Patti Smith

I was well one day and next very sick. I am still amazed at how fast it all happened. I woke up one Sunday in late June of this year feeling so violently sick. I had strong chills, so strong I thought I may break a tooth, then fever, then vomiting. I thought I had a bad flu. But when I couldn’t seem to pronounce words and my husband couldn’t understand what I was saying I got a strong gut feeling that something was VERY wrong.

My husband took me to the ER. After being told I probably have the flu I was about to be sent home. But when my husband told the nurse about my mental confusion, I was taken more seriously. I had a urine and blood test. I seemed dehydrated so I was given fluid IV. After what seemed like many hours (it was 3 hours) a doctor came out to the waiting room and told me I had sepsis from the bacteria E. Coli originating from a bladder infection. (Sepsis and Urinary Tract Infections)

I didn’t even know I had a bladder infection – all knew is that I was more sick than I have ever been. I was admitted to the hospital and put on antibiotics and fluids. By the next day I was hardly ever really awake — I slept and only awoke for blood to be taken and vitals taken. On the third day in the h ospital, a doctor with a BIG smile told me that the antibiotics were working and my bacterial level in my blood was coming down. I would survive.

I was released from the hospital on day 5 with 10 more days of oral antibiotics. In the next 3 weeks I had two more UTIs and I caught covid. A very miserable time. I’m well aware that if I had waited to seek medical help, it could not have been such a good outcome. I am one of the people who did not know much about sepsis at all. Now I am doing all I can to tell people about sepsis and how important early diagnosis and treatment is.