Kevin Kitz

Hello all,
My life changed forever on June 30, 2022. I’m 59 and worked in construction as a tile setter. Came home not feeling well. My wife keeping a close eye on me called 911 about 10pm. I don’t remember anything from this point until I woke up 10 days later.. I was admitted into the ICU immediately.. Doctors could not identify the infection or its entry.

Oxygen level was 72, elevated heart rate rising and blood pressure falling. They put me on a ventilator to allow them time to identify infection and to try to stabilize my body. They did identify the infection as being strep A. (Sepsis and Group A Streptococcus) After 9 days of being kept knocked out, they started to bring me out of that state.

Well my blood pressure had dropped and my hands suffered because of the lack of blood and I had to have 9 of my fingers amputated. (Sepsis and Amputations) Waking up and seeing the damage to my fingers was very traumatic. After 28 days in the hospital they cut me loose. Going home was a great day. It’s been 6 months since this happened and I’m still struggling to recover. Physically and mentally. PTSD is a very real thing and something I’m dealing with. I will recover but this thing kicked my butt. Without the support of my wife I would not be alive today, she is my everything.

So I knew a little about sepsis but really nothing about septic shock .
Hopefully I will be getting my new prosthetic fingers soon. Not sure what the future holds because I can’t just sit around doing nothing. I’m sure glad 2022 is gone.
Happy New Year