John Radtke

Mid September of 2022 I first noticed the first signs I was ill. It started with severe headaches and pain traveling down my spine and down my legs. It worsened through the day and I developed a high fever with uncontrollable chills. This was on Friday. By Saturday my knees were stiffening and my left knee locked up. Both knees and hips had previously been replaced, at the time what I hadn’t realized was the infection had attacked both knees and actually had eaten away 3 inches of my left femur causing the replacement to come apart. By Sunday night I was in so much pain and weakened so badly that my family rushed me to the er at a local hospital. (Sepsis and Joint Replacements)

By that time I was entering septic shock. (Sepsis and Septic Shock) My blood pressure crashed and was starting kidney failure and a decision was made to transfer me to a much larger hospital in Madison. I spent the next 4 weeks in intensive care having both knees replaced, receiving dialysis 3 times per week, and suffering bouts of unconsciousness and hallucinations.

I was later informed I had suffered a heart attack during surgery which has now resulted in AFIB. I would spend the next 7 months in skilled nursing facilities, 5 months of which would be flat on my back. I would later learn that the infection assessed to vertebrae in my lower back causes stiffness and pain which still is present. By the end of February the therapist had me up and walking with the parallel bars but only 20 to 40 feet per day. I tried sitting in a wheelchair but was only able to be upright for 1 to 2 hours on good days. I also suffered from intestinal issues caused by the antibiotics which resulted in C-Dif. Like most others in this situation I ran the course of my insurance limits with it resulting in tens of thousands in medical expenses.

By the end of March I was discharged to an assisted living facility closer to home. By then my body was starting to respond to therapy and I began walking further with a walker and continued to grow stronger. By the end of May I was able to finally return home. It’s now October of 2023. I’m still not able to drive, work, or walk unassisted. Through this I’ve also lost the use of 3 arthritic fingers( two on my right and one on my left). It sounds horrible, and it was. What I had started in February was a weekly blog of my achievements in therapy. Through this and the support of my readers, I’ve kept an upbeat attitude and continued to understand how to adapt and change myself to again return to a new normal of everyday life.