Jennifer Halet
On August 4th, 2014, as I was leaving my friend’s home, her cat ran out and was jumped by a large feral cat. I pulled her out and she bit directly into a vein on my hand. (Sepsis and Animal Bites) Blood was flowing as I threw her into the house. I cleaned the wound with antibiotic soap and hydrogen peroxide. I wrapped it in peroxide soaked bandages and took my bloody clothes to the cleaners and began to do laundry, calling an urgent med clinic to get antibiotics. I do wildlife rehabilitation and know that we must get amoxicillin to the animal or it will die. They said to check the wound, it was swollen and red. They told me to go to the hospital immediately, so I gathered my wet laundry and as I was leaving, I fell to the floor unconscious.
I was out for over 8 hours when a wren that I was ready to release pecked me in the nostrils and was calling its alarm call. My hand looked like a catchers mitt and the red line was going up my left arm past the shoulder. I drove 1 block to the hospital and was immediately put in ICU with my pulse at 80/40 and an elevated heart rate. I was delirious and wanted to go home. They kept me on 4 different drip antibiotics, On the fourth day, they decided if they were going to amputate my arm. Fortunately, the darkened area hadn’t spread. I have since had pneumonia twice, a virulent type B virus and swollen limbs. I have bloody UTIs and kidney problems. They say the bacteria has compromised my organs.
I have blood clots in my legs and a liver tumor now that really hurts,8.2 x 2.8 cm. I dropped to 97 pounds and my temperature is usually 96.6, pulse 105+, and edema in my feet from any injury. The liver really hurts but nothing can be done for the pain as I am not terminal although they said that I could die in 2 days or 2 years. I had never heard of sepsis in all my studies with zoonosis. I get confused, tired, and have 2-3 nights a week where I can’t sleep at all. It is a very debilitating disease. The headaches aren’t as bad but the bruising and abscesses are a concern. I can’t believe the doctors won’t prescribe opioid medication for this horrible pain.
