Maria Ardila

On July 27, 2013, my world turned upside down – not only for me, but for my loving family as well. I was admitted into the ER for a CAT scan after having had a bad stomachache for a couple of days. At first, the doctor thought I might have kidney stones. But after the CAT scan, the doctors saw that I had a perforated colon because of an infected diverticulum. (Sepsis and Perforated Bowel) The E.R. attending physician decided to operate on me by means of laparascopy.

I was admitted into the ICU supposedly overnight. At 5 a.m., my husband got a call that I was having difficulty breathing and they needed him to go immediately to the hospital. While he was there, my heart stopped and he was shoved out of the room, just like in the movies. I was dead for 17 minutes. I had a wonderful near-death experience, which I will reserve for myself and my loved ones. I went into septic shock. I got peritonitis. My heart stopped and I had respiratory and kidney failure. Another doctor that was on call (thank God) immediately opened me up and did what he had to do to save my life.

My husband and my two children were in agony. I had more than a dozen tubes attached to my body and was given more than a dozen drugs. I slowly recovered and spent two weeks in the ICU. My husband and my children were by my side the whole time. I had nightmares -hallucinations from hell while I was there. But my family’s faces gave me the strength I needed.

After the two weeks in the ICU, I was taken to a hospital room and was there for another three weeks. I slowly started understanding what had happened to me. I had a horrific scar down my stomach and a colostomy with all of its delights. The nurses and my doctors were out of this world, and I will forever be grateful to them. My family was able to stay with me overnight; they took turns and slept on the sofa bed in my room. I had all the care possible including a psychologist, a psychiatrist, a nutritionist, a physical therapist, respiratory therapist, two surgeons and my wonderful nephrologist. My creatinine level in my kidneys shot up to 11, but slowly went down and at the moment is at 1.9. I had five dialysis sessions. Currently, I do not need any more dialysis but I will always have kidney difficulties. I am scheduled for a colon re-attachment surgery in January.

I have struggled with all of the complications from the sepsis shock and have had a very hard time regaining my strength. My concentration is horrible and I forget things very easily. But I try very hard because God gave me a wonderful new opportunity. I see life differently and I cherish all of the moments I have with my children and with my husband. (Sepsis and Post-Sepsis Syndrome) They are angels that were sent to me, I love them so much. As a mother, I wish I could take back the agony I put them through. But this experience also changed them, and made my children even more extraordinary. My husband has never left my side, and constantly helps me and loves me. He is my angel and my rock.

This experience changed me, and my loved ones. God gave me my life back.