Don Penven

Survivor

My introduction to sepsis started off with a urinary tract infection. (Sepsis and Urinary Tract Infections) After two days of putting off the inevitable, and since it was a weekend and my doctor’s office was closed, my wife Margie drove me to the ER at Rex Hospital in Raleigh, NC.

A nurse performed a catheterization, which relieved much of the discomfort and allowed me to drain my bladder. I was given an antibiotic and a prescription and was then discharged.

I was exhausted from lack of sleep over the past two nights so I went upstairs to take a nap. An hour later I awoke and began to shiver and shake. In minutes the shaking was uncontrollable and I was gasping for breath. We rushed back to the ER—me thinking I was having a bad reaction to the antibiotic.

This time I was quickly moved into ICU and soon was attached to three IVs. I chanced to hear a nurse use the term, “Sepsis.” The doctor on duty explained that there were two options for treatment. The powerful antibiotic I needed could be injected into my arm, but the risk is that the veins could be damaged to the point that I could possibly lose the use of my arm. The other choice was to place a catheter into my jugular vein in my neck and pump the life-saving liquid directly into my heart. This approach was not without risks too.

It was finally agreed that the jugular was the best alternative.

Margie looked up sepsis on the Internet and what a scary report that was. Bacteria that had accumulated in my bladder had found its way into my blood stream. “If you had delayed any longer in getting here,” the attending physician said, “you would have died at home.”

I was finally released on Tuesday afternoon. I learned that my blood pressure upon admittance was something like 75/50. They detected an unusual flutter in my heartbeat and a CT scan showed enlarged lymph nodes in my groin. They made appointments with a cardiologist and an oncologist for me.

At this writing I am still wearing a heart monitor. We’ll see about the lymph nodes shortly. Time was of the essence, and that Angel on my shoulder told me that I had screwed around long enough and to get help.

You are invited to read the full account on my blog: https://www.blindhogblogger.com/the-lottery-of-life/a-near-death-experience/

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