Wendy D

Survivor

My world blew up on Wednesday, October 4, 2017. It was a happy day. My second grandchild was being delivered by C-section that morning. I was to get the nearly 4-year-old fed, dressed and on the school bus while his parents were at the hospital early. At 2:30PM that day I went to the school to pick him up and go to the hospital to meet his little brother.

At 5PM we were back at my place. I prepared supper for my husband and grandchild but didn’t feel hungry at all. I had severe pain in my lower right back – took some Tylenol and told my husband not to let me sleep longer than 30 minutes as I had to pack an overnight bag for staying over at my grandchild’s home. Half an hour later I was over taken by chills and tremors so violent I couldn’t walk. An aunt came for my grandchild as I could no longer care for him. I vomited once. By 10:30 that night I could walk to the bathroom but went right back to bed.

I felt a little better by morning. Still not hungry. I was unable to carry out my job as part-time live-out nanny for 2 children. I was sure I had a bug of some sort and was determined to ride this out. Turning in bed I was hit with terrible headache. I started to get constant nosebleeds. I thought I might be getting an old friend pneumonia, so I started on my inhalers. Friday things were no better. I have had joint replacements and need to take 4 antibiotic pills before each dental appointment. I happened to have 8 or 9 of the capsules. Should I take them?

On Friday, again I was hit with the massive tremors. For some reason my hip replacement joint was hurting badly on top of everything. Friday and Saturday were pretty much a blur. Sunday I decided I would take the dental antibiotics as if it were a prescription – 3 a day spaced out. At noon Monday I was so sick I knew I couldn’t fix this. I called an ambulance. Still not realizing how sick I was, I told the dispatcher she didn’t need to have the sirens going. That I was OK except I couldn’t sit up or I would get my husband to drive me.

The first I realized there definitely was a problem was when in the ambulance the paramedic asked me if I had lilac coloured nail polish on. I said no. Once at the hospital things moved very fast. But to me it felt like slow motion. I began to slur my words. I couldn’t remember some things. Everything I looked at flashed – pictures, lights, air vents on the ceiling, the screen on my phone. Plain items like privacy curtains and walls had colourful waterfalls and designs that constantly moved.

I was held in a room in Emerg from Monday afternoon Oct 9th to Wednesday Oct 11 when I was sent for surgery. At this point it was certain I had a kidney stone, pneumonia, my liver was shot, I had a “small” heart attack and I had renal failure. I don’t remember much from Monday to Wednesday. On Wednesday I received a ureter stent. I was getting super duper antibiotics by IV from the moment I arrived. On Thursday I started to actually feel better. Doctors kept telling me I almost didn’t make it. (Sepsis and Kidney Stones, Sepsis and Pneumonia)

I had never heard ofsSepsis before. In 65 years not once had I heard this term. I continued to make progress and was sent home on Tuesday, Oct 17th. Once I got home I started to do research on the internet. How is it this horrible condition is so wide-spread but no one knows anything about it except those who make it??

Today, October 27, 2017, I continue to improve, bit by bit each day. Pictures don’t flash. Blank walls are once again blank walls without colourful moving designs. I can text again and make sense at the same time. My operative hip still hurts and this is a concern I might have to take further if it doesn’t feel better soon. The pneumonia is gone. My liver values are improving. There was no residual damage left after the “small heart attack” and for that I am very grateful. I have to have outpatient surgery next week to deal with the stent and the kidney stone if it is still there. I still find myself having to sleep a couple of hours a day. I feel the cold easily now.

I asked my doctor how I will know, in future, when to seek medical help. He said “In adults, any fever that can’t be explained by things like a cold or influenza should be investigated.” I know it was extremely irresponsible of me to think I could fix what was happening to me – I just didn’t want to bother the doctor for something that was just going to go away on its own in a couple of days. I came close to dying. I’ve learned my lesson. And I intend to get the word out there about sepsis.

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