Charles Brundza

In August of 2016 we had a wonderful family vacation to the beaches of Topsail, NC. The trip was great we swam in the ocean, fished, went sight seeing and just over all relaxed. Towards the end of vacation I started feeling a little sick but thought nothing of it as I had been sun burned and well was tired. We drove home to upstate NY. The cold became a little worse but nothing that worried me. After a couple more days I started feeling even worse.

My body began to ache and I was running a low fever. I went to a local walk in the doctor there told me it was viral and to let the virus run its course. The next day my fever was even higher and I was functioning less and less. My wife took me to my primary doctor who said I had bronchitis. He then prescribed me a Z-pack to start treating the illness. That night I was having terrible chills and fever. I could barely move. This virus was getting worse and worse.

My wife kissed me good bye and went to work. She told me to rest and she would check on me during the day. She called numerous times. Every time she called I could barely talk or move. The kids were home with me getting their things ready for school which started in two days. When my wife came home I was laying on the couch curled up feeling like I was going to die. She wanted to call for an ambulance, but I said I would be fine.

They ate dinner and she made me some soup hoping that it would help me feel better. I ate very little and had not been drinking at all. She became more worried she told me I needed to go get checked again. After a little bit I agreed. I could barely walk or function. My fever made me dizzy and I actually don’t remember much of the day. She took me to the closest hospital. The staff there had me cover with a mask since I was coughing. The triage nurse came out to get me to take me back to perform vitals and other check in things. I remember her taking my arm calling for help and taking me back to a room. The next thing I remember is laying on the bed with the entire ER staff around me taking my vitals removing my clothing listening to my heart and lungs. The doctor was barking out orders but honestly I don’re remember any of the things said. They stayed in the room for what seemed like minutes but apparently was longer.

My wife told me that her and the kids came in the room and they were there for a time. I remember a nurse setting up cold IVs and giving me morphine to keep me from moving. I spent the night in the ER before being moved upstairs to a room next to the ICU, waiting for a bed in ICU to open. After several days I became more alert and was aware of some of the things going on. I had a surgery to remove an infection from my foot. The doctor told me after the procedure that he had smelled a road kill several days old on hot summers day that smelled better than the infection in me. I spent a total of 11 days in the ICU before being allowed to come home. Several times I remember that I thought I would die in the hospital and never be with my family again. At this time I was more scared than I ever had been in my entire life.

The cause of the sepsis was never found. I was treated with rounds of such strong antibiotics and IVs that they killed the bacteria before it could be identified. I was thankful for the doctors and nurses who treated me. I had five more surgeries since the first visit to the hospital. The effects this has had on my family and I have been amazing. The strength that my family has provided me kept me alive and moving forward. My boys who are pre-teens should have never had to experience something like this. I can live that I was sick, but the things it did to them to see me this was just wrong. I truly wish that this never had happened.

I also to this day wish that the first two doctors had recognized the signs of sepsis without just pushing it off as a virus. I now have a new primary doctor who spends time with me every visit as a human and not just a number to push me through. Please make sure you learn the signs. I had all of them yet I didn’t know any of them. This experience is still not over as it has only been 6 months since I was in the hospital and I still have issues sleeping and not thinking everyday I will get sick again. This is still a scary time in my life.