Autumn Wood

In November of 2018 I went in for a routine umbilical hernia repair….or so I thought. (Sepsis and Surgery) Two days after my procedure I ended up in the emergency room where I work as a nurse as well. I came in with terrible abdominal pain unrelieved with pain meds. Little did I know that my coworkers would ultimately save my life.

After a few hours I went septic in front of best friend and coworker. My heart rate increased as my mental status decreased. A code sepsis was activated and my resuscitation began (or so the story is told as I don’t remember a thing). I was sick!! I had a perforated bowel leaking into my abdomen causing havoc on my body. (Sepsis and Perforated Bowel) My surgeon told my family and friends I was “circling the drain.” I woke up in the ICU where I would find out just how sick I was. My recovery started at that time as well.

I was weak, in pain and very tired. Against my will, my coworkers forced me to get up. Withering away in bed and getting weaker was not an option. They helped me out of bed, waked me, they fed and bathed me. They were my strength when I was weak and are the angels that got me through it. The recovery after sepsis is no joke. The strength that I had before, I had to build again. My body now tired very easily when it didn’t before. Sepsis affected me both mentally and physically and I am so glad that it was recognized when it was was. The team at medical city McKinney has core measures in place for sepsis. As nurses on the front line we are taught to recognize symptoms and activate a code sepsis as time is of the utmost importance. Mortality rates decrease the faster we move and that’s what was done for me. Sepsis stood no chance against the MCM ER team and I am forever grateful for those involved in the recognition of my sepsis and recovery. #CodeSepsis #Sepsis2018.