Jess S.

I was expecting baby Bennett on 3/13/24. Just shy of 34 weeks I was sick in bed with what I thought was just a stomach bug and fever (ended up being strep A). (Sepsis and Group A Streptococcus) After 24 hours, my fever stopped going down with medicine, reached 103.9 F, and I started having debilitating back/shoulder pain. I called my OBGYN as soon as they opened at 8 AM and asked if I should go to the emergency room, but they said to just try and see my family doctor that day, stay hydrated, and keep taking Tylenol.

Another 12 hours passed, and my husband convinced me to just go to the ER. All I kept hearing from doctors was, “You’re really sick and we aren’t sure why.” Overnight, and into the morning of February 2nd, I started going into labor, so the doctors decided it was time for an emergency c-section, and I’d be put completely asleep, so I was taken to the operating room. This was my 3rd cesarean, and I still hadn’t heard the word “septic” yet – so I was calm going in.

When my eyes opened again, I was in the ICU on a ventilator, and a chest tube coming from my right lung and I think it was around February 11th – I kind of remember the Super Bowl being on the TV in my room as one of my first “awake” memories. Apparently, I was septic by the time I got to the ER, and they were surprised I physically walked in on my own 2 legs to the front desk. They got through my c-section and when it was over and they were trying to wake me up, my body decided otherwise and they could barely keep my blood pressure stable, my heart started failing, and I remained tachycardic most of my 21-day stay.

They decided to intubate me/put me in a medically induced coma and send me to the ICU. Between the surgery ending and being “checked into” the ICU, I had gained about 20lbs of fluids in my body, mostly in my chest and lungs. Two chest tubes were placed, one removed before I was woken up, and they were both out by the day before I was downgraded out of ICU. The first week I was asleep, my family was essentially told if I hadn’t come to the hospital, neither Bennett nor I would have made it through the night.

Bennett was totally healthy and just had growing to do so he was in the NICU for 26 days total. I came home with muscle atrophy using a walker, with a PICC line in my arm for antibiotics and a whole life of who knows what ahead of me, but please hug the ones you love. And spread awareness about sepsis. Each hour is critical.