Chenelle Taylor

It was December of 2017 when I had sepsis for the second time and if it wasn’t for my son, I would have never made it to the hospital on time. I had been fighting a UTI and I thought I had the flu. (Sepsis and Urinary Tract Infections)

I couldn’t do anything but sleep and I was so cold, I had several blankets and a space heater running. I just wanted to sleep and didn’t realize I was so sick. One morning, my son was home and I was unresponsive so he immediately called my mom and she rushed straight to my house. I came to shortly after she arrived and she rushed me straight to the emergency room. I was admitted in the hospital in less than 20 minutes after walking in and being monitored in the critical care unit.

I kept getting fevers and headaches after 2-3 days and I remember crying out to the doctors, “why won’t you help me?” All I remember is my mom praying for me and I went to sleep. Once I woke up the next day, I felt so much better but I would still need to complete 4 more days for a total of 8 days in the hospital. I had gotten sepsis because the UTI never went away and what I thought was the flu was pyelonephritis, or kidney infection. If it wasn’t for my son, the doctors said one more day and I wouldn’t have made it. My lungs and kidneys were the only organs affected, I had difficulty breathing several days and I still have to use an inhaler sometimes, over a year later. I have felt really cloudy and out of it and my joints ache but otherwise, I made a full recovery. It is so important that we tell everyone about the dangers of sepsis to help save lives.