-
Larry S
Survivor
This long note is intended to describe my experience with septic shock on Friday evening, July 14, 2017 when my wife transported me to the hospital ED because I was feeling very ill. I was eventually admitted to the hospital CCU with a diagnosis of sepsis, hypotension, and bradycardia (R/O meningitis). I was treated in CCU until being moved to a “step down bed” on Wednesday afternoon, July 18. I was discharged home on Friday afternoon, July 20 with home fusion care. I am now recovering well, but I am not back to 100%. Medical History: I am a 68-year-old man who resides in Michigan with my wife. I work full-time as a lawyer. I have been in excellent health for my age. My only medical condition of note was hypothyroidism. I have also had a long history of “cluster headaches,” which were well-controlled by verapamil. I was a regular Red Cross platelet donor, which conveniently allowed me to review my 2-year history of resting BP (~100/70 – credit verapamil) and pulse (~60 BPM – credit my history as a former runner). I was not aware of any recent infection. Treatment-Specific history: I felt fine on Thursday, July 13, 2017 and had no problems sleeping that night. I awoke on Friday, July 14, 2017 at 7:00 AM and noted that I felt as if I had some muscle and joint aching. I went to work but cancelled my 11:00 AM Red Cross platelet donation, fearing I might be coming down with a virus. At about 1:00 PM that day, I went home to rest because I had a very busy day planned on Saturday. When I got home, my pulse was ~100 BPM, and my blood pressure was low (~90/60). But I did not have an abnormal temperature at this time. I suspected dehydration, and began drinking water over the next few hours (in excess of 200 fl oz). Then I developed the chills and could not get warm with blankets. My wife gave me a heating pad which helped me. She urged that I allow her to take me to the ER, but I declined repeatedly because “I am not that sick.” At approximately 7:30 PM, I glanced at my Fitbit and noticed that my pulse was 175 BPM, which my wife confirmed. I had not urinated since arriving home from work. I was alarmed and only then agreed to go to the ED. Arrival at ED on Friday evening, July 14, 2017: I walked into the ED between 8:00 PM and 8:30 PM on July 14, 2017 while my wife parked the car. I presented my symptoms to the person who first met with me. I was then asked to have a seat in the ED. The ED was busy, and there were few seats available. My wife and I took adjoining seats. My wife told me my complexion was becoming ashen. I think I was mentally intact at this time. About an hour after arrival, I recall being taken to a room to meet with an assessment physician. I was told my temperature was approximately 101+. I do not recall my other vitals. Blood was drawn and urine was obtained (the only time I voided until the next day). An EKG was done in that room. I was then sent for a chest X-ray and perhaps other testing. I recall being placed in a wheel chair. ED after Assessment: My wife and I returned to ED. I moved from my wheel chair to a seat because of discomfort. I do not recall having my vitals being taken for the next several hours. I later experienced uncontrollable rigors. A blanket was provided at my wife’s request, but a warm blanket was declined by staff due to my fever. My wife approached staff again as my rigors continued (she was told to put the blanket over my neck), requesting to know “how much longer?” She was told that there were no vacant rooms at the time. She rubbed my limbs to warm them. I think others in the waiting room thought I was having a seizure and moved away from me. I do not recall when I was moved back to be seen by a treating physician, but it seemed like several hours from when I first arrived at the ED. Sometime after midnight, I remember a wonderful nurse taking a detailed history from me. She took my rectal temperature (104.6) and other vitals. I had a spinal tap and additional testing. It seemed like things began to happen quickly after this point. I remember the nurse saying to my wife that I was “very sick.” I heard the words “sepsis” and “meningitis” used by medical persons in the room for the first time, about 3-4 hours after my arrival at the ED. The antibiotic IV that was started turned out to be the precise antibiotic that would be used to fight my infection after my blood culture results had been reviewed. That “lucky choice” is why I believe I survived and have had such a good recovery. I believe that we were told that I would be admitted to the hospital about 4 AM. After those arrangements were made, my wife (who had been up nearly 24 hours straight) was advised that she could leave the hospital and return later. Conclusion: The ED was busy on the night I came in. My wife and I are very sensitive to the fact that the ED must treat patients in order of the severity of their condition, not “first come – first serve.” So the only times my wife went to the desk to make inquiries were the two times mentioned above. But I now realize that I probably went into septic shock while I was still in the ED waiting room when I experienced the rigors several hours after arriving. My comments here are intended solely to assist my treating hospital and other hospitals in perfecting their protocols for promptly identifying sepsis patients. My best friend was diagnosed with sepsis approximately a year before me (with much worse long term results), so I have become very concerned about the recognition and prompt treatment of this common and deadly yet hard to identify condition. Sadly, sepsis is still not recognized as quickly as it needs to be in many fine hospital EDs. My advice to readers: Learn about sepsis and its symptoms. It can happen to anyone. Never ignore bacterial and fungal infections. Never be too shy to say to a doctor or nurse, “Do you think this condition could be sepsis?” If you are prescribed an antibiotic, take it exactly as prescribed. But don’t try to get an antibiotic from your doctor for a cold.
-
Roy Atkins
Survivor
I had a chest infection which didn’t respond to normal prescription drugs from my doctor. I didn’t realizes how bad my condition had got until one Monday morning I started to be very sick also in the toilet a lot. Towards the end if the day I started to shake and could not control it. It’s called rigor. My wife took me to the nearest hospital which unfortunately had been downgraded from an A&E to only urgent care. They called an ambulance. I ended up in intensive care for a week with all sorts of tubes coming out of me. I deteriorated as they could not identify the infection that I had eventually they did but although I survived sepsis. it has left me with problems with my kidneys! My blood pressure was so low during the sepsis episode. I was asked if I would donate some of my blood for a special trial the hospital was undertaking with a company in Ireland that has a machine that can identify infections within hours rather than days, which would help others in the future. The hospital, The Princes Royal I, was thinking of buying the new machine if its trial proves successful.I am so glad to have survived sepsis I can’t thank the hospital staff enough for the excellent treatment I had.
-
Darren Chesterman
Tribute
Darren was born with cerebral palsy and learning difficulties but did that stop him….did it heck. For 35 years he was the big brother, the perfect son and the best uncle. Twenty weeks ago Darren was admitted to A&E after having a few TIAs (transient ischemic attacks, often called mini-strokes). Totally out of the blue and it didn’t affect him at all. So a few days on a stroke ward and then home. That’s when he started to go down hill, dizzy spells, sickness, abdominal pains, re visits to A&E and sent home. Then a few days later after a cup of tea in bed he started being sick and it just didn’t stop. The poor lad really suffered but became unresponsive, not just the tired and worn out after being ill but unable to open his eyes or hold himself. An ambulance was duly called and his temperature was 34 degrees yet sweating buckets. Off to A&E and straight into Resus. Darren was diagnosed with a huge infection, given fluids, potassium and broad spectrum antibiotics. That evening I was told he had had another cerebellar infarction but would be transferred to the stroke ward. Darren was now coming round and I held his hand, he kissed mine xx. In the early hours of the morning Darren was transferred to the ward, no cannula, no fluids, no medication. A few hours later Darren went into severe sepsis and was rushed to ITU where he sadly passed away the next day. Not a day goes by where I don’t relive those hours with my first born child and miss him so much. The family misses Darren so much, a kind gentle soul xx Good night Darren, love you always x
-
Alicia Sanchez Ugarte
Survivor
The power of prayer is the power of God and I can easily prove it by sharing my story with you guys. This video will show some of what I went through. The day I went in labor was one of the happiest days of my life, until it was ruined due to negligence. (Sepsis and Pregnancy & Childbirth) After I had my baby, I went into severe septic shock and cardiac shock. I got worse by the minute so I had to be put on life support and thankfully I was flown away to a better hospital in Nashville. Once I was at the new hospital, I had to be put on the ECMO machine, and went into surgery, and the doctors told my family that I only had 2% chance of living due to how sick I was. I had to have 5 surgeries done and had a lot of blood transfusion because I kept loosing too much blood. My heart stopped but thank God I was brought back to life. All my organs shut down as well, and I developed jaundice. I had my uterus and one of my ovaries removed, and was in a coma for almost 2 weeks. When I woke up from my coma I was so scared and didn’t even know where I was, or what had happened to me. I even thought I was still pregnant, and it took me a week to remember that I already had my baby. I could only lift up my fingers, and I couldn’t even ask all these questions going through my head because I had a tube in my mouth, and was hooked to so many things. But the first thing I saw when I woke up from my coma was my family and boyfriend there with me, and they explained everything to me. The first thing I wanted to do was hold hands and pray with them. They stayed there with me since day one! The care and love they showed for me was so pure, they never left me alone during almost 3 months of hospital stay. I was also so blessed for having such amazing and sweet nurses and doctors in the new hospital I was in Nashville. The doctors were so amazed by how fast I was recovering and called me their Christmas miracle ❤Although, it breaks my heart knowing my family, and boyfriend had to suffer so much for so many days without knowing what would happen next, but they never lost hope and they always had faith in God. I’m still not able to fully walk, and I have to adjust to this new life style. The pain I’ve gone through has been horrible, not only physical pain, but emotional pain that not many can handle. I’ve shed so many tears. I was away from my newborn and it broke my heart every day. My happy moment of having my newborn was crushed all due to this. Most people that go into septic shock end up loosing their hands or their feet, but by the grace of God I only lost a toe! And I thank God every day for giving me a chance to live again, God knows how much I needed to be back to my newborn and be back to my family and boyfriend and loved ones. I see life different now. I appreciate every little thing and never take anything for granted. I remember I cried when the tube was taken out and I was able to have my first glass of water! I wake up every morning thanking God for allowing me to still be here! Every single prayer was truly heard!! I was able to have Christmas with my family and loved ones in February after being discharged and it was amazing being back with them ❤️ So please never doubt the power of prayer, because God truly does listen to them! I went from 2% chance of living and God only knows how hard I fought, He knew it wasn’t my time to go yet! Even tho I can’t fully walk yet, or remember things as good as I used to, but I still pray and enjoy being alive! God will soon heal all my wounds! I will forever be grateful with God and with my family and boyfriend for all the support and encouragement I’ve gotten from them
-
Penny A.
Survivor
On December 22, 2014 I had neck surgery. The following day the doctors removed the drain tubes from the surgery site. On Christmas day I was diagnosed with sepsis. (Sepsis and Surgery) I spent two weeks in the hospital and when discharged I presented as a quadriplegic. I was transferred to a rehab physically where I was taught to talk, walk, and use my hands and arms once again. During the next couple of months I had three additional surgeries to drain infection. After the last surgery I left the hospital with a PICC line, antibiotics were given every 8 hours for one and every 12 for the other. Three weeks into this therapy, it was discovered that I was allergic to the 8-hour antibiotic ,which was stopped immediately. The third week of March 2016, they removed my final drain tubes even though I was still draining quite a bit each day. The doctor said we still need to remove it. On March 31, 2016 I felt like I had the flu. The next morning my husband took me to my primary doctor. He said get her to the hospital now! They tried to get me off examining table but I couldn’t move. By this time my skin was bright red all over (allergic to 12-hour antibiotic). An ambulance came and I was taken to local hospital, where I was diagnosed with septic shock and flown to hospital where surgeries were performed. I have flash backs to being there with ice blankets and fans blowing on me to bring down my fever, the helicopter flight, etc. I now suffer from PTSD, severe anxiety, depression, constant pain in neck, shoulders, arms and hands, kidney damage and liver damage. And just found out C6 to C8 nerves are still pinched. (Sepsis and PTSD, Sepsis and Post-Sepsis Syndrome) I haven’t been able to bring myself to see a surgeon as my neurologist suggests. I do know how very fortunate I am to be alive and to write my story. Please if you even suspect sepsis go to the doctor Immediately! It could save your life!
-
Kirsten Lavine
Survivor
I have always been in very good health, which I attribute to having an active lifestyle and being a long-term vegan. However, I also have a condition called endometriosis which has impacted on my life in a few minor ways. In recent years I developed irregular bleeding in the midst of my menstrual cycle, and concerned that it might have indicated a pre-cancerous state, I agreed to have a diagnostic hysteroscopy in July 2015. The day surgery went smoothly and the results of the biopsy later proved to be negative. That night, however, I began to have horrific abdominal pain. (Sepsis and Surgery) After taking ibuprofen and later paracetamol and vomiting them both, the hospital suggested I come back. I was in so much agony that it took a while to bundle me into the car and drive the thankfully short distance to the hospital. I was eventually re-admitted and underwent various CT scans, X-rays and blood tests. It wasn’t until two days later, when my white blood cell count dropped to a dangerously low level, that it was finally determined that I had sepsis, which by then had escalated into severe sepsis. I was immediately transferred to intensive care, where I was put into a medically-induced coma and placed on a ventilator. The first night my blood pressure was so low that I suffered organ failure and nearly died. Over the course of two weeks, the medical team performed two laparoscopic washout surgeries and pumped fluids and antibiotics into me to try and combat the infection, which was proving difficult to treat because the bacteria was discovered to be resistant to most standard antibiotics. Thankfully, while I was in ICU, I was looked after by skillful and incredibly kind doctors and nurses. When I emerged from the coma towards the end of the second week, I had no memories or understanding of what had happened to me. I only learned much later that I had suffered a severe case of delirium and had been hallucinating most of the time I was there. After two weeks in ICU, I was transferred back into a regular ward where I spent another two weeks being looked after by very caring and attentive staff. I was on a variety of antibiotics and other treatments, including injections for a blood clot I had developed in my leg from being immobile for so long. I was very weak and exhausted most of the time. I had to learn to walk again and had great difficulties eating. I was very fortunate that I was eventually able to undergo a radiologically-assisted drainage procedure which drained much of the infection and turned the corner on my recovery, thus averting the proposed option of major pelvic surgery. I finally went home after a month in hospital. Since then I have been recovering slowly. It took me months to gain back all the weight I lost and much of my muscle strength as I was very, very weak for a long time. It also took me a long time to be able to eat properly again, and a blockage in my bowel due to scarring sent me back to hospital again for a few days, and I’ve had other bowel blockages since. I’ve resumed work off and on, and fortunately have a great deal of flexibility in the work that I do which has helped. A couple of months after I came home, my partner and I launched an official enquiry with the hospital regarding the causes of me contracting sepsis. It was determined that the likelihood was that the hysteroscopy procedure, which involves using pressurised water, pushed bacteria from my urogenital tract into my body cavity, causing an infection which quickly escalated into septic shock. In that respect I was very unlucky, but in terms of the excellent treatment I received at hospital and my body’s ability and will to recover, I was in fact, very lucky. I’ve recently published a book about my experience, entitled A Measure of Light. The book is in part to raise awareness about sepsis, but also to champion patient advocacy, particularly in making choices with regards to one’s recovery. In the book, I also try to inspire people to try and live their lives to the fullest once again, even after coming through such a traumatic experience. A Measure of Light has been endorsed by both the UK Sepsis Trust and the Global Sepsis Alliance as ‘an engaging and informative read…a valuable resource for health care professionals, while offering hope and encouragement to other survivors and their families.’ More details about the book can be found on the website: www.measureoflight.net. Overall, my experience has taught me how precious and precarious life is and to value its every gift – especially the gift of health.
-
Jan B.
Survivor
This was my Facebook post for Sepsis Awareness Month: I’m not really sure why I’m alive today. There is no real reason why so many people in my situation die or suffer organ failure or lose their hands, arms, and feet, and I walked out of the ICU and returned to work 30 days later. There is no doubt whatsoever that I had bacterial pneumonia in advanced stages for a long time before I was hospitalized last Valentine’s Day. (Sepsis and Pneumonia) I had been feeling drained, out of breath going up simple stairs, my fingers turned dark and tingled at times, every now and then I took a day off of work to rest and it didn’t really help. I didn’t get worse, really, but I didn’t get better either. I saw three doctors within 10 days of being hospitalized. I went to my own GP who diagnosed me with a virus that was going around. The symptoms were the same, it was taking a very long time to pass which explained why I had felt that way for weeks. I had a colonoscopy days after that. I presented with a mild fever, but they checked me over and we decided to go ahead with the procedure. I had just seen my doctor, after all, and been diagnosed with this virus that was going around. Ultimately I do believe that the prep for the procedure played into the development of sepsis, since the gut biome has a lot to do with whether bacteria passes through into the bloodstream and triggers the sepsis response. Three days after that, I still felt bad. I was cold, tired, and spent. I went to one of those drugstore doctors on Saturday. She listened to my lungs, checked me for influenza, (negative), started to give me an antibiotic but decided not to, diagnosed me with a mild virus, told me to take Monday off and rest for a couple of days. Not one of these practitioners thought my lungs sounded bad, or required a follow up x-ray. My point is not that they are bad doctors, but that signs are so easily missed. I wasn’t going to take that Monday off. I didn’t really feel any worse than I had for a month so I was going to push through another day, but I was so tired and I had a doctor’s note, so in the end I stayed home. (The previous night, I was shuddering so violently from the cold that the bed shook and woke my boyfriend. I learned later this is a sign of sepsis). I was mostly eating liquid foods, broth, soup, water, but I felt so dehydrated. When I pulled the skin up on the back of my hand it stayed there, in a peak, not bouncing back. I thought of a friend of mine who had been hospitalized for dehydration and decided that was what I needed, a boost of fluids to help me feel better. For whatever reason, I just wasn’t taking enough in. I texted my boyfriend that I needed to go to the ER. When he got home later, I was almost unable to move. I’m not sure I sat up on my own. He had to help me change into jeans and we decided just to leave the pajama top on because it was taking too long. From the bed to the car I had to rush to the bathroom three times and then threw up almost as soon as the car started to move. The fluids I had been taking in didn’t seem to have gone into my body at all. There at the hospital, there were no chairs at the admitting desk so I collapsed onto the floor. They rushed a wheelchair over and propped me in it. I wanted so badly to lie down. I was cold and unable to hold my head up straight. The waiting room was full, but they rushed me through the admitting process. I was glad because all I wanted was a bed. They took me into an exam room and did some tests. The thing I remember most is that the nurse couldn’t get my blood pressure. She put one of those cuffs on me and inflated it twice. Both times it sent an error message and gave up. The third time the cuff exploded on my arm. My blood pressure was so low it broke the machine. She decided, because I kept asking to lie down over and over, to put me in the room they had for me and let me lie down, and she would take my pressure again. I was so grateful to lie down. At that point I was barely responsive, every word I spoke took a full exhale of breath to get out, I was cold and gasping for air. I was pretty much an unmoving, non-participating observer from then on. The nurse took my blood pressure, exclaimed “OH!”, left the room. I heard a code called. The room exploded with people. There must have been ten of them there, nurses and at least one doctor. They massaged my limbs, put a heated blanket on me and wrapped my hands and feet in heated pads, asked me who and where I was. They hooked up two antibiotics, fought to find veins to stick IVs into (generally, the veins in my arms are visible and pronounced, easy to find and easy to hit with a needle), sticking my hands, arms, neck. I believe this team of people saved my life, my hands, my feet. I was ultimately diagnosed with pneumonia, a collapsed lung, sepsis, and adenovirus. I was in the ER at Johns Hopkins Bayview, and I mention that both for the shout-out, but also to let you know that this team knows what sepsis is and how to treat it. So many people I have met who have survived sepsis have lost limbs and the effective function of organs. They thought my kidneys had failed, which later turned out not to be true, but I have since learned that they are not out of the woods yet. Sepsis can have very long term effects. Sepsis. I didn’t hear the word until later. I wasn’t really aware of it until after I was out of the hospital and looking over my records. I didn’t understand the impact of it until I sat in front of the pulmonologist my GP sent me to and he told me that when he looked over records like mine he rarely saw the patient again, because he’d be signing off on a death certificate. He was amazed at how well I was doing, so much so that he didn’t need a second visit for discharge. Over and over again, he told me I was lucky to be alive. He told me I went back to work too quickly. (I wish I’d seen him before that decision was made and taken a week or two more, but oh well.) Sepsis changed me. I am a different person than I was before, and am learning more about her every day. I have brain damage, very common for sepsis survivors. Cognitive changes, difficulties with language, inability to focus or wade through any large input of information from an over-decorated wall to a crowd at a supermarket, I don’t sleep well, I still experience weakness and less energy than I am used to. It’s called Post Sepsis Syndrome, and it’s a thing. But I am so grateful to have my limbs and mobility, to live without medication to supplement organ functions. I’m still finding out things like whether or not I will be able to do my job, how to document that I have fed the dog and cats or taken my meds every day, what kind of planning calendar will work for me now that my memory can’t be trusted. Sepsis is not a disease. Sepsis is the body’s overwhelming response to perceived infection, when the immune system begins to attack organs along with just about anything else it encounters. Any infection can result in sepsis. I have met people who got sepsis from a tiny nick in the finger from a ring, from IV sites that got infected, from pneumonia like I had, and simple UTIs. Some early signs include violent shuddering, a rash that doesn’t blanch when you push on it (I had that, but my allergies often present as a rash so I didn’t think it was odd), rapid breathing, low blood pressure, confusion. Any person, with any infection, can develop and die from sepsis. I have met people who have lost infants, children, partners, and parents. Many never heard the word sepsis until these deaths were being explained. It won’t be listed on a death certificate, either. That will show the primary cause of infection (in my case, that would have been pneumonia). It is sepsis awareness month. Learn the symptoms and don’t be afraid to ask health care professionals to check for it. They don’t all know to be on the look out, as evidenced by the number of deaths from sepsis every year. It is treatable, the earlier the better. The team that treated me gave me two antibiotics as a precaution as they waited to find out which would treat my own infection. That is not standard practice at many hospitals so you should know to advocate for it. I hope that my story helps you plant the word sepsis and its symptoms somewhere in your mind that is accessible when you need it. Awareness saves lives. It’s as simple as that.
-
Carson Bennie
Survivor
Carson aka “Sauce” was born on June 1, 2007. He was healthy, with no pregnancy or birth complications. Approximately two weeks later, on Father’s Day 2007, Carson’s belly button appeared to be somewhat infected where his umbilical cord came off. We called his doctor’s office and they advised us to use a topical ointment and to come to the office if the infection got worse. That evening, we noticed that Carson was making a “grunting” sound and because he was only two weeks old, we thought his formula was giving him an upset stomach. As the evening went on, he continued to grunt and then developed a low grade fever. By 1:00am, I decided to take him to urgent care. Due to his age and the fever, the doctor determined it would be best for Carson to be evaluated at a hospital specializing in pediatric medicine. We were transported to William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, MI and Carson was admitted to the pediatric floor. The following morning, his nurse came in for rounds and briefly left his room. The next thing I recall was like a scene from a movie; a team of nurses and doctors rushed in and took his tiny crib/bed and began running down the hall to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). It was then that we were told that Carson was in septic shock. Our minds raced as we watched this team work to save our “healthy” baby boys life. Septic shock was a term that we had never heard and as the nurse explained to us what septic shock means, we sat in stunned silence, hearing her words, but not really understanding the magnitude of what this diagnosis meant or that our son was now in a fight for his life. Carson spent 6 days in the PICU, where they gave him four antibiotics through an I.V. in his tiny arm. We consulted with an infectious disease doctor and a surgeon who explained that if these antibiotics did not work, exploratory surgery would need to be done. Fortunately, the IV antibiotics worked and on day 6 he was discharged back to the pediatric floor and discharged one day later. We are eternally grateful to the staff at William Beaumont Hospital for recognizing the signs and taking swift action to save Carson. He is extremely fortunate that he did not suffer any lasting effects or residual problems related to his battle with sepsis. “Sepsis Super Hero Sauce” is now a happy, healthy, smart, funny, loving, athletic 10 year old that brings joy to all who know him.
-
Delbert Weatherly
Tribute
My 82-year-old Dad Delbert became aware of & battling nephritis (kidney inflammation) in June 2017. He was hospitalized a total of 3 times from June 2017 to his passing in August 2017. The first hospital stay he had emergency dialysis and he was on immune suppressing prednisone, and received a total of 4 chemo Rituxan treatments to reduce the kidney inflammation by B-Cell immune suppression. (Sepsis and Impaired Immune System) After the third treatment his creatinine started to lower. I was at work and on a cloud when I received the good news! I was scheduled time off from work for the next creatinine level check that was to be after the 4th chemo treatment and two weeks after the last creatinine test but turned out to be the day he was buried. Dad had been a devoted caretaker of my mother, his wife of nearly 62 years since her stroke October 2016. He passed away of septic shock at the Medical Center in IA on August 10th, 2017 at 5:42 p.m. I had never heard of and had no idea what the word sepsis meant. We were told over 48 hours after he arrived at the emergency room and only 4 hours before his passing that he had septic shock. I’ve since researched and he had several symptoms when the home healthcare nurse observed him and took vitals, which revealed low blood pressure that Tuesday August 8th. She sent him from home to urgent care that was 20 minutes away from their home, in the opposite direction from the hospital. The test at urgent care revealed he had an irregular heartbeat. Why didn’t home healthcare RN recognize the symptoms and call an ambulance code sepsis directly to the hospital, no urgent care? He was admitted at the hospital two days before he passed. The day before he passed, the hospital placed a permanent dialysis catheter port and did other tests. This took hours of that day. His eye had begun to swell shut and the staff said he scratched it. He also had a bad bout of diarrhea that afternoon. Sometime the night before his passing, he blacked out while staff was helping him to the bathroom and my mother told me the next morning the hospital staff had placed the the nostril oxygen tubes that night. He was not taken to CCU until time for dialysis. Mom said the night before he passed he said he had pain and was moaning. I could not sleep that night and could not make myself go to work because I was so worried about him going thru dialysis in his condition. Myself, my daughter, siblings and sisters-in-law have been taking turns staying with Mom since Dad’s passing. I was approved to take FMLA to care for my Mom for at least several months. I feel Dad is speaking to me to do this. My nephew Donny was at the hospital late that night before his passing. He said that Dad kept looking over at my sweet Mom and his dear wife. He said Dad told him he was having trouble breathing and that Dad said this is different from the shortness of breath in the past. He also said Donny, I think I’m in trouble. At that point Donny prayed for Dad and said Dad prayed for everyone but himself through labored breath. Donny made a point to tell Dad’s RN Dad was having trouble breathing. The RN said he’d look in to it. My precious Father & Mother are pictured. I have heard of military veterans suffering from PTSD but never knew what they go through. I think us 6 kids and my mother were and still are replaying this over and over and over again. Carl I am so sorry you lost you’re beautiful daughter Erin to sepsis. You are a hero to myself & countless Americans for starting the Sepsis Foundation!
-
Harlan Brierley
Survivor
June 30th 2017, Harlan our beautiful recently healthy 14-month-old little boy became very poorly with flu-like symptoms. He had a temperature of 39.5, high heart rate, vomiting, and just generally not himself, very very sleepy! We rushed him to A&E where he was put straight on oxygen, intubated and ventilated and sent off to another hospital on the mainland from our home on the Isle of Wight . He underwent many procedures in PICU including several antibiotics through an IV, a chest drain, copious amounts of fluids, adrenaline for his heart. He was experiencing multiple organ failure, on a dialysis machine to help his liver and kidneys and eventually Harlan was put onto ECMO life support machine to do the job of his heart and lungs as he was just too poorly to cope by himself. He was then transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital where his life support caused him to suffer a stroke effecting the left side of his tiny body, making no progress we were left in pieces and utter desperation of a miracle, Harlan was just “stable” Days passed and Harlan made tiny yet promising progress. His blood pressure improved, his heart started beating a little harder and that’s when we knew our gorgeous little man was starting to fight back! He made tiny baby steps each day right up until mid July he was taken off the ECMO machine and transferred back to Southampton hospital for recovery! He was successfully extubated a few days after and sent to a children’s ward! Harlan made a miraculous recovery when all odds were stacked against him, Great Ormond Street Hospital saved our little boy even though nobody else thought possible given the way our little boy was presented to them. After just a few weeks of physio our little boy is now home 1st September 2017 and just 1 week after arriving, he is walking and happy and bouncing about once again. To say that we were very lucky would be an understatement and I’d just like to share that anybody going through a similar situation with a loved one, have faith and stay strong because miracles really really do happen and can happen! Every day I look at my strong little fighter and think about everything he has over come and wish I could share with the world how grateful we are to still have him here! He is a true sepsis warrior!!!!