Melissa K.

In December of 2016 I came down with a sore throat. I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with strep and given antibiotics. After completing the treatment the sore throat came back within a few days. I went back to my PCP and did another round of antibiotics. I don’t remember if I completed this treatment or not. (Sepsis and Strep Throat)

On December 18, I wanted to call off sick but I went in anyway, spent the day laying down at work as much as possible. Left work early, called off the next day telling my boss, “something is wrong, I have never been this sick before and I don’t know what is wrong.” I don’t remember anything after that, just bits and pieces.

A week later and two more trips to my PCP, I finally ended up in the ER. In the ER they called life flight and spent hours trying to locate an ICU to send me to. I remember watching the life flight crew arguing with the ER crew, they were refusing to take me because of my condition. The hospital had already told my family, who was already driving to the hospital they were transferring me to, “Do not expect her to be alive when you arrive or when the helicopter lands.” After I arrived at the next hospital, I was put into ICU.

I don’t remember much except I would not sleep at night because the hospital would wait until my family and friends left me to do tests and procedures on me. So, I would sit up all night. I had multiple organ failure, I did dialysis, I lost part of my vocal chords and half my tongue fell out. While in the hospital, the experience was horrible, not just with being sick, treatment, PSS, but with how the hospital itself treated me (forgetting to bring me meals, in-trainee dialysis technicians yanking on my chest tubes like the chest tubes are cow utters, ignoring my ‘calls’ on the call button, etc….)

In February of 2017 I was finally released from the hospital. I learned to walk again using a walker, I started out patient dialysis. In May, I started PT and found pool PT to be the most beneficial. I returned to full time work in April and it was a struggle. I try to walk everyday, I have been able get back on my bike and ride a little, I have just returned to scuba diving (only practice in the pool) after almost two years. I am almost two years since the start of my sepsis and WE live every day as if I am just out of the hospital, we live by the kidney diet, we live with sanitizing wipes and surgical masks. This is our new lifestyle now.