Jo Ellen McKenzie

In 1990, I was 35 years old and had a fetus die in utero. (Sepsis and Pregnancy & Childbirth) I delivered the fetus around midnight and started feeling ill shortly afterwards. I had a massive headache, low urine output and was shivering uncontrollably.

The attending physician thought I had congestive heart failure and prescribed diuretics. I continued to worsen through the night and by 8 am, my BP was 40/20. Luckily for me a new doctor came on call and recognized the signs of septic shock as soon as she looked at my chart.

I was rushed up to the ICU at the hospital and I was immediately intubated and put on antibiotics. Because of the diuretics that had been given to me, I also had DIC (disseminated intravascular coagulation) so they had to pump 8 gallons of fluid into my system.  (Sepsis and DIC) I remained on life support for one week and my family was told I had a 50/50 chance of survival.

Because of the great care I received at the University of Wisconsin Hospital, I survived. Since then our family has had 2 other incidences of septic shock. My husband’s colon erupted and he developed sepsis form that. He spent 11 days in the hospital and luckily made a full recovery. Unfortunately, our 23-year-old niece developed sepsis from a cut on her leg and died in a hospital in Cancun, Mexico just last Sunday. It is a devastating loss for all her knew this bright, beautiful young woman.