Phyllis Brannagan

Back story, I’ve had two brain surgeries in the past two years so, I’m used to not feeling great. In the middle of October 2018, I was feeling really crappy. I stayed in bed but later my daughter asked what I wanted for dinner. I said I’m just going to have tea, I cannot keep anything down. That started it. I was vomiting and diarrhea I don’t know how long but I said I’m sorry but I can’t get up anymore. That’s the last thing I remember.

I woke up in the hospital, a few days later, I was so dehydrated, my kidneys shut down and they were doing dialysis. I didn’t remember anything except they were shoving a tube down my throat. There was some kind of tap looking thing on my arm and I was hooked up to lots of stuff. I kept asking what happened? I still can’t remember anything which freaks me out. So it turns out my daughter called for an ambulance and the police came, I was NAKED. I’m still mortified. The police asked how long I was like that, she told them one day but they didn’t believe her. They also thought I had dementia because I was thrashing about and refused covering. I’m 64 and my daughter thought I was dead in my bed. I would not wish that on my worst enemy.

When I was hospitalized they tested me for many things.  They diagnosed sepsis and they narrowed the cause down to a kidney infection.  It really happened so fast.  One day I was feeling rather ill the next day I was unconscious.  The hospital staff seemed genuinely surprised that I was still alive. They started me on IV of antibiotics.  And I learned they had put me on dialysis when I could understand.  It was the most frightening thing that has ever happened to me.  I really haven’t fully recovered but I’m getting better every day.