opened. My doctor could not believe the emergency room physician did not admit me to the hospital. My doctor recognized I had a bacterial infection and needed to be hospitalized. It took a couple of days to grow a culture to identify the medication that would fight the infection. I was in the hospital for about a week.

When I came home I had to go to the surgical center for 7 days to continue intravenous medication. At the conclusion of intervenes medication I still had the E-coli in my blood. Had to see an infectious disease doctor to find a medication that would work. It took me a year to recover but I had no organ break down because I had sepsis.

My general practitioner told me as I was recovering that I was lucky to be alive. I had never heard of sepsis. I now am aware of a number of sepsis deaths and am very vocal about sepsis. My infectious disease doctor told me that when I had the shakes, coldness and shivering that a bacteria was invading my body and if that ever happened again I should go directly to the emergency room.

Education is everything with sepsis. I know that my doctor saved my life. His concern and caring attitude was everything. I collect sepsis stories and educate many people I come in contact with. I am now 68 years old and the sepsis experience has been priceless to me and my family