Richard A. Foltz
Richard updated his story below:
I was taken to the local hospital by ambulance because I was unable to walk. After many test I was found to be in sepsis. I have about a quart of fluid drained from around my left kidney. It was also noticed that the infection was going down into my left leg, which required me to have surgery to have this removed, and a wound-vac on for 3 weeks until this healed.
The cause was found to be a very large kidney stone, the size of a golf ball, that block the left kidney from draining. (Sepsis and Kidney Stones)
I was on several antibiotics while in the 2-week stay in the hospital. I also was on 2000 mg of antibiotics for another 4 months. I finally had to have my left kidney removed in Sept. 2011, due to the damage to the kidney, which was only functioning at about 11%.
I had the surgery to remove the damaged kidney on a Tues. and was home on Thurs. I have had no problems since the surgery.
According to the doctors the kidney stone may been there for 10 years or more.
Update January 16, 2017:
This is an update, I previously sent my story from 2011. It begins in 2011, I retired in Jan. 2011 and I was staying with my niece helping her. I was having pain in my left hip joint. One night I could not get out of my chair so I slid down to the floor hoping I could get up better but to no avail. Early the next morning I was calling for my niece but she could not hear me, she finally did get up and realized I was having trouble and called 911. I was taken to a local hospital. Thankfully the staff diagnosed me within the 1st 30 minutes of having sepsis, my left kidney had shut down and was damaged beyond repair.
I had fluid in my abdomen and also going down into my left leg, this is what was causing the pain in my hip. I had a drain put in to drain the fluid from my abdomen and had surgery to removed the infection going into my left leg. I was unaware that the medical staff was not sure I would survive, I spent 2 weeks in the hospital, and 5 months later I had a rib removed and my left kidney was removed. During the surgery I was given 7 units of blood. The morning after having my kidney removed the staff that was in the operating room at the time came to see me, I was standing getting dressed, their mouths gaped wide open, they were surprised that was so alert and up.
It has been almost 5 years since surviving sepsis, I have chronic kidney disease, stage 3, I have check ups with my doctor every 3 months. The real lasting affect of sepsis is I do get tired very quickly, but I am alive and quite active at almost 70 years old. The thing that caused the main issue was a kidney stone the size of a gold ball. It had attached itself to the side of the kidney, the doctor said it may have been there for 10 year or more.
I give thanks to the staff at Harrisburg Hospital, in Harrisburg, PA, for knowing it was sepsis so early and to the staff at Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, especially Dr. Reese the surgeon who did the kidney removal surgery.
The photo attached is of me and my long lost love of 46 years, taken in 2013 on our honeymoon.
