Lisa Roush

Survivor

Hello everyone

My name is Lisa Roush. I am profoundly deaf, no sense of smell and right eye blind since I was born when my mother was pregnant with me and had rubella measles. I am oldest child of six children (five hearing children). I am divorced and a single mother of three beautiful hearing adult children. I have five beautiful hearing grandchildren. I love my family very much.

My first fluent language is American Sign Language (ASL) in communication. My second language is English for read and write. ASL and English are different grammar and structure.

I don’t know word “sepsis” until last July 2015. My acute care doctor, my acute care nurse and I signed for discharge from the hospital. I have a folder with the papers inside from the hospital and read the papers. I saw three words: aspiration pneumonia, sepsis and acute renal failure. (Sepsis and Pneumonia) I looked up Google and learned a lot about three words.

Last June 2015, I had third colonoscopy. Before procedure, a nurse asked me about last meal, last drink, etc. and no allergic to medicines. An anesthesiologist started to sedate me with 200 mg of Propofol. About 20 minutes later, while I was sedated, my body responded to cough, and the anesthesiologist put suction into my mouth and my throat. My oxygen declined. The anesthesiologist replaced an endotracheal tube and I was bagged about 10 breaths. My oxygen returned to normal, and I breathed on own with the endotracheal tube. When the procedure was done, I woke up, coughed with the blood sputum and my breath was irregular. I was confused. With a little time, I realized I was in the surgery room. The anesthesiologist and my gastroenterologist kept close watch on me to make sure I was OK. I slowly improved. I was moved to the private recovery room. I still coughed with bloody sputum, and I still breathed irregularly. I wore oxygen mask. An ambulance came and took me to the hospital emergency room.

LisaRAt the ER, I was nauseous, vomited up and my fever quickly went up to 38.5 C. I was febrile and jittery. I don’t remember anything for a little while. My blood pressure was low. My white cell count went up. I was confused. My mother was with me, and told me that I looked confused, gave no response, and was pale. My doctor ran tests and told me that I had a massive bacteria infection inside all over my body. I had aspiration pneumonia. The endotracheal tube caused tears on my throat wall that bled when I coughed. Both aspiration pneumonia and the bleed caused sepsis. My doctor said it was serious and he wanted me to stay in the hospital. I took 650 mg Tylenol for my fever and received IV.

I don’t remember anything until a second nurse came in and told me to wait for my hospital room. A short time later, I was transferred to the hospital room. I am happy that I was not in intensive care unit (ICU).

I was admitted to the hospital for IV fluid and antibiotics every four hours. I wore a nasal oxygen cannula for two days. My blood pressure was low. My kidney function was weak for three days. I had a few fevers (ups and downs). Three days later, my white cell count went down. I improved and was discharged from the hospital. Two weeks later, I had blood labs and the infection was gone. My white cell count is low. Now, my body is hurt. My back is hurt. I have long way recovery from my pneumonia.

I have side effects and allergic to Propofol: nausea, vomit, aspiration Lisa_R_fam_copypneumonia and oxygen declines. While I was sedated, I nauseous, vomited up, and vomit went up to my throat and went down into the lung, because my mouth doesn’t open. Vomit or food was in my lung and caused bacteria infection and spread out over my body.

Propofol might not be safe. (https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2014/11/colonoscopy-anesthesia-overkill-deep-sedation-for-the-procedure-may-be-overkill/index.htm)

I am sepsis survivor.

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