Sheila Patton

I had developed a urinary tract infection at the end of February 2018. My doctor prescribed an antibiotic. (Sepsis and Urinary Tract Infections) About a month went by, I was very low on energy. Then on the evening of April 3, 2018, I started experiencing severe pain and felt very sick. I was getting more sick by the minute. My daughter took me to the local emergency room.

They noticed that I had a kidney stone in my left kidney. (Sepsis and Kidney Stones) The doctor gave me morphine and sent me home. My daughter took me back to her house. I don’t remember anything the next day, but I passed out on the bathroom floor. My daughter again took me to the local emergency room. After a few hours they diagnosed me with sepsis. I was very sick. The doctor arranged for me to be airlifted to a hospital only 25 miles away. My body had gone into severe septic shock. I was in a coma for 3 weeks.

The doctors and nurses in the ICU floor at SSM Hospital in Mt. Vernon, IL, saved my life. It was a long journey. I had to be intubated, feeding tube, total life support. I went through dialysis. My body went through so much. I had stents put in both kidneys. Also had to have a tracheotomy done. My toxicity levels were not good at all. From what I have been told, they did not expect me to survive.

My family was with me almost constantly and I know there were so many people praying for me. One thing I remember experiencing during my coma, was Jesus pulling me towards him and holding me. Remembering this after I woke has given me a totally new outlook on life. From this hospital I was transferred to a long term ICU hospital in Evansville, IN. I was there for a few more weeks where they eventually helped me to walk and eat again. My tracheotomy tube finally was removed. From there I was transferred to a Rehabilitation Institute also in Evansville, IN. I was there for 10 days. They were amazing!

I learned how to shower myself again as well as build up my strength. After being hospitalized for a total of 51 days, I was finally sent home to live with my daughter. I have gone through hair loss, PTSD, emotional and physical challenges. (Sepsis and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) But I am a survivor and I am so very thankful to be alive. My hair is starting to grow back, and although I still struggle emotionally, I am becoming stronger. I am eating healthier and drinking a lot of water. My journey has been hard, but I have learned so much from my experience. I am getting ready to celebrate my 58th birthday, and I am so blessed to be doing so.