Kimberly Muhonen

Hello. I happen to come across your website this evening. I didn’t know it existed. My story of sepsis began March of 2016.

The beginning of March 2016 I received an antibiotic for flu/cough symptoms. I took that antibiotic for a week. But my cough never went away. Saturday March 26, 2017, I hosted my first Grandbaby’s Baptism. Whenever I needed to cough, I went into the garage as not to alarm anyone. Other than my cough, I felt fine. I then was hosting Easter the next day.

That night I went spiraling downhill with my symptoms. I became feverish, chills, and in a lot of pain down my left side, from my shoulder and down my back. I couldn’t stand up straight because of the pain.
In the morning, I told my husband that he needs to put the ham in the oven, I need to go to the ER.

I got to the ER check-in desk and told the lady that I needed a chest x-ray. The lady said, “Don’t you want to wait until tomorrow?” I said, “No. I need one right now.” I did get the x-ray and labs were taken. I had lower left lobe pneumonia. (Sepsis and Pneumonia) I was given an antibiotic and told that I will feel better in a few days and was sent home. I was given nothing for my pain.

An hour or 2 later, I started vomiting and dry-heaving. I felt absolutely horrible. I felt so sick and asked my husband to call the ER and to tell them I was so sick and vomiting from the antibiotic. The ER told my husband to tell me to “Just keep doing what she is doing and she will feel better in a few days.”

My gut feeling was telling me that I needed to be hospitalized. But I thought, I was just in the ER and they are the doctors, so they know better than I do because they are the doctors. I called a friend who works in a hospital 40 minutes away. She said, “Get to Maple Grove Hospital Immediately!”

My husband drove me over there right away. I am admitted with pneumonia and sepsis.

I feel so grateful for trusting my gut and listening to my friend’s advice. I was hospitalized for 4 days, which is minor compared to so many who have been hospitalized for many many days and/or lost their lives.