Sally L. Back

I have had sepsis several times in my life but the first one was truly the scariest. I had given birth to my second child, a son, six weeks earlier and had been fighting back from several days of a breast infection. (Sepsis and Pregancy & Childbirth) I got up in the morning and noticed a red area that hurt high on my leg. I thought I might have been bitten by a spider although I couldn’t imagine how since I had pajamas on all night. My mother had been bitten by a spider a week earlier and had to get an antibiotic shot so that was definitely on my mind.

I went to see my obstetrician. I drove myself but noticed that I was feeling like I had the flu and it was getting worse the whole 30 minute car ride. When I got to the doctor’s office I had a fever of 101 and felt really bad. As soon as he saw me he told me they were admitting me to the hospital and that the breast infection had spread throughout my body. He didn’t even want me to drive to the hospital which was right next door but I did. I wound up in isolation in the hospital for about a week.

The first night I was crying because I had worked so hard to breastfeed my son and I didn’t want to take the medicine to dry up my milk. That was when she told me “honey, you are lucky to be alive!” That got my attention as I didn’t realize how serious it was. They told me I would probably never have to deal with it again but they were wrong. I have had many cellulitis infections that have put me in the hospital many times. (Sepsis and Cellulitis) If I wasn’t so cautious with my health I am sure I would have died several times. I am just very glad to be alive. I am 61 years old now and look at each day as a precious gift.