Sara Sottolano

Sara Sottolano
Survivor

I had just given birth to my second daughter on April 21st, 2012, via C-section. About a week later, I found myself not feeling well: fever, extreme fatigue, and a sharp, incapacitating pain on one side of my head, near my ear. I thought I had an ear infection. I brought my kids over to my mom’s house and just collapsed on the couch. I could barely move and the pain in my ear was so bad, I couldn’t focus on anything else. (Sepsis and Pregnancy & Childbirth)

My mom drove me to the doctor who then admitted me to the hospital right away. I was placed on the infectious disease floor and went through a series of tests – CT scans, blood work, etc. It’s a bit of a blur now. I remember the nurse telling me my fever was the highest she’d ever seen.

I met with several doctors, including specialists. I was told I had a blood infection – sepsis – as well as a blood clot in my ovary. The sepsis was due to strep bacteria. Both doctors explained to me that they had not seen a case like mine, and that the location of my blood clot was very rare.

I was given IV antibiotics and blood thinners. I had shots in my stomach for several weeks, even after leaving the hospital. I took warfarin for about 8 or 9 months after my discharge.

In retrospect, I am thankful every day that the infection was caught early enough to treat. I can only speculate that it came from my C-section surgery, but really, no one is sure. There was a point in the hospital when I truly thought I would die. The experience made me appreciate my life more, though I know that had I waited another day to go to the hospital, I likely would not have survived.

I just wanted to share my experience with sepsis because I know that most people don’t even know what it is. I know I didn’t. The more that people know about it, the greater the chance for beating it!

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