Chris Waller

After an operation to remove my bladder, prostate and a large tumour in my bowel, I was admitted to hospital on many occasions. (Sepsis and Surgery) Sometimes I would stay out of hospital for a month and other times it would be a day. On one occasion I was discharged with a small bag which was collecting fluid from an infection and given antibiotics. I was so sick I forgot to take a few doses of the antibiotic. I laid on the lounge after starting dinner for my 2 sons and felt so unwell I couldn’t get back up to complete the dinner.

I called out to one of my sons that I wanted to go back to hospital and he replied that maybe we should wait to see how I felt next morning. I told him I am getting much worse and I insisted that we leave right now. Thank God we did leave when we did. In the car on the way to hospital I tried to talk to him but the words coming out my mouth was not what I meant to say at all. My brain was being affected so my speech was quite weird. I could say short answers but anything longer was total gibberish. When we got to hospital after a very fast drive from my son, I said let me out at the emergency door and I will run inside.

The triage nurse could not understand me at all but let me in immediately and I saw a doctor. He couldn’t understand me either until my son came in and told him what had happened. I can’t remember too much after this point although my son told me I was so confused and was calling him Bob even though that wasn’t his name. I remember him crying and he was convinced I was dying. He lost his mother 7 years earlier and they asked him to wait in the exact same room that he was taken to when his mother passed away. I remember having a CT scan and had so many doctors and nurses trying to work out my diagnosis. They gave me large doses of antibiotics and I was so confused and worried. I was put in a room and was in what I can only describe as a dream state. I tried to concentrate on reality but it was very difficult. After a few hours I started to feel a bit normal again and they decided to send me to ICU. I saw my son and had to convince him that I was better and he should go home. He was very reluctant but finally he decided to go home. I continued to get better but still felt so weird at times. I finally fell asleep and woke up feeling better in the morning. I stayed in hospital for a few weeks and I noticed my memory was still affected by this episode. Even to this day I am sure my memory is still not the same but I am glad I survived. So now I have learned not to muck around with infections and realise how deadly they can be.