Lisa Matos

In June of 2012 I went in for a routine hernia repair surgery. (Sepsis and Surgery) Throughout the summer I had been having pain related to the surgery so in early November they performed an exploratory laparoscopic surgery to see what the issue was. They only found some minor scar tissue, they cleaned it up and sent me on my way.

Within two days the pain from the exploratory surgery got worse and at 4 am Monday morning, my husband rushed me to the hospital. By this time I had labored breathing and was finding it difficult to explain to each subsequent doctor what my issues were. At about 8 am that morning they finally sent me in for a CT scan, they found fluid in my abdomen and immediately sent me up for surgery. Unable to find the cause of the fluid and blaming it on “old blood,” they cleaned me up and sent me to the ICU. I remember feeling better and looking forward to going home. I went to sleep and didn’t wake up until 3 1/2 weeks later.

Turns out they didn’t find the real cause of my leakage until that following Thursday and although they had found it and repaired it my body had already started shutting down. Turns out, the surgeon had perforated my bowel during the exploratory surgery. (Sepsis and Perforated Bowel) I was put into a coma to give my body a chance to fight the infection. All the while I’m having dreams of doing a music video with Justin Bieber and Kid Rock, and the dream that will haunt me forever.
I “dreamt” that I was wheeled in on a cart full of bodies. The gentleman beneath me didn’t have a head. I climbed down and found that I was wearing a hospital gown and I walked out out of the dimly lit hallway out onto the front sidewalk. Shortly after walking outside I’m approached by several figures in black hoodies without faces. One was a woman and she said to me, “There’s no reason to run, Lisa,” all the while all of the figures were pointing guns at me. I don’t remember much after that but it’s enough for me to question that thin line between life and death.

All I know is that if they didn’t find it when they did, I would be dead. If I didn’t have the will to live, I would be dead.

I escaped with a few physical scars but the emotional scars have proven the toughest to heal. Knowing that my kids at ages 7 & 10 almost lost me, and my husband having to go through this alone (we have no familial support on either side) are the most difficult images for me to get over. My husband says that I was so excited when I woke up because I was looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving and apparently the look I gave him after he told me it had already passed devastated him. Imagine missing out on several weeks of your life…it’s heartbreaking!

I had subsequent surgeries to fully repair my abdominal wall and in the process lost my belly button but I’ve gained so much from this experience. I will admit that there are days when the flashbacks consume me and the PTSD takes control but it’s getting better. (Sepsis and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) It’s been 4 years and I make sure to live everyday as fully as I can.