Sandy C.

I went in for a normal C-section to have my baby and about 3 hours after the surgery, I had severe pain. The doctors first said it was internal bleeding, which came back negative in the CT scan. So I was given pain killers and sent back to my room. (Sepsis and Pregnancy & Childbirth)

The second day they said I had pre eclampsia, which was weird considering by blood pressure was fine and I had already had my baby. Still they started me on the magnesium. Then I had acute respiratory failure and was sent for a test, which was negative. Then I was moved to the ICU, where I was told I was just anxious after having the baby. My son was discharged without me.

My urine output was so low, I was in pain and not able to breathe. My blood pressure was extremely high and did I mention the pain? I thought it was because of the magnesium so I drank water and then vomited. I was given an NG tube [a tube inserted through the nose into the stomach] and was NPO [nothing by mouth], sad, missing my baby, in pain with my husband, in the ICU. I don’t think this is the way childbirth should be.

They misdiagnosed me for 5 days straight. After that, they sent me to drain abscesses that were not there. Finally, a total of 8 days after my C-section, I was taken in for a laparoscopy where it was found that my intestines had been punctured during the C-section, along with a forest of Candida that had spilled. It was repaired, I guess in the nick of time because only I know that without knowing what was happening inside, how close to death I had felt the whole time.

I was never able to breastfeed my son, instead I spent the time trying to get rid of the 60 pounds of fluid that had build up in my system. I worry now because of my hernias and generally feeling of not being ok whether they fixed it right or whether it can happen again.