Tara Johnson

Survivor

My story of sepsis began in December 2012. Shortly after the birth of our second child, I developed mastitis from breastfeeding and was prescribed antibiotics. (Sepsis and Pregnancy & Childbirth) Over the course of 24 hours, instead of getting better my fever continued to climb and wasn’t responding to Tylenol or Advil. When my fever reached 104.2, I became delirious and was rushed to the emergency room.

I have no memory of the nightmare that was about to unfold. I was told that shortly after arriving at the hospital, my blood pressure dropped 50 points, my heart rate spiked to 140 and my body starting shutting down. The doctors quickly recognized that I was suffering from septic shock and implemented their sepsis protocol. They temporarily stabilized my vitals but the infection wasn’t responding to antibiotics and my condition deteriorated. They continued running tests and found that I was also suffering from a severe case of pneumonia. (Sepsis and Pneumonia) I spent almost 2 weeks in the ICU, and despite an initial grim prognosis, I eventually made a full recovery. If it were not for the quick response by the physicians at Overlake Hospital and their top of the line medical testing, I may not have survived.

As a survivor of sepsis, I am shocked at how quickly and aggressively it overcame my body. In 2 short days I went from a young healthy woman to almost losing my life. I hope my experience serves as a cautionary tale of how important it is to seek medical attention when faced with the symptoms of sepsis. If I hadn’t made it to the emergency room before my body started shutting down, this may have been a tribute rather than a story of survival.

My story was featured at Overlake Hospital’s annual luncheon and can be viewed here: YouTube Video

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