Nicole L
I’m Nicole and I am a sepsis survivor. At the age of 24, my story starts about 15 months ago when I had an unusual pain in my lower right quadrant. I am an avid CrossFitter and thought I had a hernia from lifting a little too heavy, so I put up with the pain for about 2 weeks. After 2 weeks, the pain became unbearable so my mother took me to the ER.
At the ER, due to being of child-bearing age, the physicians refused to do a CT scan on me and opted to do an ultrasound instead. I was diagnosed with a ‘dilated fallopian tube with a possible infection’. I was admitted right away to be put on IV antibiotics for 48 hours. After 48 hours, I was released although I was still in a great deal of pain. I went to work the next morning and could barely stand up straight. I told my mom what was going on and she insisted I go back to the ER. When I got to the hospital, the triage nurse was terrible. She yelled at me, telling me my condition was something I would have to ‘deal with’ and that they refused to do further tests. Thank God I had my mother there with me who refused to leave until they figured out the actually cause of my pain. After finally doing the CT scan I had wanted 3 days prior, the surgeon walks into my room and tells me my appendix had ruptured and what they saw on my ultrasound was actually my extremely inflamed appendix stuck to my uterus. (Sepsis and Appendicitis) I had been misdiagnosed. I was rushed into emergency surgery and was told it would be an out-patient surgery and that I’d be back home in less than 24 hours.
I remember waking up from surgery in excruciating pain. 11/10 pain. My temperature and heart rate were slowing rising, as my blood pressure slowly went down. I had not only gotten an infection from the bacteria in my ruptured appendix traveling to my bloodstream, but I had also gotten an infection from the surgery itself. I had started to get chills. (Sepsis and Surgery) I’m talking about violent chills that caused my body to convulse. Night sweats that caused me to change my hospital gown and bed sheets multiple times a night. Fevers so high I could feel my brain burning. Each and every sign and symptom that comes along with sepsis couldn’t have been more clear but it took my nurse to figure out what was happening to my body. At the time, I was going into my final term of nursing school, so hearing the word sepsis scared me to death.
I had been in the hospital for about 2 weeks when my body decided to finally shut down. I remember this day like it was yesterday. I was laying in my hospital bed having another episode of the chills, piling blankets on me to keep me warm. My dad was trying everything in his power to stop my body from violently convulsing from the chills. The nursing assistant came into my room to take my temperature as she was instructed to every 2 hours. My temperature was 106.3. I saw the look of horror in her eyes as she ran out to tell my nurse. They called rapid response, and within minutes I had every nurse on the floor, a PA, and doctor in my room trying to stabilize me. I remember going in and out of consciousness hearing people yelling, needles and catheters being stuck in every part of my body, and as I opened my eyes I saw my family at the head of my bed in complete disbelief this was happening to me.
Once I was stable enough, I was basically thrown into the shower naked and hosed down with ice cold water by 2 nurses, then was put on a cooling machine for the rest of the night.
Surprisingly, just a few days later, my infectious disease doctor approved of me being discharged. I was incredibly happy to finally get out of the hospital. But it only took me a 2 days to spike another temperature of 105. My mother decided to take me to the best hospital in the state (University of Michigan).
I remember being wheeled into the ER and was taken in immediately. I had a hemoglobin of 7, qualifying for a blood transfusion. I was put on the strongest antibiotic, Vancomycin, and had a drain placed in my abdomen to get rid of the fluid from the abscess from surgery. Over 1000 ccs were drained from me. It took over a week and a half, but my vitals were finally stabilizing. After 3+ weeks in the hospital, I was sent home.
I think the hardest part about my experience has been recovery and my PSS. (Sepsis and Post-Sepsis Syndrome) I am no where close to the person I was before. My mental and emotional recovery consists of nightmares that cause me to wake up screaming, memory loss, and migraines. My physical recovery has been the most frustrating. I was in incredible shape before my body decided to shut down. Now, I am always exhausted and my endurance is close to nothing. My body doesn’t feel like it’s mine. I developed adhesions on all of my surgical scars. Every move I make, I feel my organs tug and pull, causing extreme nausea.
I am thankful to have found Sepsis Alliance. Without it, I would have felt so alone in my journey after almost losing my life to sepsis. I thank God every single day that I am here. I hope to spread awareness of this deadly condition and that all health care providers can recognize it before patients lose their lives.
-Nicole L.
