Linda Lampen

Linda Lampen
Survivor

I started with sepsis blood infection last June 2013; doctors did not care about at all in helping me find out what was wrong. I had 8 ER visits that summer, I was so sick! I spent my whole summer in bed.

At the end of September, I finally spiked a fever, bringing me back to the ER. I would have died if I didn’t go in that week. I had a near death experience. I had to walk with a walker. I was 54, in good health. I could not take care of myself physically. My husband had no more time off from work because of caring for me all summer. I had to spend a week in a nursing home.

After I came home, I had no family to help care for me. It was horrible! I have never in my life been so sick! Soon afterwards I got c-diff, another serious thing to get rid of, from September through January. I still never felt good. It was such a struggle, everyday life. In January, I was again diagnosed with sepsis, blood infection again, and I was back in the hospital. They just do not treat you long enough I feel with IV antibiotics.

I ended up going to an infectious disease doctor and he gave me a PICC line in my arm. I received a 6-week treatment of IV antibiotics, 3 times a day at home. Again after that, I got c-diff. I could not get rid of it. It took 2-and-a-half months to get rid of it.

It is now June, one whole year later, I am so discouraged that I still feel sick! I can’t do much physical activity because if I do, my lungs and esophagus hurt so bad, I literally feel like I can not breathe. I had it checked out. The doctors say I am getting plenty of oxygen and that everything is fine. Literally no doctor will help me, or even care for me as a human being. I could take my dog to the vet and she receives better care than I do. I told my husband to just take me to the vet. They would show me more care, compassion and help than a doctor.

I have been so hurt by terrible treatment by doctors and nurses than you can even imagine and I am still dealing with this and terrible care from the medical profession, it is unreal. Don’t medical schools teach their student doctors anything about a blood infection at all? How to recognize when a patient has it, how serious it is, or how to care for you? Because a blood infection, sepsis is not a rare disease. Many people get it and in many different ways! These doctors act like they never heard of it before. It is unbelievable! And where is compassion and care from medical people? They literally act like sepsis is no big deal and don’t even care if your life is on the line. And when it comes to a long, long recovery, they couldn’t care less about you, and treat you like you are a pain in the ass! I hate doctors and nurses and don’t trust any of them. They are mean people and I have no idea why they decided to be a doctor or nurse when they don’t care about people at all. I am still sick one whole year later! No one gives a CRAP! I am just sick of being sick and see no end to it or any remote help. I feel like my life is worth nothing! This is a HORRIBLE thing to go through! All I can say is damn DOCTORS! Sorry for my language, which this is totally not me, but I just don’t know what to do for HELP anymore! Very, very hard!

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