code blog: tales of a nurse

I had sepsis caused by an abscess in my jawbone, which went undiagnosed for a while. I was off work for a total of 22 months - about 11 of those were recovery after I'd had the op to clear the abscess. Take things very easily, and don't push too hard, because it can set you back nearly to square one if you do. I hope things go well for your recovery!

I have just been released from the hospital after a horrific week of scared confusion. I went in freezing in horridly hot temperatures, I had a high fever, chills, no enegry, lots of body pain and very low blood pressure. I was told that I had sepsis and anemia. I spent a week on IV antibiotics and a saline drip, not to mention morphine and other pain killers. I was in the ICU for a bit of time while my blood pressure was stablized. I came home only 2 days ago with very little understanding of what happened to me. The Drs. aren't sure why I developed sepsis, which means they can't assure me it won't return. I must admit I am afraid. I know very little about this illness, other than it is serious. I feel horrible and afraid. If anyone has any answers I would love to hear them.

I have just been released from the hospital after a horrific week of scared confusion. I went in freezing in horridly hot temperatures, I had a high fever, chills, no energy, lots of body pain and very low blood pressure. I was told that I had sepsis and anemia. I spent a week on IV antibiotics and a saline drip, not to mention morphine and other pain killers. I was in the ICU for a bit of time while my blood pressure was stabilized. I came home only 2 days ago with very little understanding of what happened to me. The Drs. aren't sure why I developed sepsis, which means they can't assure me it won't return. I must admit I am afraid. I know very little about this illness, other than it is serious. I feel horrible and afraid. If anyone has any answers I would love to hear them. My heart rate was 128 earlier today, my blood pressure still remains low, but not deadly. I feel so very tired, and have to report to work on Monday....I am terrified.

I picked up a non MRSA infection in my olecranon bursa a couple of years ago while away from home and my FP. Fortunately, I was in the same town as my prior FP's practice and I dropped by to see him after going to the ER the previous night. Yes, I know, I went to the ER.

Anyway, the rocephin wasn't doing anything for me as far as fever, chills, sweating, swelling and pain. My elbow and forearm looked like Popeye's and I needed to be better ASAP. He referred me to a mutual friend, an orthopedic surgeon, who admitted me with a referral to an infectious disease specialist. I got 4 days of clindamycin/gentamycin followed by 4 days of vancomycin after the cultures came back. Discharged to home with 21 days of Augmentin 2gm/qd po. I finally felt 'normal' about a month later.

Regards,
Rabbit.

I have a good friend who is in the hospital in CO (they were traveling when she got sick). She, too, had a kidney stone and had a stent put in...developed sepsis and has been in ICU since Saturday. She was on life support because the infection centralized in her lungs and they kept her in a drug-induced coma on a ventilator while her lungs tried to heal. She responded to treatment and PHYSICALLY she is much improved and should be all right. When they allowed her to wake up, she had a terrible and violent reaction to her husband. She was lightly sedated and a bit later recognized him and their daughter (10 years old). But now she is saying things like "I want to be with Jesus," etc. She is not reponding properly to her family, but is focused on going to be with Jesus. She is a person of faith, but not a fanatic. The doctors have called in a psychiatric consult. Does any of this make sense to anyone who has had a kidney-stone related bout with sepsis...or any other kind of sepsis for that matter. I am trying to get information for her husband who is panicky.
Kati

My sister went into the hospital on tuesday at 6 with flu like symptoms and was brain dead at 3 am. She later died about 12 hours later. They said it was sepsis due to a bacterial infection on her tonsils.

I just came home from the hospital suffering from sepsis. The home health care nurse gave me an iv every day for 4 more days. I really think I came home too soon from only 6 days of iv there. The infection doc had me on pail killers through an iv so I could not tell him I have suffered from a rat bite and probably had rat fever. He was treating me for menigitis which is a side effect of rat fever. I got scared today and called his office to let him know about the rat bite but he never called me back. My neck and joints are getting stiff again. I do not feel well but better then I did last week. The hospital I stayed at is really bad so returning there would probably mean death. Do not know what to do.

Janet I am so sorry for the loss of our sister.

I am a nurse practitioner, so you automatically know I am not going to be an ideal patient. I have OA (hands/spine). I have had surgery on my MCP of both hands. In Nov. my thumbs developed triggers, and started sticking and hurting more in Jan. I had a tendon sheath release Feb. 7, 08. That was on Thursday. That weekend I kept my granddaughters and broke the sutures out. Of course, I did not even put a bandaid on it. The site looked okay, but Monday at work I just felt more weird than my normal weird. When I got home I took my temp, and it was 103.8. I went for the next 2 weeks with my temps going from 102.5 to 103.8. Finally on Feb. 23, I went to one of the local ER's, where I had a 90% left shift in my WBC, a positive blood culture, positive flu, and positive rapid strep, AND then I had a temp of 105.8. I absolutely felt like I was dying. It has now been almost a month and I, who pride myself on never being sick, am so tired it is all I can do to get to and from work. I lost 8 lbs., which I did not need to do. So, the moral of the story is, "First, do no harm to thyself."