Pam Busch

FIRST-TIME SEPSIS 2007: My story starts with my dad who was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma and renal cell papillary cancer. In addition, he was a diabetic already on dialysis with a host of other health conditions. He found a doctor to do a radical nephrectomy and remove part of his second kidney. When he submitted to this surgery, I guess it was his death sentence sealing his fate. (Sepsis and Surgery)

The surgery was on May 6 after my birthday and before May 13, he had a severe rash on his abdomen. All of the family members informed the medical staff it look pretty bad and they told us it was a reaction to Levaquin.

The family went round and round with the medical staff on this issue. So on May 13 (Mother’s Day), he had seen the entire family in his hospital room, which would be the last time. After I left on May 13, I told him I would call every day to check on him. On May 14-17 I called and he was in respiratory distress, which was progressively worse each day. So I promised him I would call my sister, which I did daily until May 17 on her birthday.

By May 17 they decided to transport him to ICU, where he went into cardiac arrest. My brother and his wife were up there but did not know it was him who went into cardiac arrest since they pushed all the visitors out into the hallway. Subsequently, he was diagnosed with sepsis and pneumonia that progressed on a downward spiral for 12 days. (Sepsis and Pneumonia)

They tried Xigris, which was probably too late in the game by that time. My niece and I were with him on May 28 and he opened his eyes (the only time in ICU) and told us he was tired–we knew exactly what that meant–he had enough. I would stay with him at nights and remember distinctively him pulling on his catheter. Sometimes I wonder if this aggravated his condition even more after reading on urosepsis.  After his ordeal on life support, he had an advanced directive in his records and was dismissed by the medical staff when all this was going on.

SECOND-TIME SEPSIS 2011: The second-time occurrence was with my older sister after she received a cat scratch. Again I was on my way home and we missed seeing each other. She called me before I left and while in the car she told me about her cat scratch on her hand. Again I told her she should go to the hospital after the cat scratch and have it checked out. She informed me her niece, who works in pediatrics, had cleaned up her wound.

My response was again you cannot wait around on this because (1) cancer, (2) immune system compromised, and (3) she already had some type of leg infection. So she delayed one day to see the doctor, when she was sent to the ER because of her blood pressure dropping. The end result she ended up in ICU for a week on antibiotics only that can be given by IV. She made it through by the skin of her teeth since her kidneys almost shut down. (Sepsis and Cancer)

Well I hope they finally get the message on sepsis. You cannot wait and should not hesitate one-minute about going to the hospital. Every time I have surgery now as a reminder I tell the doctors and surgeons we had sepsis twice in my family. Be sure to put that reminder with the medical staff working with you.