Bonnie Judge

In September of 2018 I went to have part of my colon removed because there was a mass that was creating a blockage. When I got to the recovery room , I felt ok and was eating some jello and about 20 minutes later I threw up all over myself and was shaking and asked to have a nurse help me shower, and honestly that’s the last thing I really remember! (Sepsis and Perforated Bowel)

After that I ended up in ICU and put into an induced coma cause during my surgery my doctor had cut my intestine and I was leaking and going into septic shock. They had to split my abdomen muscles in half and clean me from the inside out. I remember waking up in ICU with a breathing tube and I was very scared and I pulled my breathing tube out and all the nurses panicked. Then I had to be restrained to my bed.

I was in the hospital for 2 months straight. I had to learn how to walk again and eat again and even talk again! My memory of everything is very patchy and most of what happened had to be told to me by my doctors and my family and my wound care RNs and other nurses.

I am constantly in turmoil cause I am lost and I am in pain and I don’t know who I am now. (Sepsis and Post-Sepsis Syndrome) I have a big wound on my abdomen where I had to wear a wound vac for almost 4 months. My belly hurts all the time and not having abdominal muscles connected is agony ! I hate that their only option was to split my body in half cause now I will need another surgery to put them back together, but none of the surgeons here will do that surgery for another year or so because I am a high risk and I ended up with another abscess where they had to put another drain ball!

That abscess caused a lot of inflammation and that scares the surgeons that I might still have a leak in my body! I have had about 30 or more CT scans and still will need more. This has been so rough for me and my body looks like a big scarred potato! I never knew and wouldn’t have known what sepsis was till I had it and I want to bring awareness and tell my story and maybe even give hope to someone that things do get better. You will get stronger. You are not alone! We need to be each other’s support cause unless you have had sepsis or someone you love did or does, you just don’t know how scary and deadly it is! I have met many survivors on Instagram and the support I get from there has been amazing and I hope to see more people share their stories and raise awareness! #mystoryofsepsis