A Family’s Perspective – “The Brutality of Sepsis will Haunt Us for the Rest of Our Lives”

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Franchot Karl
Franchot Karl

Guest Author: Franchot Karl

Sepsis. Perhaps you’ve heard of it. It’s one of the leading causes of death, particularly in hospitals, but most people have never heard of it. My sister and I had barely heard of it, until we lost our beloved mother because of it two years ago. The brutality of sepsis will haunt us for the rest of our lives.

When our grandmother died of sepsis at 84 years old, back in 1990, I assumed it was an old people’s disease. I thought you get old, go into a hospital or nursing home, get the inevitable hospital infection (sepsis) and die. After all, hospitals and nursing homes are crawling with germs, right?

Well fast forward to now, millions of deaths and many medical negligence cases later, the real truth is coming to light. I debate sepsis is an actual disease. Unlike heart disease, diabetes or cancer, sepsis is usually the result of something else, like a cut or scrape, surgeries or invasive devices. We are all at risk. Sepsis is a dire emergency that can kill the young or the old. It does not discriminate.

In early 2012, mama had a blood clot surgically removed from the femoral artery. She seemed to recover well, but the wound incision leaked nonstop. Soon she complained of extreme weakness, had sporadic fevers and could not urinate. It wasn’t long before she was fighting for her life in a city hospital. After one week of hospitalization, a large, grotesque abscess was found at the surgical site on her left groin. Incision and drainage was done; it was all that was done. At mama’s death on May 9, 2012, her left groin, lower left torso and thigh were eaten away. Her underlying flesh and muscle were exposed. It was a brutal death for such a beautiful person.

With all the touted advances in medicine, sepsis still seems to be shrouded in ignorance and neglect; yes, neglect. If there’s anything that my sister and I have taken from this devastating experience, it’s knowledge. If we knew then what we know now, I wouldn’t be writing this. Always identify someone who can accompany yourself or your loved one to act as an advocate. Ask questions, demand answers. If you don’t get them, seek other opinions. Learn the symptoms of sepsis. Flu-like symptoms, low grade or sporadic fevers, low body temperature, extreme lethargy, inability to urinate. Learn what tests can better indicate sepsis. CBC (complete blood count) with differential. It gives readings of white blood cell counts and red blood cell counts, platelets and hemoglobin. Learn the names of certain germs and terms that are linked to sepsis – VRE (Vancomycin- resistant Enterococcus), E. coli, pseudomonas aeruginosa, klebsiella, MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and necrotizing fasciitis. Look to great resources, such as the Sepsis Alliance, read their stories of hope and survival, and when the internet becomes overwhelming, turn to a great book by Dr. Harlan R. Weinberg called Dr. Weinberg’s Best Health Resources on the Web. We don’t have to die of sepsis.


Franchot, a writer of primarily fiction, put all of his work on hold when his mother became ill, at the time of a strange illness. When she passed in 2012 of sepsis, he began a grueling work on his first non fiction offering, chronicling the last brutal months of her life in a soon to be released work, yet untitled. When not writing, he works in property management. He’s a native of Chicago, currently living in Boston.

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174 comments on “A Family’s Perspective – “The Brutality of Sepsis will Haunt Us for the Rest of Our Lives””

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    My husband of 26 years is here in the hospital after 10 radiation treatments and one chemo treatment. The oncologist practitioner spent time on chemo education but no one shared signs to look out for sepsis. On Saturday after Labor Day chemo infusion, my husband had chills, extremely cold, low temperatures, and extremely wiped out. I (his wife) was guessing it’s from chemo. No, it was beginning of Sepsis, by 4 days later, we are in the ER. The oncologist practice knows he has <.2 white blood cell count, and their answer is take him to ER where you can wait for hours with sick people. If his sister had not threatened them to get his status elevated to see a DR, he probably would have passed that night. He is still in hospital fighting, gram negative bacteria in stomach. Just don’t know if he will beat it. Medical field, especially onocology, needs to be more proactive about talking to caregivers and patients. Too much is done outpatient and caregivers are left uncertain and feeling guilty for not realizing it’s Sepsis, not chemo side effects.

    My 55 year old brother died of sepsis. He had been doing dialysis 3 times a week on the one kidney he had left after losing the other to a car accident t when he was 20. He was doing great and was very active hiking and biking. He thought he pulled a muscle in his back and was treated for pain at ER and sent home. The next day we couldn’t get him to answer door and heard and saw him swaying and moaning. Police broke him and he went by ambulance and then was airlifted to a larger hospital. He was put on a ventilator and treated with 5 antibiotics so we they said he might pull out. He didn’t. He had a heart attack and 2 strokes the following day and we had to make a decision to let him go. It was horrible. The doctors believe the sepsis broke off a piece of his heart and went to his brain and caused the strokes. He would have been paralyzed and blind if he did pull through but that was a big if. I’ll miss my baby brother every day. It happens so fast God bless

    My husband has septics and has been in ICU for 5 weeks and 7 surgeries to drain the abscesses. Wondering when this nightmare will be over.

    Wasp sting to my foot on a Saturday afternoon-one Labor Day Weekend. I’m not allergic to wasps. I got sick- tired, diarrhea, nausea, fever (started with extraordinary cold), pretty much “out of it”-I’d look up, see my husband standing there. Dehydration and I wasn’t even aware of it. I couldn’t speak- I couldn’t get words out to say how I felt til Tuesday about 2 am finally I said “I’m not getting better”. My husband took me to the hospital with racing heart (110) and blood pressure 60/30. I’m fully recovered and grateful.

    Our 31 year old son died of septic shock directly after being hospitalized for Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Due to COVID-19, we were unable to see him or manage his care except for bits and pieces he was telling us. We had no idea his condition was so dire. Within 36 hours he went from talking and texting to him being non-responsive on life support. We must cling to Romans 8:28 that tells us, “All things work together for good for those who love the Lord…” His long term outlook was poor and he is no longer suffering. So hard for his wife and child, though. If you are in our situation Please let go of any guilt you may be placing on yourself. This is a stealthy killer and it is not your fault.

    Be proactive and if you are alone alert someone close about your symptoms and suspicions of something definitely not right. Time is of the essence and I speak from experience.

    My mum went to hospital 5th Dec 2016..sepsis.organs shut down.life support on 7th Dec.got through it but kept going up & down.start of Feb 2017 doctors sent her home to be told a week later (bone marrow was clear) to go back to hospital immediately to be told the bone marrow results were wrong & still had severe sepsis which gave her myeloid lukemia.couldnt eat.her weight dropped from 12st to 5 stone in 19wks in hospital & died 3rd April 2017….it was a horrific sight to see your mother turn to a shell.i asked for her hospital records & they made me so cross.dates & years wernt even right on the charts & a doctor refused to give her a medina that might have helped her because it was too expensive & she was gonna die anyway.despite everytime I spoke to consultant he was happy with her progress.dad died 8mth later from a broken heart

    My sister succumbed to sepsis on July 30, 2020. She had had surgery, came through well enough, was sent to a rehab facility, and FaceTime’d me one evening to tell me she believed her hands were becoming gangrenous. I immediately called the rehab facility and demanded they call an ambulance to take her to the hospital. It took a while but finally they agreed to take her. She passed 2.5 days later.
    The frustration for me has been wondering could this have been prevented, why did no one, either at the hospital or in the rehab, see that this was happening? It did not happen overnight. And I was unable to advocate for her since I (like all families) was not allowed into the hospital or rehab.
    I am afraid I will always wonder – could it have been caught earlier? could she have survived?

    My father died of septic shock March 9th, 1993. He was only 49, and developed cellulitis in his left leg. Sepsis does not discriminate, and people who are ill with sepsis can begin to have confusion early in the sepsis process, which may inhibit their decision making. It was the most awful thing to witness, nothing can describe the agony that we went through with him. I hate to say this, but it was of some relief when he passed away because if he had survived, he never would have been the same, and my father was very well educated, in the medical field. I still agonize about it. I miss him every day. Treatments are far advanced from the time of my father’s death, but there is still such a high mortality rate associated with septic shock. Traumatic for all involved. Love you and miss you, dad.

    My dad is battling with sepsis in hospital. It’s six days now. I pray God heals him because he’s literally my everything.

    My mother passed on May 4th to sepsis. She was fine one day and the next in excruciating pain. Turns out a small cut she got on her knee when she fell got infected and that was enough to get it. The hardest part is how quickly it all happened. And how unexpected it all was.

    6 years ago I was feeling bad like I had the flu. I went to my primary care doctor and he called an ambulance. 24 hours later I was in a coma that lasted 7 weeks during that time I developed ARDS a complication from sepsis. My blood pressure bottomed out and I was starved of Oxygen due to my lungs full of fluid. By some miracle I survived with serious damage to my body. I spent two years in speech therapy and occupational rehab. I was an engineer I went back to college at 46 graduated last year. I had to relearn most everything. Sepsis took my life and hit the reset button. I have huge memory gaps that have never came back sometimes I look at vacation pictures and I feel like I was photoshopped in. I had never heard of sepsis prior to this.

    HI MY OTHER HALF PASSED ON FROM SEPSIS AND HE HAD ACQUIRED PNEUMONIA THIS HAPPENED IN NOV.14, 2016. ITS GOING ON 4 YEARS NOW…

    My uncle has Sepsis and double pneumonia and was admitted to the hospital on Friday. It started with a fever and chills but it got worse. Now he’s on meds and still in the hospital but Sepsis is a scary thing and could kill someone if they don’t go to the er right away.

    My 51 year old brother had 2 pins put in his hips over a year ago . He is over weight and is a heavy drinker. His roommate insisted on taking him out of rehab 3 months early. He was still unable to walk. So for the next year he spent his days and nights on a recliner. Would not shower and went to the bathroom in his pants and she would clean him up. We called yhe the police for neglect but when they would come out my brother would say he’s fine.Well a couple months later which was May 1 2020 he had ber sores on his butt and thighs. He was having trouble breathing and his legs were filled with fluid.Hes now in the icu and not doing to good he has Sepsis and now is on 24 hour dialysis and his blood pressure is very low. He had a ventilator and a feeding tube but they just took them out. Please pray for him. Thank you

    I had sepsis in Aug. ., and spent a month and a half in the hosp and the nxt mo in a rehab nursing home type facility. So 3 mo before i came home. I was in rehab then covid19 came and TP shutdown . I was doing good , but have now regressed. I get awefully fatigued I’m short of breath and sore. I never heard of the word “sepsis” before, and i didn’t know the signs.My symptoms hit fast i was in my car i pulled into my driveway opened the dr got out, and remember ever so slightly that i was staggering.I made it into the huose and into my room. Moments later i was yelling for my wife to take me to the hospital . She took me to Beaumont they sent me home they didn’t recognize the symtoms.My wife drove me that day. Ten hours later i was yelling for her again i said i gotta go to the hospital i was in pain and scared. I told her to call an ambulance this time. They took me to the hospital.Well they kept me and thanks to them they saved my life. My organs were failing i had an abcess in my spine i was in bad enough shape they asked my wife if she would want them to bring me back if i should pass. She said yes, but thank s to an aware medical staff i made it through. The thing is i have a long recovery waiting me at least a year. So this needs to be put out there so people know,and ER’s are trained to recognize symptoms.I’m luck to be here

    Well i have read quite a few of these posts and certainly found one to be particularly familiar. It was the clot in the left groin that got my attention. First of all let me say i have been MRSA Sepsis sick 3 times and some how survived! My most recent MRSA infection was in 2016 59 years old and aprox 10 years removed from a Surgery to fix my left tibia, fibia , and fibula which i am not sure how it occured. The Ambulance report was a vague assumption that it was hit and run. I however was on foot at a gas station . So , getting to the point of this incident by having had such great luck in medical mysteries i developed a DVT in my lower left foot after the ankle fusion. 10 years later i am feeling hot , sweating , headache and developed soft tissue necrosis in my left foot which at first was wet and red .3 smaller toes and outside of my heel. My nurse friend came over and freaked out saying i was in big trouble if i don’t go now to hospital. Well that clot broke loose and was trapped in scar tissue on my left side groin . My Femoral Artery was blocked leg very swollen and that’s what was causing the problems. I had contacted MRSA back when i was being hospitalized many times over the years prior to the ankle and after. The scar tissue was in my groin area because i was a practicing inter venous drug abuser for many years although not for a few years prior to this particular incident. I am not grateful to have been this crazy addict although i believe this scar saved my life. I live in North Bay Calif. and the hospitals here didn’t have the means to save me. I was raced down to the hospital. 4 surgeries and 3 months later i was going home. I do not wish to try my luck at another fight and have surrendered with a new found gratitude!

    The question is How can a rip occur in a hospitalized patient to the point that within 2 days she was dead? No surgery. Free air and a rip in her bowel which put her into sepsis shock. How can this be determined to be a natural cause of death because she caught pneumonia AFTER being intubated. Grieving, disturbed and confused.

    Hi, I lost my wife, the love of my life to sepsis on Feb 24th 2020. She had been fine two days before except for coughing something up which I thought was food-related but with hindsight I know now was a sign something was not right. The day before, she was just sleeping a lot until the afternoon when I and the carers saw her temperature was up. I gave her paracetamol and it came down temporarily. She did have some of the symptoms I know now point to sepsis (rapid breathing, temperature fluctuation, pale skin) and even though she had MS and epilepsy, the sepsis symptoms didn’t spark a seizure. I called emergency services later in the evening, and feel guilt because clearly I should have called them in the afternoon. When they came, they instantly said ‘possible SEPSIS’ .. I didn’t know even what it was and had to google it when we reached hospital. My wife had developed a cut on her right thigh and despite district nurses treating it every 2-3 days for over a week, it must have got infected & that was how the sepsis got in. Why couldn’t anyone say, your wife has a cut/abrasion, keep an eye out for warning signs of sepsis. Then I would have googled it and known what to look out for. No one said a thing. My wife of 22 years, went into hospital on the Sunday and died the following evening at 8.40 pm, and I had been her carer and nursed her for 15 years helping her with numerous chest infections, bouts of pneumonia, seizures .. and am left feeling guilty that I didn’t act fast enough against a stealth killer that I didn’t know the symptoms of at the time but I know only too well now .. it was so sudden but at least my wife fell away gently and died peacefully in the comfort of myself and family and friends but that doesn’t take away the pain and the huge loss that I’m feeling now.

    My mother passed away 29th august from sepsis shock her kidneys stop working she could not breath all from aspiration pneumonia she got a sore throat 3 days before she went to hospital on the night she went to hospital she had flu like systems rang the ambulance they took her to hospital 2 days later she was put in a unconscious state and died 3 days later we just fort she had a sore throat

    Hubby came down with flu type a on tuesday. Called ambulance on thursday. Is in the ice still on a ventilator. Heart is infected, brain is infected, kidneys are sitting down. They will begin dialysis today. Embolic strokes. My husband is 50 years old, in perfect shape/health. Please pray for Joe.

    My mom was scheduled for surgery and the day before she couldn’t urinate and had pain on her left arm. We told the doctors she seemed sick but they said it was because she needed this surgery for her leaky heart valve . To this day I feel bad for not insisting for them to admit her to check her out first but they kept saying it was because she needed surgery. She only survived two days and had become sepsis and ended up on life support after her surgery everything that could go wrong did. I want to share my story because I live with this guilt now not being more aggressive to check my mom. Please insist to admit your love one before any surgery or any guessing games. Make them check your love one for any symptoms they are complaining about. Yes because she was 79 they used the excuse that she just was not strong enough for this surgery because of her age. I feel she should had never had this surgery knowing she was having issues urinating .

    I lost my beautiful youngest sister to sepsis last week, she was a nurse who had spent her working life caring for sick people. She though she had a vomiting bug, we talked to her the night before and she said she though she was getting better. We couldn’t make contact with her the next day, had no keys to her house and had to get the police to break in and they found her dead. She would have been 60 on 22nd of this, we were planning a celebration for her now we’re planning her funeral, all our family are numb with shock.

    I had Sepsis and was in the hospital for eleven days. I survived it. I don’t know how I just know it was out of my hands.

    My mom -74yo- went into severe sepsis after her colon ruptured in two places. A colonectomy was performed followed by three other procedures to clean her out and close the wound.

    She is now in in-patient rehab after 11 days in ICU. She is not the same woman. Her moments of lucidity are few. She is struggling with speech and physical therapy. We have not heard anything from any doctor about Post-Sepsis Syndrome, but I am certain that is where she is. I’m eager for resources. I want to know what are future looks like and if there is any hope for anything that resembles full recovery.

    I just lost a good friend of mine to septsis. I spoke to him on Sunday 2/16/20 and we talked about working on his boat. I told him I had a few things to get out of the way then we can get the boat in the garage and get it ready for spring. He called me Monday and told me he has made several sheds and he has sold a couple of them. I told him I need to see the machine he bought that cuts up trees and makes planks. He dries out the wood and makes sheds. I didn’t speak to him all week. He daughter called me Saturday evening and told me that her dad is very ill and the family wants us up to see him. My wife and I got dressed and went to the hospital. When we got there he was in an induced coma. His wife said he had a fever of 103. Tested him for the flu, came back negative so they sent him home. That was Tuesday 2/18/20. Thursday his fever has not gone down and went back to the hospital. They preformed chest X-rays and it was good. Sent him home. Saturday morning he couldn’t even stand. His wife rushed him to the emergency room. They finally admitted him. He had a red blotch on his right forearm. They had to operate on his right forearm because it was discolored. They found a small muscle that was dead. They said it was removed and left the incision open so it heals from the inside out. We left at 3:00am Sunday morning and went home. Sunday afternoon his wife called and said come to the hospital because God is going to take him. He fell into septic shock and his blood pressure kept falling. We lost him that night. I will miss my friend and best man to this horrible illness.

    On the 14th of February 2020 the father of my child suddenly died..that’s on Valentines day..I am still in shock..today is the 22nd ferry 2020, we buried him yesterday…A week ago he complained of headaches and constipation and being tired..We asked him to take some laxativesort. On the 12th we talked to him on the phone he said he rather die that he is tired of the headache.on the 13th my daughter visited him and his eyes were closed and he looked very week..She tried to feed him bananas and grapes also water .since she thought he was weak from running stomach she told him he must drink mageu before he sleep at night .he was just responding without opening eyes.when she told me i became shocked and told her he maybe dying why didn’t she call me or an ambulance. .she told me to open my WhatsApp and check messages and pictures. .It was already late and i didn’t have enough petrol..its far from us, maybe 50km. I tried to check the address so that i can send an ambulance we dint find it..In the morning she rushed there and find an umbulance called by someone taking him..They say there was foam coming from his mouth and hands crossed on the chest..i could go there since the previous day i took leave and told her to call me if no improve mental. .He was not responding like in a coma..at tge hospital they tried everything but still nothing..They were scared to tell my daughter who is 25 years..And told someone to take her home. She told her they must go and that doctors will revive him..later while on her way home she got a call that he passed away..She called me crying.i was devastated felt guilty and and am still..The postmortem say SEPSIS ..I googoled and learned about it..He was a self employed person.installing cupboards, tiles and ceilings. .maybe he cut himself but in DECEMBER someone banged him across the wall and he started complaining of his hurting spine..went to clinic and only given pain killers now and then. .We never thought it was bad till he decorated on the 13th. . I AM STILL CRYING WUSHING I COULD HAVE HELPED .MY DAUGHTER TOO FELLS GUILTY AND CRIES NOW AND THEN THINKING SHE COULD HAVE CALLED AN AMBULANCE..STILL MOURNING . I PLANNED TO TAKE HIM TO MY PLACE AFTER TAKING HIM TO DOCTORS THAT COMING WEEKEND BUT…😰😵😠

    My 96 year old mom had a UTI that was asymptomatic. My sister visited her one night in Jan and she was shivering. My sister took her to nurse at 55+ development and nurse said to put her to bed. THIS WAS INCORRECT ADVICE WE NOW KNOW. My sister followed nurses advice. Next morning our mom was confused and unable to follow instructions. We took her to ER at local hospital that day where the UTI was diagnosed. They told us she would be confused during day and she would recover her mental capacity as day went on. THEY WERE WRONG. Our mom was suffering septic embolism to brain and was actually having strokes. She became unresponsive, unable to speak. I managed to wake her briefly and still unable to talk she shook her head yes that she loved us and that she was in no pain. She even squeezed my hand when I asked her to. That night she became unresponsive and died from Septic Embolism Stroke the next day. She was a healthy 96 with no illnesses and a sharp mind. We lost her tragically to this little understood illness. If we had known we would have taken her to the hospital as soon as we saw her shivering. I am sorry no one spoke to us about this symptom and how to react if it occurred. I know now – too late – that shivering in the elderly is a warning sign to get to a hospital immediately. May the memory of my mom be a blessing forever. I am glad it was a painless and quick death.

    My cousin is currently in critical condition from sepsis, She’s only 28 went to a local hospital for flu like symptoms they told he she was okay, and to take some cold medicine and was sent home. Her condition worsen and she was soon unable to breath, she went back to the hospital and was admitted for pneumonia. This cause sepsis in her body causing her arms and legs to die. It also killed her kidneys and her lungs. The doctor told my aunt theres not more medicaly they can do to save her and we should start getting her Will and other things ready.

    My beautiful mom had a UTI that was asymptomatic. I talked to her that morning, she took a short nap and woke up confused and unable to communicate. 4 days into her hospitalization she became unresponsive. She was not on any life support and she opened her eyes during the day and sleep at night so we always held hope that she would come back to us. My mom had 6 kids and we all stayed by her side for 7weeks while we watched this terrible infection attack her organs one by one. Minor heart attack, minor stroke, kidney failure, encephalopathy… it was pneumonia that ended up taking her. We had her intubated just long enough for all family to be there. My family will never recover from the trauma of not only the disease but the severe negligence we dealt with throughout her illness. I feel terrible for those with no advocate. We had an army and still experienced so many things that should not have happened and resulted in her death. Something more needs to be done about this. My mom was 71, she left behind 6 kids, 14 grandkids, and 7 great grandkids. She was the purest soul and should not have endured that!

    I am concerned that the medical profession fails to look for infections that can quickly morph into sepsis. I have been shocked to see that signs of infection in the elderly are dismissed because of their age. Not all elders are suffering from dementia. I am also concerned that there is a trend to not actually physically examine a patient anymore. So many infections can be physically seen. The elderly often do not display the extreme signs that someone younger shows. Their white count may be slow to react and they may have a low grade fever. And all this while the infection is rapidly progressing in their body. The most prominent symptoms may be only mental confusion and weakness. In the case of our family member, we actually had to find the sign of the infection while our loved one was in the hospital for 4 days and we were being told that she was suffering from sudden dementia and should be placed into hospice. Within 12 hours of receiving the IV antibiotic, she was completely lucid again. Can you imagine how many nurses and doctors had rotated through that room and the family had to spot the infection? What was that? Was it lack of training on their part? Was it an unconscious prejudice against the elderly? I remember the ER doctor lecturing us early on that society cannot afford to care for the elderly anymore. To say that I have lost faith in the medical profession is an understatement. I also have noticed that too many ER doctors are aggravated with the increase of elder problems showing up in THEIR ER. I believe that many cases of elder sepsis can be avoided if there is at least one ER doctor on shift that is trained in gerontology. The population is aging and the medical profession needs to make the necessary adjustments. We were extremely lucky. My advice to other families is to not be afraid to educate yourself and ask lots of questions. Stop worrying that you will offend the medical staff. As long as you are polite, you can be persistent. Trust your intuition and do not underestimate your personal knowledge of your loved ones usual level of cognitive and physical health. Time is of the essence in all infections, but most especially so with sepsis. Thank you to all who have contributed to this website. It was invaluable to us. Tell others.

    My mother is currently in critical condition with septic shock. No one had a clue anything was wrong until no one had heard from her in 4 days. She was found unresponsive. They did cpr. Used the paddles and brought her back. She is still unconscious with a breathing tube. They are giving her large quantities of heart meds to raise her blood pressure without those she would be gone. It is so difficult to watch. Im lost. The doctors s@y we need to decide if we will take her off the ventilator or not. I know what she would want but i dont know if i can do it. If anyone has advice i will surely take it. Thank you

    On April 9 2018 my beautiful mother fainted and cut her head, got stitched up at the local hospital and was sent home. The next day she became very ill and was rushed to the ER where she was barely treated for suspected concussion. She had invasive group A strep and sepsis had already begun to take her from us, and the doctors missed all of the telltale signs. She continued to decline in general hospital ward for 2 days until she crashed and they finally realized she had sepsis. She went into shock and then lay sedated for 1 week in ICU while her body died one limb at a time. We removed her supports when we were told that she we would require full amputation of her arms and legs. She was my best friend and she deserved, as we all do, to enjoy her retirement, her wonderful marriage, her grand babies. If doctors would have stopped long enough to pay attention and follow protocols, she would have gotten what she deserved.

    My wife was cleaning pus pockets out of her throat evidently she scratched her throat and got streptococcus in her bloodstream. The strep infection caused DIC which sent her into septic shock and she died in 20 hours. She was the love of my life.

    My wife was 42 years old the healthiest person in our whole family she was cleaning pus pockets out of her throat with a Q-tip. Evidently she scratched her throat with the Q-tip got streptococcus in her bloodstream which turn to DIC and caused her to go into septic shock she died in 20 hours. She was the love of my life.

    My mom and last parent is currently battling sepsis and went through a terrible time during the past 5 years. She was unfortunate to get breast cancer 5 years ago and had a small tumor removed. It was very early stage and after the surgery she got chemo and hormone therapy, which utterly ruined her life. She was so happy and full of energy all the time up the point after she had chemo and Hormon therapy. She could no longer work and got depressed because her immune system was bad and she had such uncertainties about how well she would fell. Days she would be okay and others she would be completely drained from energy and not be able to get out of bed. It soon spiraled into a depression and she got anxiety. Here in Denmark she went to tremendous efforts demanding by the government over a period of 4 years to asses her ability to work in order for her to get a pension and she had been pushed around in between so many councils, job try outs and meetings where she was just about to reach the end and could finally relax and not worry about anything more in her life since she was qualified for early retirement.

    But here in November her stomach problems took a turn for the worse. She had gone to her doctors so many times during the past 2 years which bad digestion, bad stomach issues and explained how tired she was. Each time she was sent home and told it was just because she was stressed and she should rest and meditate.

    Late December she went to the hospital herself because of severe stomach pain and was put in the hospital because one of her kidneys had failed. During this she was still complaining about stomach pains and demanded to be throughly checked for it, but the doctors ignored her. Her kidney had failed because her urine pathway was blocked and they suspected a cancer in the ureter, but didn’t find anything so the conclusion was it was blocked by some external pressure. Then she got and CT scan and they started to suspect her to have uterus cancer because they were enlarged. It should be menthioned she was sent home each individual time and this went on for nearly a whole month.
    She then went for a PET scan the 17th of January where I am today been let known by the doctors, that she had late stages cancer in all of her abdomen and intestines. This was knowledges they already had by then without telling us a single thing about it.

    On the 28th she finally got an appointment for a endoscopic examination bit had begun to severely vomit in the days leading up to this and on the night up to where should be taking her medicine to prepare her for the examination she couldn’t hold it down and threw it all up. She still went to the examination and they tried to do the examination but couldn’t and just simply sent her back home. Luckily I was home and by the time she was home she had already thrown up on the way home and again at home. Her belly was severely inflated and she was in severe pain. She then threw up and I could smell her vomit smelled of feces so I immediately called 911 and had her brought to the hospital. Hours go by in the hospital and she was just given some pain meditation and doctors sitting with her and talking about her symptoms.

    Doctors were calm and I got sent home with nothing to worry about. We still haven’t heard the latest news about her late Stege cancer or anything about her stomach. They still didn’t know what was wrong.
    After 6 hours in the hospital I get a TEXT message from my mom they she had to go into acute surgery and that was so far the last thing my mom said to me. She had for the past few days been fighting the septic shock she had gone into and is still fighting. Doctors told me she was not likely to survive the night but luckily she is strong and have been so since the operation and fighting the sepsis.

    But even though she fights and wakes from the septic chock doctors can’t do anything more about the cancer in her abdomen.
    I am so devastier by the horrible treatment my mom had received and how unserious she had been taken all the time. Even letting her going through an endoscopic examination while knowing her insides probably were very bad. (Doctors told me the reason they couldn’t operate anymore or help her more was because the intestines were so fragile) It is unimaginable for me to understand how no precautions were made or any observation for they matter was given her while the doctors had this information before hand.

    My mom is now destined to die from cancer but could have been spared from going through and fighting septic shock. And I could have had some final good moments with her and tell her how much I love her. But these rights were taken away from her because of ignorance and incompetence from the doctors who treated her. I wonder if her mental state and depression from her journal made the doctors take her less seriously. She was not in any way mentally ill but simply exhausted and filled with anxiety and depression from the long frustration and bad treatments she had received. But I felt this too from the doctors that this weighted in their judgement and the history of “stress” was the culprit for her symptoms. We know why this was not stress and I am so angry that such ignorance is still going on.

    I have now just turned 28 and lost my farther in my hands from a heart attack at the age of 18 without saying goodbye and now I am about to loose my mother the same way. Life is so unfair sometimes and you really need to be your own doctor these days. You need to demand all kinds of tests and bloodwork done and don’t take no for an answer. Even if your doctors tells you that your not sick and you still feel sick, demand more test and do your own research about your illness.

    My step-dad who has been a part of my family for 41 years and a loving grandfather to my children died 2 days ago due to septic shock. He was in the hospital for appox, 5 weeks. The sepsis caused heart damage, kidney failure, and finally a cardiac arrest that took him from us. There is information on Dr. Google about sepsis, and I learned more from that than the doctors revealed to us. I wish they didn’t give us false hope about his condition, no mention of palliative care or hospice. My heart is broken, I can’t believe he’s gone, the last 5 weeks have been a nightmare I can’t wake from from,. May God bless those affected by sepsis.

    My mom has had sepsis twice. This second time was the worse. She was in the icu and intubated for 4 days. She got cellulitis again, but not as bad. This is what had led to the recent sepsis right before thanksgiving. She has had trouble bathing. I think this led to bacterial germs not getting washed away.

    Now today, I can see she’s dealing with short term memory loss. I’m in the beginning stages of getting this fully diagnosed with medical professionals.

    Depression and substance abuse led to lack of bathing. Overweight and probably other factors led to cellulitis and now sepsis twice with memory issues. Trusting God.

    My mother was alcoholic and addicted to prescription meds. By age 56, in 2000, she got sepsis, then septic shock. Her body turned dark green and eyes became yellow in the ICU. They told us we had to take her off life support bcz her insides were turning into pudding, liquid and running out of time.

    My mother died of Septic shock December 2, 2018. A little over a month ago was the one year anniversary of her death. It was devastating for me! We were invited to go to Lima Peru for a Bible Convention for 11 days. Mom was so excited as I was cause we never had been out of the country before. Two days before we were supposed to come back, she fell sick and was rushed to ICU. She was in ICU for 7 days and died. The infection had reached her brain already. I had to have her cremated before I could return home. I had to go to the embassy there and prove I was her daughter to even do that. None of my family could come be with us because they did not have passports. 13 hour flight there and back. No one knew she was sick. I had taken her to the doctor a few times before we left cause she was complaining of no energy and she did go to the hospital thinking she was having a heart attract a couple months before our trip. No one did any extensive looking, blood work to check. If they had of, she would still be here today. She was my mom and best friend. My life is not the same without her. I miss her so much! She was 75 years old.

    My beautiful, sharp as a tack Mom survived sepsis this month but now has some serious dementia going on which I know in my heart is a direct result of the sepsis. My heart is broken… I know I have to get into acceptance but its difficult and painful.

    My mother became septic October 23. Was hospitalized for 2 months and now in a rehabilitation facility. What a roller coaster she and the family has gone through and still dealing with. I just don’t understand why the treatment for sepsis is still so lacking. Intensive nutritional theory and a fecal transplant should be studied to help support sepsis survivors. She has had stomach problems and on going blood in her stool. She’s still alive, thankfully but I’m just so scared this could still take her like so many other’s after hospitalization.

    I am watching my grandmother take her last few breaths as I type this, and she has a very similar story. She had a blood clot in her femoral artery surgically removed early September 2019. 2 weeks later she was fighting for her life due to septic shock. She beat it! She went to rehab and we thought that she won the battle. Then late November, she was back in the hospital due to infection and an aneurysm in the same spot. They didn’t want to operate until the infection cleared, but three days later, the aneurysm ruptured and she had emergency surgery to repair the artery. She made it thru the surgery but was never the same. Acute delirium cause her not to eat. A month later the incision started bleeding out and her heart stopped. 1 week later, after 2 strokes, no blood flow to her left leg, Gangrene took over, we weaned her off of life support and she is now dying. Just before the wound started to bleed out, I smelled something foul on her feet. I told the nurse, and she just washed her feet. I believe the infection was back, and even though they changed her wound dressing 3 times a week, no one noticed.

    The story saddens me I didn’t know anything about sepsis until, 12-14-19 when my mother unexpectedly pass away from it. My grandma was in the hospital for 3 weeks had a AAA and we visited everyday. On Friday 13th my mom didn’t come she said she had the runs. 24hrs later she passed away of sepsis shock. I’m so lost and confused to how this could have happened. It saddens me deeply and I want answers. RIP Mama

    Hello everyone. My mom was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer at the at the end of June 2019. She had surgery August 1st then started chemotherapy a month later. She did chemo for 3 months, going in and out of the hospital the whole time. 4 days before Halloween she went in to the hospital with severe pain, fever, confusion and a host of other problems. Halloween day she died of septic shock. Everything spiraled out of control, before we knew it she had slipped away. This has been the hardest thing on me and my family. My mother was our family’s matriarch. Septic shock is a terrible awful thing!! And very preventable! The hospital did nothing but help her die! I miss her so much everyday! Please watch for the signs and symptoms of this! No one should die of sepsis!

    My father died of Septic Shock last Sunday, December 8. I am so devastated and still do not know how to cope up losing the person I spent time with the longest time. I do not know how to go on through the remaining half of my life with only memories of him. I want his physical presence and longing to hear his voice again.

    I just lost my mother today from sepsis
    She fell down in bedroom and hit the floor. She did not know where she was and refuses to allow my father to pick her up.
    We had to call the EMS and some firemen picked her up on Thanksgiving morning. My mom cried in pain.
    The nurses did not seem to tell my father and I that mother had spesis. But I had looked it up on the hospital WIFi.
    My mother had been in the hospital for 4 days.
    On Sunday she finally got out of the hospital. But the paramedics dropped her on my porch.
    Last night my mother told me to take care of myself and tgat she was sick.
    We had some hospice nurses come by to take care of her.
    This morning my mother started having seizures and convulsions.
    She passed away while a nurse. was giving her a sponge bath and washing her hair.
    She had a long battle with fibromyalgia and lupus. It did not help she had two back surgeries. She also had diabetes and had work a spinal stimulator that was k in back nearly 5 years ago.
    It had been a long two years of battling
    my mother. She kept falling down at least 5 or 6 times this past Spring. It was stressful knowing she had fallen while I was at work.
    One time, she fell down on the weekend

    My husband died of Sepsis last month. He had a gash on his leg from bumping into a tree stump while cleaning brush from the backyard. The hospital gave him a tetanus shot and a bandaid and told him not to change the bsndage for a week. His health rapidly began declining. We made 4 more trips to the ER because my husband got so bad he couldn’t walk.
    He began to have trouble breathing. The final trip there he was taken by ambulance where he went into cardiac arrest. He was transported to another hospital 6 hours later. He died that same day. He was not given any antibiotics. Death certificate states that his cause of death was sepsis…which. Could hsve been prevented if the ER would have given him antibiotics in the first place. He had just turned 61 years old and we had falsely believed that we still had a future together. We trusted the medical doctors at the hospital to do the right thing, but they were so much in a hurry to rush people in and out of there that they dropped the ball bigtime and allowed a very vibrant lively patient to slip into death within. A .weeks time . I am sure that if it had been one of their own family members the proper treatment would have been given. WAKE UP Medical Community .

    My wonderful husband passed away on Halloween
    He developed septis three weeks earlier
    They gave him antibiotics and cleared up the infection he came home
    Was placed on hospice care four days later
    Hospice care is wonderful

    My mother wouldn’t allow herself to be bathed and refused any professional help. No amount of coaxing would get her to allow someone to touch her. She said she would clean herself. This went on for many months until she contracted a uti that turned into sepsis. She was secretive about her symptoms until her blood pressure dropped to 20. She passed 10 hours later. My brother and I have dealt with the guilt of being on watch when this all happened. We didn’t know the signs of sepsis. We also have PTSD but could we have prevented this?

    My mother passed away yesterday due to this awful flesh eating disease! Had the hospital she was in for almost 3 weeks paid attention & listened to all the doctors my mom would still be alive today!! I had to watch my mom literally suffer a awesome gruesome death which broke my ❤ in half:(Please I beg every family if you even have the slightest hint your loved 1 has it seek help immediately never take no for a answer!!)

    My mother is currently fighting for her life in the hospital right now. In October she had a major back surgery. After multiple attempts to go be seen from excruciating pain she was still in after surgery they kept brushing her away saying the pain is normal. Saturday 11/16 she passed out going to the bathroom and she has been fighting since in icu. They found a rather large abscess near her surgery site. She has not be able to wake up after being off of sedation for some time now and she is on a wound vac with a jp drain as well.

    I developed sepsis as a result of aspiration pneumonia, which I did not know I had. Thought it was a bad, long-lasting case of the flu. Became very tired, unable to eat or drink and slept all the time. Could bately speak. A friend told me to get to the hospital NOW. Another friend called 911. I flat-lined in the ER and spent 3 weeks in a coma. After finally coming to conciousness, I began physical rehab for 4 weeks. I still have physical problems with walking, balance & motor coordination. It took me over a year before I could take one step without assistance and a whole year to fully reclaim my mental acuity. I still have to use a walker.
    This all could have been avoided had I gone to the doctor after just one week of feeling bad. Now, my body will never be the same.

    May every mother be safe from sepsis, pain management and other diseases. It honestly sinks my heart knowing about your loss. May God gift her with the best place in heaven.

    I have had 4 hospitalizations for sepsis in the last seven months. I don’t have kidney or liver disease, any clotting disorders or cancer, so basically none of the big risk factors. Today I (finally) learned that sepsis causes immune suppression for years after infection, that the clock for recovering from the immune suppression resets every time sepsis recurs, and that the ED and ICU staff are expecting to continue to admit and treat me until sepsis wins, which statistically probably isn’t far off. It’s a very odd future to be looking at for myself.

    I just lost the greatest man a son could ever ask for. Even though we didn’t share the same blood. He raised me and was my father. I took him in to the ER one night for a swollen abdomen. the doctors found a mass causing a complete bowel obstruction. He needed emergency surgery to relive the pressure while they figured out what to do with the mass. The emergency surgery had to be held back hours because he was having a diabetic crisis. When he was ready for the surgery he was taken in but due to the electrolyte imbalance they had to be quick. The next day when he was more stable he was intervened for a second time to examine his bowel and asses the damage done by the stretching. Apparently his bowel had already torn and 80 percent of his colon had to be removed. And his entire abdominal cavity thoroughly cleaned. He was started on antibiotics and a few days later was on the route to recovery. A few days passed and the efforts to wean him off the ventilator started but kept failing. Suddenly his hands and Feet started to swell. Even though I made sure the nurse at the time knew she simply said “it’s probably cause he’s laying down”. But she couldn’t have been more wrong. Soon after things took a steep dive. His pressure required vasopressors, his kidneys started to shut down and he was getting constant blood work ups and cultures in an effort to find out what was going on. Never did any doctor come to us and say he has sepsis or his organs are shutting down due to infection. If it weren’t because I kept bothering nurses and asking. Was when one of them told me that he was septic and that they still had no idea where the infection was. My godfather was started on dialysis for kidney failure. According to doctors his liver had end-stage cirrhosis even though a month prior an er doctor told me his liver looked fine. But now his inability to maintain blood pressure without excessive amounts of vasopressors, CRRT, and a Ventilator after all the my godfather had gone through the doctors gave us absolutely no hope from the start. One doctor had the nerve to tell us”you either let him suffer or you let him die”. I stayed every single night at the hospital after that day the last day I saw him awake was a Saturday night. I came to his ICU room and was sent off because the doctors were doing an ultrasound of his heart. The next morning I went to see him and he was doing seizure like movements with his arms , head and and face. The doctors had no idea what was going on. After weeks of continuing treatment and the doctors constantly reminding us that our efforts and theirs were in vane. The doctors finally told us that the vasopressors he was on was cutting circulation to his extremities and that with the high doses he was getting that it wouldn’t be long before his hands and feet became necrotic and they suspected that the circulation to his Brain was very low and that was the cause for his “seizure” and no responsiveness. After doing some research and his continued non-response and constant jerking. We decided to let him rest before those vasopressors destroyed his body further. He left this world and left a huge empty space in all our hearts and people of his church. I’m never going to forget the day the man that raised me and took care of me stopped living. in the end sepsis knocked my godfather unconscious but the deadly vasopressors destroyed any hope of survival.

    Angie,
    We are experiencing this now. my dad is alive but apidly deckining…dame story. Can yiu suggest anthing to save him if you did it over?

    My mother died Oct 19th 2019. Sepsis leading quickly to septic shock we arrived at the er at 843 pm the 18th she was put immediately on a vent. Blood pressure would not come up when i walked in that night she looked me in the eyes. Trying to say some thing but could not she was restrained. She coded around 334 am brought her back. Dr told me as i sat alone with my last parent i had a decision to make either prolong her suffering or mine. Or let it end. I decided to take the vent out. She blew out never tried to breath. She is gone and i had no warning. Sepsis awareness needs to become a new movement across america. I sure do miss her PTSD is bad for the ones left behind. Turning that vent off ruined me forever.

    My husband at 49 years old had a stroke which caused left side partial paralysis it then ended up causing end stage renal failure and was on hemo dialysis 3 days a week . About 2 months ago he went to the dentist for a root canal, a month later he had come down with blood infection that spread to his heart valve he had fluid around his heart and in his lungs they put a picc line in released him from the hospital to come home before surgery to replace heart valve, he died a week later. He was 54. Is the dentist responsible?! He should have been put on antibiotics 3 days prior to the procedure! The dentist should have known what to do to prevent this! Do I have any recourse?!

    My independent, positive and pretty healthy 83 year old dad went into the hospital in March to have a heart valve replaced, little did I know how this was going to end 7 weeks later. A week and a half after surgery his wound became infected with gangrene and he had some fluid in his lungs. He went under twice to “clean him out” of the dead tissue in his chest wall and 2 bronchoscopies to clear out the fluid. On April 10th he had to have major surgery because the gangrene had ate his tissue and muscle up so bad that they had to cut him open, or should I say filet, and pull his abdominal muscles up and his pec muscles over to cover what was gone and an artery bypass. He was still on antibiotics and when I spoke to his nurse after this surgery she reassured me since he had antibiotics at that time that he shouldn’t get another infection. 2 days later he had VRE/superbug. My dad went from confused to absolutely delirious, you would swore he was a mental patient. Screaming all night, boxing in mid air, pulling his feeding tube out and mumbling all day, he just wasn’t “there”. I didn’t understand why his mental state was like it was and the doctors would keep saying it was ICU delirium, malnutrition and the pain meds. I was told he was “headed in the right direction, lets heal his body first then his mind”. Then they transferred him to an independent extended ICU hospital not affiliated with them where the staff was upfront with me and told me that it wasn’t from ICU delirium or any of what the doctors had been telling me, that the infection had gone into his brain. He was weak and unable to eat because he was aspirating/fluids going to his lungs. The feeding tube couldn’t stay in him but for a few more days and if he couldn’t eat on his own that he would have to be sent back to the hospital for the feeding tube to be surgically put into his stomach and all we would be doing was sustaining his life and he’d go to a nursing home. My dad made it clear to everyone that he never wanted to go to a nursing home so we made the choice to take the feeding tube and send to hospice where he passed 5 days later. While at the ICU hospital he was no longer screaming but was incoherent most of the time, he would mumble something every once in a while that made sense, like he was “there” for just a few seconds and gone again. I NEVER once had anyone tell me his brain was doing what it was due to sepsis until I got his medical records and did my research. My dad went through hell mentally and physically and it breaks my heart because he didn’t deserve to have his ending like he did and it makes me more mad when I read that VRE is usually from the hospital. I can understand why anyone has PTSD from watching someone you love go through what they have with VRE and sepsis, things I saw go through my head every single day and has caused me to be very depressed. I have a lot of regrets because I trusted these doctors and I shouldn’t have.

    My wife died of sepsis this year. This (sepsis) was diagnosed after spending some time in a hospital and send home. When she got here the next day she was very ill we call 911 they took her to another hospital. Where we were told she had sepsis. But it’s more than that I tried to get a lawyer but so far they are turning me down. I am asking you for help in perhaps someone in this forum knows of lawyers that handle this. I’m losing my mind not understanding what really happened to her.

    I am so sorry for all of your losses from this horrible disease, I lost my husband of 33 years last Dec 27th 2018 from Septis, he was diagnosed the April before with acute congestive heart failure at 57 years of age, after seeing heart doctor and prescribed 6 different heart medications he was feeling better and had gone back to work, over the next few months his appetite declined he was losing weight and could barely walk from the car to the house which was like 15 feet away, heart doctor told him to slow his activities and his work load down and continue to Take the heart medications, he had no blockages and was never over weight, was a smoker for 40 years but always strong and picture of health, and then n April he swelled up everywhere on his body within 2 days he look like he put on 30 pounds that is when I took him to the ER, we honestly thought that he may of ate something that he was allergic to and the body swelling was a reaction he was having but no it was not that he had advanced acute heart failure was in the hospital for a little over a week until he was able to come home, over the next few months he did find but just tire a lot quicker then fast forward to Sept his appitite declined and he lost 30 pounds by Oct and could barely walk around and felt sick so back in the hospital in Nov for almost two weeks, once he was home he felt better started eating normal and went back to his job, fast forward to Dec 24 and he told me his calf and foot were swollen, and he was having a hard time breathing , so I drove him to ER and they told us he had cellucellulitis in his leg and that they needed to admit him to get it treated, next day one of the Dr came in and told me he was septic had septic shock and he was dying and proceeded to say that she was surprised he had not passed yet, I was in complete shock and had no idea what she was saying, she spoke to me as if I was already aware, I just broke down in disbelief, then she said as I am bawling and still have not been able to get the questions out that I wanted answers to she tells me his organs were shutting down and that he needed to be put in hospice because there was nothing more they could do for him, he passed 2 days later, honestly I still believe I am in shock and dis belief of the whole heartbreaking gut wrenching situation, and very angry with the Dr s I believe they could of treated him but for some reason they did not, I miss my guy terribly every single day!! I feel for all of us who have lost our loved ones and are angry because of the way Dr do not explain like they should, I wish I would of had an advocate for sure

    Hi All
    We lost our Mum after she had a fall and she had a hip repair.
    Then went into Rehab whilst there she had a UTI infection 2 weeks later she had another.
    With a fever then she did not want to have a shower this day and lashed out with her leg which was caught on the bed and blood now on the bed and floor they patched it up daily
    So after doing her bloods again 2 weeks later e coli in the blood also she had Sepsis. Mum did not want to eat or drink. They found her kidneys were failing reading down to 7
    Mum had turned 93 then on 23rd September 2019 Mum passed my brother and l were with her. 7 weeks after her operation so quick so silently she was taken sepsis not good l tell everyone l see as well.
    Take care

    My sister has aspiration pneumonia and is currently in ICU for 4 weeks now. She also suffered from sepsis but now is cured from sepsis, except she is suffering from aspiration pneumonia. She cannot breathe on her own. Doctors put her on heavy sedation propofol because of setbacks from the trache placed on her neck and a broncoscopy done the same day. She woke up with puffy all over and with fluid in her lungs. They tried to wean her off propofol but she did not wake up. Her eyes rolled and she is not responsive. I’m scared for my sister. Any similar experiences with recovery?

    my mother died of septic shock due to an undetected UTI which spread to her bladder and kidneys. She was suddenly very listless, almost unable to sit up in her wheelchair. I called the paramedics and she was admitted to the hospital and dead in 48 hours. When I was in the emergency room with her, I felt they were triaging her to the bottom row because of her age of 89 years old. I never want to repeat the anguish I felt trying to get the hospital staff to administer to her. Fortunately I demanded she be kept free from pain when the antibiotics weren’t working and her kidneys were failing from the infection. Pain medicine for the dying is so important. She just died in her sleep 6 hours after she told me to stop treatment. very peaceful after being in pain and feeling horribly ill.

    With all of these horror stories of sepsis on this CDC site, many to appear to be caused by hospital neglect, is the CDC paying attention and doing more to educate the medical community? It seems like only financial punishment would wake up the medical industry to try to eradicate sepsis. I am currently sitting in a hospital room with my mother, watching my father who is hooked to life support, as she feverishly tries to convince herself that he will pull through though the doctors have said his kidneys are failing. At 84 years old he was diagnosed with tonsil cancer. Instead of offering palliative care the oncologist and radiologist pushed treatment which my dad felt was a sales pitch so they could buy new cars. I think he was right. 8 weeks after beginning his treatment he’s now on his death bed. He complained about the feeding tube they installed so after weeks of us showing hospital staff the horrible discharge and parts falling off everyone said it was ok. After begging for a test and them finally doing it they replaced the peg tube because of misplacement. Now they can’t answer if the misplacement of the tube and the klebsiella bacteria infecting it caused my father’s aspiration pneumonia which caused his sepsis. Also many times I had to ask the nurses to clean his feeding tube entrance site and it took awhile before they agreed to culture it. But they keep saying it had nothing to do with the feeding tube. They say it was from not being able to cough. And almost blaming us for having him drink his nutritional supplement or anything my mouth when it was their nurses that told us everything had to be nectar thick, which is why we purchased and used food thickener. To make matters worse he was in this hospital 2 weeks prior to this deadly hospital visit with aspiration pneumonia and they sent him home without any antibiotic treatment. I am so confused. So as my poor mother cries over her husband of 65 years contemplating whether or not to pull the plug, we are left without answers. Watching him be medically tortured for the past 3 weeks has been the most horrendous experience of our lives. God bless everyone with similar hospital experiences.

    Wow these stories are all to famaliar my grandma is 90 years old up until about 2 months ago she was very healthy only on blood pressure med ,hyroid ,and prozac due to losing 4 out of 5 kids but she is very independent the sweetest angle on earth always has been a great soul to any and everyone never smoked any no drugs or alcohol and she was going to her doc regularly so she was at my aunt’s house and she told them call 911 and when I got to hospital and saw her not even able to hold herself up I really couldn’t believe my eyes ok so I know they see a 90 yr old and of course they do not understand that’s not my gma my gma can walk dress herself read a book fix herself something to eat and anything else she desires so after the testing the said uti,blood count was not good ,and her heart hmmmm really well uti yes a very very bad thing and they began more test of her heart told us that. She has afib and upper respritory infection she had a really bad cough also so after being there for a week of crap instead of putting fluids and antibiotic in her intervainslly for the 7 days they did more heart test so they found out no stints needed no heart surgery needed just a med to control the beat pattern great so she gets discharged with home health and when they were at our house their reading the discharge papers and says she has acute kidney failure I said what no I read those papers a 1000x and it does not he said acute renal failure is kidney and nobody but nobody said anything about her kidneys then 7 days later she’s rushed back to er and this time sent back home 3 hours later told later that she had a partially colasped lung by a diff home health nurse I’m furious so I rate that it wasn’t funny and then I’m gonna say 3 days after that boom back to er except this time they had yo talks her straight to icu she was in severe septic shock syndrome and phnemonia I’m like omg ok first of all medical history and common sense play a big part here which obviously no one has anymore and it they do not read medical history if they did then there common sense would have kicked in so after all if this she went into rehab for 20 days and sent home guess what her urine smelled so so so bad like so bad I was floored and finally after getting her urine tested yes still had a uti and antibiotics were given again so then her heart doc now has her on lasix for i know 30 or more days well needless to say back to the er we went. With dangerously low pottisaum levels and dehydration so the er doc took her off that one and put her on a better one that controls all the other things lasix take out and well we went to her appt on the 17th and she got really bad lightheaded dizzy felt like passing out and nausea well she hasn’t been able to walk since the first time she went in over 2 m on ago but now she’s passing out can’t sit up or anything I don’t know what to do the doc seem ignorant or they just don’t care because she’s 90 but to me this is my grandma my kids greatgrandma our life or everything and we don’t want her to die especially when all they really had to do was there job if they would have looked at her med history maybe something would have clicked and duh maybe her body is shutting down because of the uti has turned into sepis or wait maybe the cough actually was phnemonia that went to sepis she wouldn’t have been in icu and in severe septic shock I wish somehow something could be done oh yea she has had hypklemia which is from lasix no potassium from them boom see if they would have read her history they may have been able to stop all of this uncessary damage to her body and health prayers go out to all of y’all my heart and prayers

    I just lost my mother 7 months ago from sepsis. She had all of the symptoms, and the infection was Ecoli. Her body became to weak and fragile to fight off the infections and her body was breaking down. It went from a follow-up with her PCP to admission into the hospital, she passed four days after being admitted. One of the worst days of my life. I heard of sepsis, but didn’t know too much about it until she was diagnosed with it. So, I did research on it. Now, I’m fully aware and educated on the infection and I tell others about it.

    August 30. My 60 year old twin brother had been battling bladder cancer that was responding well to the treatments. He was unfortunately a heavy drinker, which was the main problem. He went into the hospital very weak after vomiting and passing blood and had not eaten for several days. He was too weak to stand on his own but he was lucid and talking. As soon as he got into the ER they hit him with the “alcohol withdrawal protocol” which was a dose of Ativan. His blood draw showed a severe case of malnutrition and hemoglobin so low that he was borderline transfusion. Then they did a CT scan and the results were fatty liver. Then they did an endoscopy which showed that his stomach lining was eroded from alcohol and that was causing the bleeding. All of this and he seemed to be rallying within 2 days, sitting up in the chair in his room and wanting to go home. Then came the fever and infection. They blamed it on liver failure but he began to swell and retain fluid and his heart rate went up to around 140 bpm and stayed there. Everything went downhill from there and as I was frantic and very upset at his condition, they kept telling me that the underlying issue was liver failure and they couldn’t fix that. They said he had a UTI and was septic and he was getting several antibiotics. He developed fluid in his abdomen, around his lungs, and heart. He developed pneumonia. It was awful . He continued to decline and 11 days after he went to the ER he passed away. I am devastated. The worst part is that his death certificate lists the cause of death as Sepsis. Sepsis. It is painful to think about him when he went into the hospital being talkative, but malnourished and weak. I believe that he could have recovered with better care and sanitary conditions. I also think that they pegged him as an alcoholic and that affected his level of care. The entire affair has been devastating.

    My grandad had a full blood count test 2 weeks ago, they said his infection levels were 99 and should be 6. No further action was taken immediately other than a hospital appointment for 2 weeks time. The day of his hospital appointment came, he suddenly deteriorated & went into cardiac arrest, I performed CPR whilst waiting for the paramedics to arrive & they continued for over an hour. They mentioned sepsis & we are now waiting for a post mortem to confirm the cause of death. He had the signs of sepsis, but it’s just so heartbreaking to know that if it was it somehow may have been prevented had they picked it up sooner. Why did he have an infection level so high, he also had a huge scud on his head that was visibly infected & was just left for 2 weeks until then it was only to late.

    My grandma died from sepsis she was throwing up and shivering when i was calling for an ambulance. The blood infection most likely came from dialysis where there seemed to had a very bad infection in her left arm. She was in ICU for two weeks and left it after being clear of sepsis. Only after a week in she suddenly died she couldn’t make the full recovery. It was a weird feeling she looked fine the day before i called the ER she was laughing and smiling.

    We just lost our Aunt, just 73 to septic shock on Aug.28th, 2019 and I feel angry and upset. She’d been feeling bad for 3 weeks. Even went to her Dr. who gave her a shot of cortisone in her thumb for arthritis ! Finally going to an er on Monday night, they flew her to Cleveland Clinic. She was septic. She died Wednesday night. Now I read they could have at least tried ecmo on her. But you know, she’s 73 so to them that’s old and they just let her die. We are so sad! Be careful! Sepsis you can’t mess around with. Like another person said in comments, have an advocate for yourself! Hospitals are horrible these days!

    My sister is fighting for her life right now, this is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through. It’s like a bad roller coaster ride. It’s been 3 days and she is still fighting. I feel the pain from each and everyone who lost a love one, god bless you all.

    My Mom died from cardiac arrest which was caused by septic shock Jan.19,2019. I feel guilty because I was her advocate and didn’t push the issues and demand tests be done. The doctors never listen to the families when we tell them this isn’t normal or she’s doing this. She was 82 and I believe because of her other underlying conditions they didn’t care or do all that was possible quick enough. So families, demand tests and make the doctor show you lab results. You are nothing to them but EVERYTHING to your family! Love you Mom I’m sorry.

    My dad passed away a year ago of sepsis on june 24th 2018 he was 56. He went into the hospital on the 23rd and he was walking and talking. And on the 24th he was gone. None of us got to say anything to him. He left so soon!! My mom had no idea what sepsis was before this happened. If we would have seen the signs, i wonder if he would still be here today!!🙏🙏🙏

    My husband went in to the hospital after I got out of work. I took him into the hospital on July 27. I was there with him day in and out slept overnight with him. He went home on August 3. Om August 4, he had his dialysis then went to the dentist to get a tooth pulled that was bothering him. On Monday August 4th, I went to work Tuesday but on Wednesday I had to call off work. He stayed downstairs in the living room slept there. I couldn’t go to work because I knew something was really wrong. His sister was to be with me, as well as his niece came with me. Then his breathing got really heavy.
    We decided to call 911 and get an ambulance. They placed him in a wheelchair and then into the ambulance. His sister and niece went with him in the ambulance as I stayed and got some clothes together for him. I got my car and started driving to the hospital. As I drove, they called me told me to get to the hospital quickly, because I had to say good bye to him. He died that night.

    I just lost my uncle to sepsis according to the coroners report – still waiting on more specific details from the autopsy; however, I still can’t process or believe it. Friends report he was healthy days before. He was found in bed with a 12″ round pool of blood that leaked through comforters into mattress and there was significant blood in vomit on and around the bed.

    Can anyone explain the blood?! I hate to think and ask, but it seems like he was in a great deal of pain. Did he go into shock and therefore numb to what was happening to him? He was home – no ambulance or call to friends or myself.

    I have so many questions…

    My son passed away in October 2018 at the age of 28 from septic shock and heart failure. He started out asking me about a week before he ended up in the hospital if I saw anything on his neck. I thought I saw a pimple. It developed into two large boils, and four days later, we were in the emergency room, as he was very ill, fevered, and was ranting incoherently. He was transferred to Ruby Memorial Hospital at West Virginia University, where he was diagnosed with sepsis. He was put into induced paralysis because he needed a breathing tube. Through the course of 10 days, his lungs collapsed, he had several breathing tubes, he was being kept alive through having his blood pressure artificially supplemented, had a huge cocktail of antibiotics being pumped in, and much more. It was a horrifying ordeal, and he was dead 10 days after entering the hospital and about 16 days after asking me if I saw anything on his neck. So yes, sepsis happens, and it happens quickly to anyone of any age. It’s a horrible disease, kills far more people than anyone can imagine and once someone gets it, the prognosis is very, very bad. I wish someone could find a cure.

    My hearts and prayers go out to each and everyone of you that have had a family member die from sepsis. It is definitely a terrible infection that the doctors need to find a way to diagnose and cure quickly before it becomes life threatening. My Mom is going through the battle of her life as I am typing this. Please continue to pray.

    My husband passed on June 7,2019 from what I believe to be septic shock. He had all the above symptoms and in and out of hospital over course of few weeks. All his organs gave out and he passed in a few hours with family at bedside. I am a nurse and it was the hardest situation I’ve ever endured…

    My father died 2 months ago due to septic shock. A week before he died, he had UTI but chose to just drink water to cure it, was feeling lethargic and both feet started to swell, but he ignored it as just another symptom of walking too much. A week later, the pain on one feet got severe and i rushed him to the ER, they gave him antibiotics and sent him home. The same day he arrived home, his feet has become black and pus was coming off it, he had breathing difficulties, and i rushed him to the ER again. After several hours of checking him, the doctor came to inform my family that they could not do anything more and that he was deteriorating. Within 3 more hours, he died. All the signs and symptoms were apparent but it was brushed aside as simply non life threatening issues. Hope this bad experience of mine will shed some light to readers here. He was 80 when he passed on.

    My mother died in a rehabilitation nursing home after complaining for days that she had the worst headache of her life and vomiting and clammy skin. We told her nurses for days we wanted a doctor to come by and see her and were told he would but the nurses didn’t put in her medical file any of her symptoms. The last night of her life she didn’t sound right and was more agitated then ever and vomiting even though she hadn’t eaten much none from the facility saw this as strange and nothing was done. 3 hours after leaving the rehab we got a phone call saying she was found unresponsive and was being rushed to the hospital. She was brain dead from an enerusym and on life support and was not expected to live at all. One doctor told us she was the sickest person in this county. Months before this she had to have both legs amputated after becoming really sick. It was found that she was diabetic type 2 and that her glucose level was 1900 the doctors were amazed that she made it. Her regular doctor had done blood tests 8 weeks before for diabetes after my mom asked for it because she thought she might have been becoming diabetic. The results came back negative. It was an in home test instead of being sent to a lab so we want to sue her doctor on the grounds of misdiagnosis and all that she went through. She beat all of that just to die on the day she was supposed to have all her sutures removed. The nursing staff gave attitude about alot of things in the 2 weeks she was there. They ignored her sickness the last few days she was alive and didn’t provide a doctor to see her. She wasn’t monitored during any of her physical therapy workouts even though she had heart arrhythmias and was on two diffrent heart medications that thinned her blood more then it should have. The nurse even tried to say that she was found unresponsive because we had fed her something that messed with her blood sugar level which was a complete lie. One of the hospital doctors told us to file a HIPAA violation against the nurse who came with her to the hospital who hours before had laughed at me when I became upset talking to him about why no doctor had seen her to see what was wrong with her the last few days. The meeting with the nursing director told us since she died from an aneurysm it didn’t really matter that she hadn’t seen a doctor because they wouldn’t have caught it. She didn’t care when I brought up all the times the nurses didn’t listen to what we were all saying to them about our concerns. All the attitude we got from nurses when we insisted something be done for her. She was stable before going to the rehab and in less then 2 weeks she was dead. The nursing director still has not gotten back to us about why the nurses didn’t even write in there notes that she was sick and requested a doctor and it’s been 4 months since she died. There attitude was basically she was dead and that since it was an aneurysm nothing was wrong with there neglect. They saw nothing wrong with them failing to make her last days a little better and trying to help figure out what was going on

    my condolences…. No one deserves to go out like that… i teared up at your description of how it affected your mom…. may she rest in peace…

    i recently survived an extremely severe case of sepsis myself. I only survived because of a miracle. my doctors even said that. my chances of survival were next to nothing, apparently.

    this disease DEFINITELY doesn’t discriminate… i am 25, almost 26, and i got it after a bout of type a flu and necrotizing pneumonia. i literally was near death within 24 hours of first flu symptoms…. the day after Christmas… it caused compartment syndrome, and severe sepsis. my kidneys, and lungs failed, and my heart was in process of congestive heart failure. I swelled like someone who had been stung millions of times by bees, or like a balloon. they had to put me in a medically induced coma…. put on ecmo, and ran on dialysis/ecmo 24/7 for 15 days… I finally woke up and was stabilized from what I later found out was Streptococcus Pyogenes infection.

    My battle had only begun, however. i had to be placed on dialysis, until my kidneys came back a month and a half later. my heart and lungs recovered, but lasting damage was done…. I lost my Left leg below the knee, lost my toes on my right foot, and have lasting nerve damage to my foot… my hand is messed up from an iv infiltration. I ended up with a pseudoaneurysm on my femoral artery, which I still have to get fixed, as well. my poor parents, and my family and closest friends have been devastated by this dreadful disease. it killed one of my uncles before me, and nearly killed me… According to my doctors, had i been a weaker man, i would not have made it. One doctor told me that if I had came in just 6 hours later, i would not be here. All of them said i would never make it but one Doctor who was a lung specialist, told my parents I had a shot….

    I credit numerous things with my survival, most notably my physical health before sepsis, martial arts training aided, and is still aiding my recovery, 2 months out of the hospital, My personal faith in God, having a positive mindset, doctors and nurses, and most of all, my loving parents, and family and friends, especially my mom and dad, and my aunts and uncles…. I wouldn’t be here without them, and i would be in dire circumstances without them.

    Sepsis may have taken my leg and toes, and nearly my life; It may have rocked the very foundations of my family, and my life to the core; but it didn’t take my will to live and my ability to stay positive and have a sense of humor.

    It helped me decide on my new career path as well. i want to become a Nurse practitioner now, to help the sick recover from illnesses such as these….

    I have decided to devote my life to helping the sick recover from their sicknesses and afflictions, due to my own battles with illness, that maimed me to the point of amputations. If I can help anyone who is suffering by being a nurse, i feel it’s worth it.

    To anyone who read my story, thank you. i really wanted to get this off my chest.

    I had a robotic assisted hysterectomy in July of 2017. I woke up from the surgery feeling horrible, but chalked it up to the fact I had just had surgery. (Sepsis and Surgery) One night after being discharged, I woke up in my bed “not feeling right.” There was a strange unspecified type of pain in my abdomen, and a fogginess in how I was thinking.

    I called 911, and fought with the EMTs who said “you seem fine.” I actually took it upon myself to lay down on the gurney and ordered them to take me to the nearest ER.

    As it turned out, I had a perforated small bowel, peritonitis, and severe sepsis. (Sepsis and Perforated Bowel) The doctor said if I had taken another pain killer and gone back to sleep I might not have woken up.

    Recovery from sepsis is extremely difficult, painful, and trying both physically and mentally. The insomnia is awful, joint and muscle pain horrendous, and it is truly like you are clawing yourself out of a grave you are not yet ready for. (Sepsis and Post-Sepsis Syndrome)

    My advice – never dismiss what your instincts are telling you. Demand care and do not accept anything outside of a diagnosis based on your lab results and vitals.

    You deserve to live your full life.

    Respectfully
    Jennifer
    #unplugtherobot

    My Husband went into the Hospital with breathing problems and 7 days later. He was gone. They said I saved his life. I’m devastated.

    H I was told by an attorney that the first thing to do is call your states department of public health and explain to them what happened to your family member. They will conduct a very thorough investigation. Depending on the results of that investigation you may or may not be able to find a lawyer to help you but in any case the doctors involved will all be investigated in this could affect their license. The next thing to do is call your states Medical Board and report each doctor involved. My husband has been fighting cancer and doing very well. Even though it was in his bones and we knew it was terminal he was still living a good quality of life and was definitely not ready to stop fighting. We resisted doing chemotherapy for many years. He had prostate cancer and never wanted to do it. We went a more natural pathic way along with hormone medications after his radiation failed. His first chemo treatment in January 2019 resulted in him being admitted to the emergency room three days later with double pneumonia and sepsis. He was very sick but using a variety of anabiotic’ he was sent home cured. That should’ve given us a clue that his immune system was not strong enough for the chemo but he went ahead and had a second treatment. Two weeks went by and he was doing very well. We took a trip to a larger hospital to consult with infectious diseases Department and he drove for four hours. We stayed for three days sightseeing and enjoying Mexican food every night. On our last day as we were to go home he told me he didn’t feel very well. Not sure what happened but the urologist had had him flush his bladder out with Celine solution and I am wondering if this stirred up bacteria that might’ve been in there dormant. I drove home and he continued to feel worse. The next day I took him down to see the doctor and they sent him to the ER. He was diagnosed with sepsis. They added several other things to his diagnosis such as respiratory failure. I have no idea why because he was breathing fine. This time I noticed everything was different. They hooked him up to just a standard antibiotic instead of multiple strong ones. I could just feel that something was different in the air. Finally on his Fifth day there they removed his antibiotics and told us they were going to send him home with pills. He suffers from recurring UTIs and we have already been told that he will always need IV anabiotic’s for the rest of his life. Nothing by mouth will help him. I was shocked and argued with the doctor. I told him we would come in as outpatient treatment and asked if a nurse could come to our home and give him the IV antibiotics. The doctor was very rude and actually yelled at me he said absolutely not. This will work fine. I told him that my husband would be back in the hospital soon since these pills were not going to work. The day before the hospice department and some arrogant slob of a doctor talk to me for an hour. I was asked, don’t you know went to let him go. This doctor told me that he had a terrible quality of life I find this so interesting since we had never met this man before in our life. The nurse was there and told them that he hadn’t been eating his food. I picked up the lid on his plate and he just got finished eating his entire lunch. Plus he was having me bring him food from other places. He wasn’t eating a ton because he was sick but he was definitely eating talking watching TV I didn’t realize it at the time but looking back now I know that they were making that decision right then and there to let my husband die. We came home and he took his pills and he ended up back in the hospital five days later, this time much worse off. We went to a different hospital but they sent for the report from the first hospital and I noticed the same thing there. They hooked him up to the standard anabiotic and didn’t seem to be doing much of anything for him. I finally asked the doctor why he didn’t have other anabiotic’s and the doctor said OK I’ll go ahead and try one more. Within one day his body was responding and doing better. During this time I also noticed that the nurses were not bringing Him any water or food. He was receiving no nourishment at all. He had purely Celine and no nutrition in his IV bag. It was different from the other patients. My husband was begging for water so I gave him some and he drank two full cups. I went out to the nurses station and ask them why he was not receiving nourishment. They said oh we’re afraid he might choke. I told them they were being inhumane. I asked him why he could not be on a liquid diet. You cannot choke on Jell-O since it melts. He had Asked for cranberry juice and they told me oh we wouldn’t know if it was blood or not if he throws it up. Just a bunch of stupid excuses. But when I told them they were inhumane the next morning he had a tray of liquid diet food. Including cranberry juice. He almost ate the whole bowl of Jell-O. And drink his juices. That afternoon the doctor came in and told me that his kidneys were in complete failure and that there was no hope and he was going to die. He is shirred me there was absolutely no way to reverse this and my has been was going to die. Only for that reason I agreed to have him unhooked from the anabiotic’s that were helping him. I waited that whole night for him to die but he didn’t. Something just didn’t seem right to me. I googled kidney failure and started reading about it and told myself that he does not have this. He’s not in kidney failure. I got a hold of our natural pathic doctor and he told me to get his numbers for him right away. I sent him my husband’s numbers and he told me that my husband’s kidneys were fully functioning. He said he’s having a hard time breathing because fluid is building up in his stomach and he needs something called a tap where they drain that out and then he will be able to breathe much better. I insisted they hook him back up to the anabiotic’s and I wanted to tap done immediately. This is a country hospital in the middle of nowhere and they said they couldn’t get a doctor for three days. I told him my husband will not live that long. He needs it now. I insisted that they fly him by helicopter to the nearest big hospital. By the way that hospital flies people there all the time it is common for people that have serious illnesses. He argued with me and told me no. He told me my husband was too critical to be flown there. I told him that is what helicopters are for is critical patients. He finally agreed to call a doctor at that hospital and see if they would admit him. He must’ve thought I just fell off The turnip truck because obviously if he tells them he is sending a patient to them they are going to admit him. I told him if they don’t fly him I will put him in my car and drive him the 4 Hour Dr. myself. I didn’t want to put my husband through that because he was so sick at the time but I was trying to get them to take some action to save his life. Instead of calling the infectious disease doctor about his sepsis which is why we were at the hospital, he called and oncologist. After that he went home without ever coming back to talk to me. When I would ask the nurses what was going on they would say that they left a voicemail but nobody had returned the call. Such a flat out lie. Like I said the doctors had decided to let my husband die. I had asked my husband during those four days I’ve been home taking his pills the same question that slob Dr asked of me. Baby if your heart where to stop right now do you want to be recessatated? His answer was he’ll yes. That night at the hospital after refusing to fly him to the better hospital my husband passed away at 9:30 PM I don’t know who these doctors think they are but they have no right to decide that it is someone’s time to die. They withheld treatment from my husband and it was definitely on purpose. I have had two other people tell me that this happened to their family members also. I believe it is a common practice in the medical field. When the doctors decide for whatever reason that they feel it is this person’s time to die they withhold treatment. I wish I could be in that Dr shoes and make that decision for him that he doesn’t have a good enough quality of life to keep living. As for As I’m concerned they murdered my husband.

    I lost my dad to septic shock from a urinary tract infection 20th December 2018..He wasnt a well man..he was 81 and had parkinsons disease since the age of 50..he had a low immune system….it was so painful to see him lose his independence over the years and end up in a wheelchair to be looked after 24/7 by my mum…it even got to the point he couldn’t talk…the day before his death..he was his normal self..nothing indicating he had a infection…that night I had a call from my mum saying a ambulance was on it’s way dad wasnt well ..I just thought not another hospital admission ..he had a few that year…I arrived at my mums and the paramedics were 45 mins with dad upstairs… .they said he wasnt a well man..they had given him some fluids and antibiotics..as he was coming downstairs on a stretcher I reached out to him..saying “hi dad” .he was just staring and saying nothing.. .it was a concern…They blue lighted him with a doctor waiting at a&e…me and mum waited patiently in waiting room …when we saw him in resus ..he had a high temperature and shaking with the heart monitor making all noises .it was 11pm by this time ….we was told he has a urine infection..and they was treating it…so thought he would be ok …I stood beside him holding his hand and he whispered can I have water he wasnt allowed..His blood pressure kept dropping..
    me and mum stayed with him majority of the night . Keeping my brother up to date as he was a 40 mins drive away .we were told that he was going to a ward ..so we decided to go home for a few hours sleep…As we returned home…My mum received a phone call saying his blood results have come back and he has sepsis..So back we went you could see the deterioration in him…I called my brother to come ..what made it worse I worked at that hospital. .I new some of the signs of a deteriorating patient..I kept it all to myself .with my mum and brother thinking after the antibiotics it would help him .. .if only they knew what I knew ..as the hours passed he was passing away in front of us ..still not believing it was happening…..we were helpless…nothing we could do. But one thing he did no we were there through it all by 7.55 he took his last breathe..something myself I could not watch …..we just stared at him.. thinking this was all a dream….its 4 months on and still find it hard to believe hes been taken from us . ..we are close as a family and were there for mum at all times..as she has all this time on her hands now….which is hard for her ..we will get there

    I developed black blood blisters after surgery. I asked dozens of times what it meant and what it was…and never got a straight answer. I fought it for 3 weeks with every possible side effect. My wound was rampant with an antibiotic resistance flesh destroying bacteria. It ate away at the wound and spread up and down my abodomin. I was near death when I was put in the ICU and it took the infectious disease Doctors 5 days to isolate the bacteria and develop an antibiotic cocktail for me. I survived. But a decade later I find myself still angry. It was easily preventable. I tried suing the Surgeon, but he had a great reputation and was on the Medical board in my state for Malpractice cases. He was a known advocate in courts nationwide to advocate for Doctors being sued. A professional testified. So Law firm after Law firm dropped me after hitting walls with him. I believe he paid at least one firm off.
    I had a stroke during the worst of the Septicemia. It was during the 104 plus fever days, after acute renal failure which led to Multi system organ failure. My adult children slept in my room in the ICU when they were told I had about a 12% chance of living through the night.
    The trauma never goes away for me. Even after the fever broke, there was weeks of being debreded by surgeons (removing the dead flesh everyday like they do to burn victims), dealing with no kidney function, becoming a diabetic during recovery *due to pancreas shutting down also. Imagine waking up to 5 insulin shot a day….and for the rest of my life. Home nursing care, to drain and bandage wounds, therapy to learn to function again and do simple tasks others take for granted. 8 months of physical therapy for my body and then adjusting to the fact that my brain would never be the same.
    I understand the title of the article all too well.
    I think I will die angry too. I was robbed of quality of life and the burden on my adult children was overwhelming.
    It was preventable.
    It was a tragedy.

    Six weeks ago my mom, who lived in skilled nursing at the time, developed a bad cough and chest condition one afternoon in mid January, 2019. The next day she was very sick and somewhat unresponsive. The nurses gave her cough syrup and some other flu medicines. She had a temperature and rapid heartbeat the next day so they sent her in an ambulance to the er. She was is the er for over 8 hours and I am not sure when she got medical attention. Later that evening she was admitted to the respiratory icu. The next day they told me she had aspiration pneumonia and sepsis. Two days later they moved her from icu to a regular room and she continued fluids, insulin, and antibiotics by iv. I had to decide to create a DNA for her. Two days later they said she should go under hospice care. She really never woke up except for a few brief times in the last 2 days at the hospital Nd then once while in hospice. It seemed like once she went to hospice their was already a decision made that she was going to die. She got worse for a week and her body began to shit down after being in hospice a week. 3 days later she died. I am wondering why I didn’t get more information from the doctors and nurses in the hospital. It was like no one wanted to be direct with me. I am also wondering if the first 2 days that she was sick if she had gone to the er sooner could the sepsis have been caught soon enough to keep her from dying.

    When an infant passes of sepsis or meningitis in their sleep can it cause their nose to bleed after passing? PLEASE PLEASE HELP! I NEED ANSWERS ???

    My mother went into the hospital, had stent placed, and went to rehab to gain strength back in her legs, so she could use her walker once she got home. She had a WBC count of 10, on Saturday 1/12/19. By Thursday, looking maybe a little pale, and nothing more than tired and complaining about a bed sore on her buttocks, I asked the nurses at the rehab in Lynbrook, NY to do a UTI check and check for dehydration. However, we had to rush her to the hospital in Oceanside, because she her eyes rolled back in her head and she was not herself. Her blood pressure was 80/40 and she looked terrible. Got her to ER and they told me she was in septic shock and was very very ill. Not sure what or how this happened…due to stent placement? did she pick it up in the rehab? She was dead after central lines were placed, and A lines searched for, and BIPAP masks, and you name it. Triple organ failure and dead by 1/23/19. Her WBC count was 28K and could not be reduced despite pressers and antibiotics….so very sad and I am so angry and upset….

    My mom passed away 2 weeks ago from ischemia bowel with sepsis. I stopped by her place on my way to work one morning to drop off some groceries items she had asked for the night before. I used my key to open her door. She was lying on the bed but she had already been up and was dressed. She had a broken ankle and was having to wear a boot night and day so I made her coffee before I left. I talked to her off and on throughout the day by phone. She told me that she had vomited the night before but she was feeling better and asked if I would stop by on my way home from work. About an hour before I was supposed to leave work, I got a phone call saying that my mom had called 911. The paramedics said all her vitals looked fine but she said her stomach hurt a little and she wanted to go to the hospital because something to feel right. The ER was only a five minute drive from her home. She was in the ER for almost 5 hours before they shipped her to the main hospital because they discovered she had a bowel blockage and said she would probably need surgery the next day. After arriving at the next hospital the new doctor looked at her and then checked on the scans preformed at the other hospital. He tells us that she needs emergency surgery because he can see gas (that I don’t learn until later is actually gangrene) around her intestines. It was still over 2 hours before they actually got her into surgery and it took another 2 hours to do the surgery. Afterwards the doctor said he had to remove 8 inches of her large intestine because of the dead tissue. He said she did fine during surgery and was in recovery and that he had done another scan after the surgery and it showed no gas. So he was positive they removed all the dead tissue. They said she woke after surgery and let them know she was in pain and she was cold, but I never got to see her awake again. First day after surgery all she did was sleep which they said was normal. On second evening after surgery she begins to run a low grade fever and isn’t putting out much urine and her blood pressure is staying low in spite of the medication to elevate it. On the third day my family is told that she is septic and there isn’t anything else they can do. She had been diagnosed with non-alcoholic cirrhosis few years earlier so her liver was to far gone to help her fight off the infection. My brothers and I had to make the hardest decision of our lives about her care. We turned her care over to the hospice staff inside the hospital so they could keep her comfortable and pain free. All of her tubes were removed at 8:20 pm that night. We sat and held her hands and talked to her throughout the night. She seemed to be just in a comfortable sleep, but at 7am the next morning, my 70 year old mom passed away peacefully. We were told later that some of the symptoms of sepsis are nauseous, diarrhea and abdominal pain. My mother already had all of the symptoms most of the time because of the medication she was on for the cirrhosis. So she never had a chance at recognizing the symptoms of sepsis until it was too late. I hope no other family ever has to go through what our family has endured, but with sepsis being hard to diagnose cause it mimics symptoms of other illnesses and until the hospitals have a way of being able to recognize the symptoms faster and get treatment started immediately, I know other people are going to be going to be following in the footsteps of our family. Remember that sepsis doesn’t discriminate by age. It happens to the young as well as the old.

    My mother Anita Sood passed away with Septic Shock on 19 Jan 2019, it was a turmoil to see her through in this pain. She has recurrent Urinary Tract Infection triggered by E Coli. Since December onwards it had become very frequent and she was showing signs of vomiting foam and diarrhoe , she was in out of the hospital 2 times. Last time when she got admitted even after 3 days of antibiotics she was nt keeping well and developed high AF which didnt get reversed. We then thought of shifting her to a better medical center, she cooped till we reached there but was in so much of pain. Soon after her BP became unrecorded and heart rate became very high. The same night she was sedated and put on ventilator and after bearing 3 more cardiac arrests she passed away. My point here is Awareness, that no infection should be considered lightly. Every kith and kin to know how to question and get relevant answers. This is the time of immense emotional stress but please dont panic.

    Kevin had back surgery in August 2017 – two weeks post surgery his VA doctor said he was doing well… 7 days later he didnt feel well but with pain meds for the back and surgery he said – some rest and ill be fine.. ive felt worse before… later that night after not being able to tell me the day of the week or where he lived etc i called the ambulance…. that was 9 pm friday evening.. Kevin passed away at 4 am Saturday morning- He coded 5 x…. fighting for his life- i knew he didnt know what was happening – I was told by his family that i didnt take care of him.. clean his wound.. well the sepsis occured well inside near disc 5-6 id never have known.. we didnt know.. it was too late…. i miss him everyday and pray that PEOPLE WILL LEARN .. that one its horrible to watch someone code – or vomit the infection etc….. and if nothing else.. dont wait for anything til tomorrow – its promised to none of us

    I am so sorry to you guys that have lost loved ones from this!

    My story: I tweeted a few days before hospital ( I was hospitalised from 21st of December 2018) that I felt I was going to die (I didn’t remember tweeting)! I had 5 out of the 6 of these symptoms!
    The doctor didn’t check me over and sent me home with antibiotics for a UTI! 2 days later I was dying in my bed at home, I physically could move any body parts as I was in so much pain. I had vomitted for 48hours, I couldn’t breath or talk, I could stand it walk, luckily my sister was home to Call an ambulance. The paramedics had me straight to hospital within a few moments! I was tested in ct and X-ray scans but they couldn’t see anything! They took me to surgery to have a close up look to discover I had organ failure and I was close to death by a few hours. I was put into an induced coma for a week. My family had been told To expect the worst and that the doctors didn’t think I would pull through it! Luckily I did, I’m a walking miracle 🙂

    I was discharged last week from hospital. Unfortunately due to the medication keeping me alive It has left me completely deaf. luckily i can still walk and have all my limbs! I am glad to be alive and on the road to recovery! And I’m now on the list for a cochlear implant! 🙂 since I’ve been out of hospital I have not stopped sharing and commenting sepsis awareness! I want everyone that I speak to now to know about all the symptoms and how quickly it’s affects if not treated early! Sepsis is a killer and more than people know of!

    My grandmother passed away 12/20/2018 of Septic Shock. She came in the hospital for a scheduled procedure to remove her gall bladder Amd was discharged the same day to go home. She complained of severe abdominal pain even with taking the prescribed painkillers. We called the surgeon office to explain about two hours after getting home from the procedure but they dismissed it as normal pain after the procedure. The discharge paper listed abnormal pain as a symptom to go back to the hospital. We called 911 soon after and she waited in the ER for a few hours before being admitted. The following morning I received a call from a nurse that my grandma wasn’t doing well and was vomiting. I got there about an hour after the call and spoke with the nurse. He said she would be transferred to the ICU for monitoring, about an hour or two in the ICU my grandmother was in a medical induced coma with life support for the next three days until she died

    I had late stage sepsis in 2006. The insult/infection occurred on a Sunday and by the following Friday I was incontinent of feces and urine, completely disoriented and in pain that had me writhing and screaming for 12 hours until given morphine. I was in the ICU completely sedated for 1 week, and then remained in the hospital for 4 weeks. I had endocarditis, blood clots, incredibly severe anemia, unbelievable muscle weakness, poor muscle control, chronic hiccups, and it literally took one year to return to normal. Not to mention the emotional toll of this near death experience on me. It want like ‘getting hit by a bus’, more like the bullet train. Today, due to an amazing team of doctors, I am alive, well and mostly healthy. I do have AFIB probably as result of the endocarditis.

    My son passed away dec.2/2018 he had a colostomy bag put on which the surgeon cut his upper and lower bowel which it was leaking into his stomach then the leaking caused him to have an emergency surgery again leaking again which cause severe septic shock the hospital and everyone knew that he had septic shock but they didn’t tell us as a family when we were there they just sent him on hospice told me six months and two days later he died please help make contact with me a mother needed justice !!!

    My sister went in for major surgery on her pancreas. She got through the 12 hour op, doc told us she was doing grand but she suffered a bleed & cought sepsis which unfortunately took her life very very suddenly. I feel the hospital is to blame. She was advised by her own doc this op would give her a better lifestyle. Now I have 4 nephews with no mother & the youngest being 9 years of age. Why …. surely someone has to answer to this

    My husband passed away from sepsis,decubitus ulcers, guillain barre syndrome, why no one can be held accountable

    I have always been a hard worker in the residential construction business. I had to quit in 2012 due to sever back pain from a one level spine fusion I had in 2011. The fusion caused the upper levels to become weak so in 2013 I had a three level fusion at UVA Spine Center in Va. The operation was successful and I did recover very well. Fast forward to 2018. In July of 2018 I started to get back pain. As the days went on, the pain became worse. My wife kept telling me I needed to go to the Dr. for a review, but I thought it would go away. Well, the pain got so bad I agreed to see a Orthopedic Spine Surgeon at a local Hospital on the 26th of July. After Ex Rays the PA said that it looked like the levels above my 2013 fusion was causing the problems and prescribed Prednisone, 5- day dose. Well on the 29th of July I was very confused and weak, barely able to walk. Wife took me to the ED at the local hospital. Thank God there was a very experienced Dr. their that day. He suspected there was something going on other that a back injury and ordered labs. The results showed Sepsis so a CT scan was ordered. The Radiologist report suggested there might be evidence of a abscess in the muscle and possibly Osteomyelitis at the L2 level and further test should be preformed by a MRI with contrast to verify. Well, a MRI was done and the final report said no evidence of Osteomyelitis or abscess . I was admitted to the hospital and put on IV antibiotics for a week and sent home with two more weeks of pick line antibiotics. On the 20th of Aug. I was remitted to the hospital with sever back pain. MRI and CT scan showed Osteomyelitis in my spine at several levels. Emergency surgery was preformed at 8PM the night of the 21st. On Sept. the 3rd, a X Ray was diagnosed as Abnormal. My wife questioned this with the Spine Drs. and was told it was nothing to worry about. I spent 21 days in the hospital that time and was released to home on Sept. the 9th. By the 17th of Sept. I was in very sever pain and my wife called the Surgeons office for a appointment. Upon the Dr. visit, a X Ray was ordered and the spine Dr. suggested to just double up on my pain meds. The next day on the 20th of Sept., I had a appointment with the Infectious Disease Dr. He said the blood work showed there was still infection in my spine. On the 21st of Sept. wife called the Spine Drs. nurse and stated I was in sever pain. We were told to take more pain meds. and to get a appointment with a Pain Management Dr. which we did. Well by the 25th of Sept. I was readmitted to the hospital with loss of leg function and unbearable back pain. A MRI showed infection at the L2 L3 levels. We requested a 2- team of surgeons to do the next surgery, just to get a second set of eyes looking for more infection. The Dr. that did the first surgery said he would not be doing a second surgery because he felt we did not trust him. Luckily I did get a very experienced surgeon to do this surgery and he went in through my side to fuse the levels affected. Fast forward to 2019, I am still on antibiotics. My SED Rate has come down from 126 at the highest to 30 currently. I am very worried that this will come back, but the Infectious Disease Dr. say probably not but I may be on antibiotics for a very long time. I am 67 years old and thank God I have a wife that works in the medical field and without her questioning the Dr. and tests results I might be dead now. I strongly suggest anybody with symptoms like I had (fever, sever back pain, loss of appetite, confusion, get your butt to the ED asap and demand answers to questions because it could save someone’s life.

    My mom is in the hospital right now. She was diagnosed with Sepsis and I understand the complications. I never heard of this until now. My mom, 57, has been living with congestive heart failure and Edema for over 10 years. She told me two weeks ago her cat scratched her leg and it was getting infected. Shortly after, she had a long lasting fever and headaches. Her leg leak led liquid from the Edma on the scratch. She ran out of paid sick days at work, so she returned. Three days ago, her coworker called me saying she’s going to the hospital because she had trouble breathing and her limbs were turning blue. I breifly spoke to my mom on the phone; she was shivering cold and too tired to speak. She kept saying I’m freezing”. Since then, I haven’t been updated other than her diagnosis of Sepsis through texts. I live in another state and unable to be there right now. As I’m reading the comments above and researching this disease, god willing she survives, I can help her recover and maintain her lifestyle for the remaining years. Any support and advice helps – thanks for reading.

    my lovely sweet husband mike died of sepsis shock on july 24th 0f 2018…he was in mobile infirmary in mobile al…in ltac which isa skilled nursing facility within mobile infirmary….his 5th day in this section he complained of an earache …dr sutton said he would order some meds…w/o checking him…hours went by with no meds…i kept asking his nurse who came up with excuses…she told me the doc forgot and the np jones had to order them…i ket telling this nurse and the nurses station that something else besides the earache was going on with mike…he couldn’t breathe…he was hurting and had chills…no one would do anything…they woulnt call rapid response so i called…rr came mike wasnt breathing…he coded…they brought him back…took him to icu…vented him…he coded twice more and died…i made a complaint but she lied so i am investigating other ways to handle this

    Hi
    My mum was admitted to hospital on the 22 nd January 2018 he says were low her temperature high he chest tight and her heart racing her GP admitted her to our hospital ambulance came to take us up instead of bring taken to a ward as we were told that’s where we were going we were taken to the triage centre??? We sat for a while them my mum went in to have bloods done i went with her the doctor was a trainee and used the same canular to take blood several times she couldn’t do it , then the nurse tried with the same canular ?? They couldn’t get blood out of her arm so they tried the back of her hand clean canular to start with them it was used twice ?? Still no blood ? My mums arm was purple and yellow and a very large lump came in the back of her hand after 4 hours the doctor came to see her on a waiting room full of patience with flu etc they took blood from my mums wrist ?? It was a proper mess , patients sat in the waiting room with antibiotics on drip ?? My mum was given steroids and antibiotic 5 days supply and sent home ?? I left to use the ladies and come back she had been discharged ? The following Sunday 28th she was coming to me for Sunday lunch but she was ill all the same sats but she was vomiting couldn’t breath and her tummy was distended she wasn’t weeing !!! She was in agony she was refused a sip of water refused pain relief until the doctor came to see her 3 hours later I asked if she could have a drink they said not and then threw a Toothbrush and pot of water on the bed if I wasn’t there she would t have had her lips moistened !! The doctor started to speak to me in a language I didn’t understand and he felt quite upset when I said I didn’t understand after6 and half hours and 7 seline drips and a catheter inserstion and the loss of only 10mm of urine they admitted her to surgical ward , I went up with her and they sent me home as I was in the way I was told I left , during the night my mum had blood transfusions and serious complications and was moved to the SHDU unit no one informed me I till the next day I got a telephone call at 6.36 in the morning to go up when I got there she was already for theatre they had told her she had a twisted bowel they told me she had a blocked Bowen then a doctor told me she wouldn’t make because she had COPD but it was only mild !! After she cane back from theatre a doctor came to talk to me a d told me my was toxic and had died with sepsis ???? So many questions left in answered so much time lost with her ……. then on her death certificate said blocked bowel ?? I questioned why the doctor had said she died with sepsis and it wasn’t on her death certificate ?? I then had to have a post-mortem the confirmed she had an iscemic bowl as as cause and also. Sepsis my case is on going as I have put in a complaint I want / need my questions answering

    Mum collapassed in january this year after complainjng of not being able to touch her left side inside thigh,she had ulcers on her legs on her shins for some time, they had been treated by the nurse for months, i went over to see her as she said she was in pain, i rang thd doctor, they failed to come out to her, mum passed out, i rang the ambulance, she was taken into hospital, mum died several hours later, i am beside myself, mum meant the word to me, could she have been saved if the doctor had acted more quickly ?

    My Mom is 92 yrs. old and in a nursing home. They dropped her last summer and then they put her in hospice.
    When she fell they operated on her leg. She developed an arterial wound in her heel. No antibiotic would heal it. All she does is sleep and take pain pills. She hardly eats anything. She lost at least 20 lbs. They are treating the wound with some machine. I feel she might die soon. I worry so much about her Do you know if anyone has had this happen to them.

    Thank you and God Bless you

    Kris
    My dad is entering hospice now after being septic (mainly due to his advance directive). We begged the ER not to release him ( no fever, labs normal…but then he went into rigors for about 30mins!) He could not even stand! They didn’t even try to observe him even for a few hours. By the time we got him to the car he felt feverish. Then he went back to assisted living fell out if bed within the hour and back to the ER he went! A different doc worked him up and confirmed sepsis. My dad is 89..never sick…but if he had not fallen out if bed he would surely have suffered organ failure. Please fight for longer observation in hospitals if u know something isn’t right..even minute counts if someone is septic. If they don’t have fever when labs are drawn they hospital will miss it! So don’t ignore fevers of unknown origin or abnormal confusion or agitation at any age. Wish all of you healing in your hearts.

    I lost my mom 2 weeks ago due to septic shock and I don’t know if she would have lived
    had the doctors identified sepsis early on. She was in and out of hospital after undergoing TACE for a tumor in her liver, sporadic fever and difficulty in breathing..
    Yes, medical professionals should be trained in identifying sepsis as every second, minute and hour counts in treating this.

    I’m sorry to hear all of you lots loved ones I had microscopic biopsy On my Right ovary doctor cut in to my large intestine by accident I was home the same day but the doctors didn’t till me are my family he patched my large intestines Did not work I was back at the hospital The next morning I had septic shock and toxic shark I was in the hospital for over a month I stayed way to sick and no help for years I got no money out of it I was way to sick and my husband had to work and take care of and my kids did help me eat and get back to where I can wake and I had to get a colostomy bag for 9 months to a year but I still was sick and I had lost my muscles do my whole body and I get sick still so easy But I’m here to till my story we lost a lot over me and my home was Tour down and I had it paid off but some people will add more to someone as sick and fighting for my life I have a amazing family 2 kids and 1 Grandbaby Now no money are a home that’s mine I’m here to get my story out See all I need to do to have my house my home put back I can’t work a good job and my husband of 23yrs is taking care of me and yes I feel so sorry for my family and the doctors did try to Cover it up by trying to Patche what he are they did add a hospital I was told my hospital records were lost Sorry if I said are put my words wrong it’s one of what I’m still Relearning to do I feel bad for my husband and kids over me we lost all we worked for and there’s still nothing I no I can do I’m cristins Treece Bailey

    Eight weeks ago, I was returning home from the gym. I had been feeling a bit under the weather for a few days, but true to my athletic nature, I just trained whenever I felt bad. Anyway, on the way home, I started feeling very ill and a bit disoriented. Once home, just when I got to the top step, before entering my condo, I collapsed, breaking my left wrist and spraining my right arm, , while taking, backwards, down the steps. The next thing I knew, I was in a hospital bed with multiple IV’s in my arms and chest (centralw line); AND it was three days later! The main thing, however, was that I was racked by the most unbelievably horrible pain, in every cubic centimeter of my body! I’m a pretty tough old former football player and thought I could withstand ANY sort of pain. Boy was I wrong. This pain brought me to my proverbial knees and had me crying like a baby. My daughter told me when they got me to the hospital, in the ambulance, that I was screaming, incoherently. It was to the point where, once in the ICU, they were feeding me Propofol to keep me sedated. On the third day, I was brought around.

    When I was brought out of my Propofol bliss, I was in agony. The doctor told me the I had contacted Sepsis, and it had gone systemic, invading my entire body. I was on IV antibiotics, Dilaudid and Methadone. With all that, in my system, I was still in agony! After a week, the doctors told me that the bacteria had attached itself to my artificial Mitral Valve, adding Endocarditis to a heart that is already very week and due to be transplanted, as a result of Dilated Cardiomyopathy. I was told that just the fact that I was still alive, was nothing short of a miracle but was, obviously, due to keeping myself in great athletic condition. That being said, I certainly DID NOT feel amazing. As I’ve said, the pain was unreal.

    Fast forward six weeks. I was transferred to a Long Term Assisted Care Hospital. By then, I had dropped a little over 30 pounds, all muscle. I had lost the ability to walk or do anything as simple as placing a Clothes Pin from one wire to another. I had a complete loss of motor control, as if I’d suffered a stroke. On top of all this, the pain was still unrelenting, to the point where they had me on IV Dilaudid, Methadone and Oxycontin ; and the pain was still severe!

    Present day… I’m now in my eighth week, since becoming ill. It’s been a very hard fight, but I actually took my first, unassisted, steps, this week and I’m now able to feed myself. Considering that you are reading the words of a Fitness Professional who has trained 100’s of individuals, as well as the owner of a very successful fitness consulting company and who, at 58, is in better shape than most 20 year olds; Sepsis has been extremely humbling. A few weeks ago, I was pumping out four sets of ten Pullups and squatting 500 pounds. Today, I am having difficulty opening a clothesline pin. Like I said, this has been extremely humbling. Still, there is the issue of the unrelenting pain. I’m VERY blessed to have pulled through this ordeal, but this pain is taking me to my wits end. I am told that I’ll be here, in LTAC ICU for about six more weeks, while they finish the course of Antibiotics. During that time, I vow to return to as close to my former condition as possible. The doctors said I will be on a walker then cane, for at least one year. I WILL prove them wrong!!!

    Meanwhile, it is now my mission, as a public personality, to educate as many as possible, to the horrors of Sepsis, and to avoid it at all costs.
    I wish this event on NO ONE!

    Best wishes to all you survivors and family members!

    My son died two weeks ago of septic shock, after being in the hospital for just 10 days. The week before, he’d asked me if I saw anything on his neck, and I said no. In a few days, a boil formed , and two days later, I took him to the Emergency Room, as he was feverish and ranting as if he was out of his mind. He was rushed from there to a major medical center, as they could not treat him in the smaller hospital, and from Oct. 2-12, ICU doctors tried everything to save his life. The last four days of his life, as septic shock set in, his lungs became full of infection and ripped open, meaning that no matter how they tried to keep him alive on a respirator, they could not and on Oct. 12, he passed away.
    He was only 28 years old, tall, handsome, intelligent and athletic.
    Please, if you see anything that looks unusual on your body, see your doctor right away. That boil on his neck turned out to be MRSA, and as the poison entered his bloodstream, it killed him.
    Sepsis and MRSA are not only a disease for older people. It attacks many children and young adults, and it kills them.
    Our life is completely turned upside down now, and it took less than two weeks for my son to go from a healthy, vibrant adult with much promise to being ashes in an urn on our bookshelf.

    My mom 82, has been in the hospital for 8 days. She’s been on pain meds and psych
    Meds for years. She was able to have conversations for the first few days but began to get real weak and was able to only wake up and slightly speak when we speak really loud and move her to alert her. Today she only opened her eyes once in hours , can’t speak and sleeps almost always. She came in with weak heart and blood clot in lung. She had mri and they say no stroke but symptoms look like she did. Please give some help if anyone has seen this with a loved one or patient.

    Im certain hospital killed my mother oct/09/2016. She had a heart attack but after having stents put in she was recovering. Than her kidneys &liver started failing though she nver had kidney or liver problems….she got sepsis and phemonia and just kept getting worse. She was in the hospital for 1 month before passing. Would love to sue the doctors and hve money donated to better care for patients but that will never happen because she was single and had no children under 25 years old. Stupid laws !!! I bet if it was their mama she would hve survived.

    My miracle mommy, Cristina Ann Treece Bailey is a walking talking medical after being diagnosed with a giant hole in her intestines the doctors patched up she got toxic shock and sepsis she came out of hospital doing alright but had a colostomy bag for months the recovery was long and dreadful for her and has a huge scare on her stomach I say she is a miracle because inspite of being sick and being told she would have serious side affects and loss of memory she has helped me so much including having to take over raising my three kids and get through the tough times in my life she is proof that it is possible to survive and carry on a normal life she stuggles day to day with certain things but nothing major she love with everything she has and no one has ever heard her story and until that day she walked out of hospital they had never seen anyone live from one of these disease let alone two and this women gives her all she is my Miracle mommy Cristina Ann Treece Bailey of stroud Oklahoma.

    My Mother died a year ago after being hospitalised 4 times in 1 year because of ‘ various infections ‘. During her last hospital stay she was treated with increasingly strong anti-biotics for the infections she kept picking up.

    Eventually she became too weak to fight infections and went into palliative care, lingering for 2 weeks before passing away.

    Not once was sepsis mentioned and the cause of death on her death certificate was stated as necrosis of the foot, this foot necrosis was never looked at as doctors treated her for the more ‘ normal ‘ infections like kidney, urinary etc.

    I am more convinced than ever that my Mother died of sepsis, which was either undetected or ignored.

    I would like to investigate this further but I’m not sure how to go about it.

    I lost my dad to sepsis on January 31st of this year. He hadn’t been feeling well for a few months and his skin had yellowed. He had been on dialysis for several years and was closely monitored three times a week at dialysis so we didn’t ask many questions. We did, however, wonder why he had been feeling so terrible. A fever and rigors put him in the ER but he was sent home with a virus diagnosis. He landed in the ER 2 more times before being diagnosed with bacteremia. 3 weeks later he was diagnosed with a liver abscess which was drained and a week after that he was dead from sepsis despite treatment with strong antibiotics. We need better diagnostic tools and better treatments for this!

    Those of you who mention there should be advances in the medical field to alert / educate doctors so sepsis can be notified sooner. Well for patients who get sepsis during a hospital stay, most hospitals now have a “program” or tool that makes an alert on a patient’s chart if there BP, vitals, etc indicate possible sepsis.

    I encourage those of you who lost a loved one as a result to “hospital acquired” sepsis, to request medical records ASAP (some states only allow a person 1 year from the date the event occurred to take legal action) and when you request medical records and filling out the form, there’s a section that allows you to request specific portions of the records—do not forget to include “all nurse and doctor notes”. I was advised by an attorney to do this after I had already requested and received (what I thought was) my dad’s complete Medical record, so I requested (a second time) for a copy of medical records, only this time I listed the specific parts i wanted from his records — sure enough, the doctors and nurses notes actually showed during the days leading up to his diagnosis of sepsis, that there were multiple alerts to his chart in their computers to notify the nurses and doctors that the particular patient’s blood work, vitals, BP, etc. indicate possible sepsis! Each day/time this occurred, a nurse documents making a call to the doctor, notifying him, and EVERY time the doctor ignores/does NOT instruct any further action to be made to investigate this further!!

    Sadly my dad ended up passing away 2 weeks later. It is comforting to read everyone’s posts and know you are not alone. <3

    I lost my mom to sepsis Feb 15,20105 after she survived treatment of brain aneurysm. Still in shock

    Just want to share my experience with my father while the details are fresh. This information might save a life!

    On July 2nd, 2018, my father returned from running an errand with extreme pain in his lower abdomen. After some time, chills and a fever followed. It was time to take a visit to the ER. A few of us in the family suspected Appendicitis or Colitis, maybe diverticulitus. White blood cell count was 25,000. 101.5 fever. After 2 days of diagnosis and several chest x-rays, a lower abdominal CT with contract revealed (Drum roll) a minor burst appendex that required immediate laparoscopic surgery. Following a few days in the hospital and several rounds of antibiotics, the hospital discharged him when his WBC was normal at 10,000.

    My dad is a pretty tough guy, a former marine and a cop for 36 years. It’s not like him to complain but he never really recovered from what is a relatively minor surgery. His lower abdomen was unusually swollen and he was unusually tired. We thought he just needed additional recovery time. 2 days ago, my father believed he was developing a urinary tract infection and complained of the chills. Later that night, I believe sepsis/septic shock set in. He was hyperventilating and shaking uncontrollably and lost all bodily functions. My dad was SERIOUS distress. 911 was called. The EMT’s came in a few minutes but didn’t have a clue about the seriousness of the situation even when told of his recent surgery and medical history. Their suggestion was to set an appointment with his primary care physician and by the way sir, please stop hyperventilating and shaking. Our strong suggestion to the EMT’s was to do their job, stabilize him and get him to the ER at the hospital that performed the surgery. If we followed the EMT’s advice, my father would probably be dead.

    He got there just in time. The ER Doc probably suspected Sepsis or a post surgical infection and got him right on an IV and antibiotics. All of the tell tail signs were there. Low grade fever, shaking, chills, elevated heart rate, lower than normal blood pressure, high respiratin rate.Labs came back with 28,000 WBC and blood culture was positive. The hospital is treating this as a bad UTI but we know this was clearly related to a post operative infection of the large intestine that spread to the bladder and bloodstream. I heard the nurses say so as well.

    Our big fear is that the root cause of the issue has not been found. No data or information on why or how appendicitis came out of nowhere and why the infection flared up so bad a second time. I suspect the hospital will discharge him again this Friday once the infection is under control but we will be back at square one in days if not a week when the infection flares up again. I’m hoping I’m wrong about this because next time we might not be so lucky…..

    I went to the hospital on thursday June 14th 2018 with my 11th month old with a fever of 101, difficulty breathing, a rash around his neck and lethargic, we arrived around 10pm doctors and nurses came in and out and asked if we had been out of the country or if he had had contact with other sick ppl, I told them no we had not been out of the country but he had been exposed to his grandpa who on may 15th had been hospitalized with pnemonia and his little brother had had the scarlet fever only 2 weeks prior…..in both cases I asked the doctors if the baby would be ok to be around his grandpa and his brother and was told he would be fine. The pnemonia was not contagus and the scarlet fever caused by strep was very rare to have an effect on the baby……..All the doctors did to my son at the hospital was put him on oxygen give him tylenol and ibuprofen and listened to his heart and lungs…they detirmined he had bronchiolitis which he had been hospitalized for back in December….come 5am on friday we were told we could leave but by then the rash had spread throughout his body I asked the nurse if it was ok to go home with that rash spreading I was told yes it was the virus his body was fighting in his lungs and as long as I kept him on oxygen and gave him fever medicine all would be well…….I took my son home but nothing was well all day he was just laying in bed still having trouble to breathe eventhough he was on the oxygen and the rash getting worse. Plus he had not peed since we left the hospital….we went back to the hospital by 6pm on friday and thats when they began an IV they tried to get another one in but he has so dehidrated by then it was impossible to even get blood to see what was wrong…they poked and poked but nothing until about 2hrs later I think they were able to get a few blood samples ….they kept telling me it was still the brochiolitis untill we were finally hospitalized and taken upstairs it took the doctor up there maybe 1/2 an hr to tell me this was NOT bronchiolitis but sepsis…..again they tried to poke him to get more tests to determine if it was and to start antibiotics…I lost track of time all I remember is that they were finaly able to put in a line in his neck by 3am on saturday…..come 7am Everyone was in a frenzy pple in and out…..the doctor told me he had to be intubated and to prepare for the worse…..the worse came at 8:01am when I heard no pulse and 20 minutes later my baby was pronounced dead…….I sat there holding my baby in my arms wondering what happened how did this happen….the blood results came in and he had strep in his system thats what caused the sepsis. And now Im left wondering why didnt they check for it when I first brough him in knowing that he had been exposed but all they kept saying was that it was rare for a baby that young to get strep, and stupid me trusting in ppl who went to school to take care of my son should know better. And now what do I do???

    It was 2 and a half years ago that I started to run a fever that with each passing day got higher and with it I began to feel just not good, almost somewhat delirious. Since I had been hospitalized in July of 2015 for a left Atrium Mxoma removal, and periodic Afib fare-ups, as well as a serious streptococcus hospitalization, we both became very concerned when the fever shot up to over 103; and although I did no want to go to the ER, I agreed to go. The existing doctor on duty told my husband that they would complete some blood work. I didn’t feel good and was sick, however didn’t have the usual flu like symptoms of flu like things, therefore, shocked when the head of the emergency room doctor came in and said that I had Influenza A, and because of my heart wanted to hold me for further testing. When they put me in a room that day, it was not only a private room, however I was in isolation , therefore any visitors had to dress up and down to get see me, which I thought how odd, since I had visited a friend a few months before in the same hospital who shared a room and was not in isolation. Not complaining about that at also because I was so sick, I didn’t want to be bothered. I was there about a week, had the Tama flu meds , IV and whatever else they give you to treat that and then went home with Antibiotics. What the hospital didn’t share with us is that I had Sepsis. I didn’t know that until our insurance company called and wanted to know if I needed any help or could use a nurse for anything. I thought, and asked why would I need one and that was when I was told that I had not been in the hospital for Influenza A, however Sepsis and then proceeded to tell me how deadly this infection was and happy that I survived it. I’m shocked to this day as to why the hospital never told us about this very scary infection that I could have died from. The RN from insurance is the one that informed me and too found it odd that they had not shared this with us. What’s up with that and I would like know if I could get it again.

    My daughter-in-law just died 4 weeks ago, in the hospital, from Sepsis. She was only 31 years-old. She left behind an 8 year-old daughter.

    I lost my mother from sepsis on Marc h 18, 2017.
    My sisters and I took my mother to the emergency room at a local hospital two days before.
    Most of the early signs of sepsis that are mentioned in the article were there.
    The emergency room doctor said she was ok to be discharged and sent her home.
    Exactly 48 hours after she was discharged she died from septic shock.
    The emergency room clearly missed the sepsis diagnosis.
    This has caused me great anxiety for more than a year after my mother’s passing.
    This will haunt me for a long time.
    Even though my mother was 90 years old with dementia it is sill is very upsetting.
    I was her primary caregiver with a lot of help from my sister.
    As a caregiver and giving my mother the best care that I could and to have her life end the way it did
    makes it all the more upsetting.
    I obtained the hospital records after her death as I was executor of her estate
    and consulted a third party doctor with the results. He said the records indicated negligence
    and suggested that I contact a medical malpractice attorney.
    Even though it won’t bring her back I decided to do so.
    They decided to investigate the case. I still haven’t heard back yet.
    I could not just let it go. My mother was too important to me.
    Also very strangely on the day of my mother’s funeral when I arrived at the funeral parlor
    and I saw my mother for the last time the odometer reading on my car was all 4’s which is the phone
    number of a local medical malpractice attorney and as I was her caregiver when I watched TV with her she would constantly repeat the number 4 over and over again after that attorney’s commercial.
    She was telling me from beyond to pursue this. So I am doing this with her approval.

    If there is some type of walk or ride for the Sepsis Alliance I would be very interested.
    If there isn’t there should be. More people should know about it.

    It was August 6, 1996, several weeks before my 51st birthday. I was home preparing to go to work when I just felt tired. I thought I might be getting a urinary infection, so called my doctor’s office and made an appointment to go in at 10 AM. In the meantime, since work was about a mile away, I decided to go in and spend some time there until I could leave for the doctor’s office. I went to work and upstairs to my desk. After about 15 minutes at my desk, I started to shake. Confused, I went down the stairs, out the door and into my car, shaking uncontrollably. I managed to drive home, (still don’t know how I got there), pulled into the driveway, bent over and got myself into the house and pulled myself up the stair railing to our bedroom. My daughter and son-in-law where living with us at the time. Once in bed I was curled up into a fetal position shaking uncontrollably. Thank God my daughter was home. She came in and asked me if she should call the paramedics. I said yes. They arrived fairly quickly and came into the house and into the bedroom. I was still in a fetal position. I’m a 51 year old man in a reasonably affluent area of town. They looked at me and one of them said. Stop shaking. I said I can’t. Another one asked me if I was on drugs. I said no. They asked me if I wanted them to take me to the hospital. I said no, get the hell out. They left. My daughter had called my wife who called the doctor. The doctor said to get me to the hospital immediately. My wife arrived soon, and amazingly, I had stopped shaking and was somewhat lucid. I managed to get myself downstairs and into my wife’s car. I was drenched in sweat, but conscious of the trip to the hospital. Once in the hospital I was able to admit myself, but they couldn’t get my bp up. They admitted me and I was in the hospital for 5 days in ICU with sepsis. Someone at the hospital was on the ball. I was lucky. Once out of the hospital I was on at home antibiotics twice a day for 10 days. I survived because someone was paying attention, probably my doctor. He was an internist . The paramedics didn’t know, or care. Very sad. This happened to me 22 years ago. I’m grateful to everyone who recognized the symptoms and acted promptly.

    My aunt had a mass near her rectum that had been causing her discomfort for about a week. She often gets ingrown hairs in that area and assumed that was the cause. She began soaking it in warm water with no results. Wednesday night she was unable to urinate at all. So on Thursday 4/19/18 she went to a gastroenterologist who referred her to the ER to have an endoscopy and a ct scan done. Her blood pressure was normal and she was dropped off at the ER by her boyfriend. The ct scan showed from my understanding the mass located near the opening of her rectum was solid and not full of pus as suspected. They put in a catheter and scheduled the endoscopy for Friday morning. By Friday morning she seemed weak and mentally different. My family talked to her on the phone and assumed she was medicated for the endoscopy. Several hours later the hospital calls and says she had been admitted to ICU because they couldn’t get her blood pressure up and they could not do the endoscopy due to her critical condition. At 3pm they called and said she had sepsis and they had begun treatment. We arrived at the ICU at about 4:30 where she had been given fluids, drugs to bring up the BP and was on 5 vassopressors. As soon as one bag of fluids ran out the BP would drop and they started another. She was on 5 antibiotics and 1 anti fungal. Her temp was 93f. They had heating blankets and hot air blowing on her. After 2 bags of fluids while I was there her BP was no longer raising after the administration of the fluids. The nurse called the dr on video chat who said to change to LRS fluids. He did and still no raise in BP. Calls dr back gets another Dr who isn’t up to date on her case but asks why haven’t you intubated this patient and he said that’s why I was calling you. He pushed the alert button twice before another nurse came in and said they were intubating another patient and instructed him to call the ER to do it which he did. After she was intubated the doctor talked to us via video chat and wanted to get the ok to resuscitate if needed which we approved. A few minutes later a nurse called via video chat with a question about her records. Her height had been entered incorrectly using the metric system making her around 2 feet tall. Her nurse said no she is 5ft 10 inches. She coded and was revived 4 times through the night and early morning. The dr told us there was no hope we should remove life support which we did. She died Sat 4/21/18 at 10:40 am. I am heartbroken but was thinking the sepsis killed her before the antibiotics could work or she wasn’t on an appropriate antibiotic because we didn’t have the time to wait for the cultures that were taken the day prior. About an hour later someone called asking if we would donate her organs. I said yes however she died from sepsis I don’t think her organs would be viable. The woman on the phone who had the death certificate and her test results in front of her told me the cause death was heart failure and she did not have sepsis. They are harvesting her eyes for donation right now. I called the hospital and asked the cause of death and was told I needed to come pick up the death certificate. I can’t help but wonder if the treatment for sepsis is what killed her? What was really going on that caused the low BP? Could she had been bleeding internally that exploratory surgery could have corrected? Is this medical malpractice? Should I request an autopsy? I wouldn’t think the hospital would want to do an autopsy if they were at fault. I would really appreciate any one that could help me make sense of this. She was only 63, not over weight and active. She just had hip surgery (from years of high heels) that went great last April.

    My mom just died March 28th after kidney removal and we are devastated
    No one knew what was wrong
    Not given any answers at all
    Put in icu too late
    Died from sepsis s week after surgery

    My father died on March 16,2018. He was taken to the emergency room on Monday February 19. He was very sick and had vomited several times. They did test and couldn’t find anything wrong so sent him home. On Tuesday he still felt horrible and on Wednesday morning he could barely walk and was taken to emergency room again. They decided it was his gall bladder and scheduled surgery Thursday morning February 22. We thought he would be going home the next day. Then they said he had a mild case of pneumonia, yes but everyday he got worse. They changed his antibiotic one time and that was done by the pulmonary doctors. He got worse and worse until the next Wednesday he couldn’t breath and was sent to ICU. He was put on an external oxygen mask and on Thursday night had to be incubated and put on a breathing machine. Then he had to have a tracheotomy on Monday March 12. None of the doctors said anything to us about septic shock until he had been on ICU for over one week. Needless to say he never woke up. We all stood by his bed in ICU and watched him take his last breath. It is the worst thing I have ever witnessed in my life. I believe that hospital, which is Northside Forsyth in Cumming,Ga and the doctors there killed him. And we just found out yesterday his Dr. had notified the hospital he was on the way to the emergency room and was sepsis. They had not notified her of his condition once and she had no idea he had passed away. .

    I should also say he has been in antibiotics x 6 weeks and will call continue be on Ancef 2g every 8 hours x 4 more weeks.

    My husband was diagnosed with MSSA in his bloodstream in February 2018 (source was right shoulder from surgery 3 months prior) and is paralyzed now and in rehab in Atlanta Ga…I just need someone to respond that the quadriplegia goes away after months of rehab…his blood cultures and CBC are normal…we are hopeful but scared!

    Tony
    My dad is in hospital with no hope left
    He has sepsis his organs shutting down
    I feel bad i had no idea
    I got him to hospital by ambulance and pushed doctors to pump antibiotics but getting worse
    Im devastated

    Thank you everyone for sharing I went into septic shock the first time in Jan 2017 was in the icu for blood transfusions still not even knowing what septic even was . I had been on oral antibiotics for 2 months prior for a chronic fungal sinusitis infection and instead of killing the infection the antibiotics and steaming made the fungus infection grow to the point of eating away the insides of my sinuses. I was out of the hospital to have it happen all over again only 2 months later. All alone at home started shaking so fast and feeling each part of my body shake crazily till it went limp couldn’t even hold a phone for 911 so ran to the rd and collapsed on concrete shaking worse then I have ever seen I remember my neighbor putting their hand under my head to protect it from hitting the road so ended up with a few more weeks in the hospital. Now March 2018 and I have still a year this month waiting for a reconstructive surgery for what the fungal and septic did to my face. I’m only 32 and I’m so sorry for all those that didn’t make it.
    I have a question…… I have panic attack like crazy and it would be nice to have someone that understands what it was really like, is their and group chats ?

    My husband of 47 years has had Parkinsons for the past 15 years with Dementia the past 5 years. He passed away a month ago of Sepsis. Because of his illness, he fell alot, so he had many little cuts on him. I should have taken better care of this one on his shin. He wouldn’t let you pull a sock over it, and it wasn’t healing up after putting antibacterial ointment on it. Two weeks before he died he told me he wanted to go to the hospital and I asked him why. He said that he just didn’t feel good. I told him I would have to have a better reason than that to take him. He was having hot flashes a couple of times a day. The day before EMT took him he was laying on the end of the bed with his feet on the floor. He wasn’t talking but he was babbling, just saying words. He wouldn’t eat, or go to the bathroom, he wouldn’t stand up he just kept pulling his underwear off. In the ER they didn’t know what was wrong with him, until hours later another doctor came in and he knew right away he had Sepsis. He stopped breathing in ER so they moved him to ICU..The doctor told me he wouldn’t survive this. He passed away about seven hours later. I had never heard of Sepsis and he really didn’t have any symptoms. He had hot flashes occaisonally, and near the end he was acting real mental, but that was normal with him because of his Dementia.

    I had no idea what Sepsis was until the night my Dad passed away. He suffered a stroke on Dec 12 and had surgery on Dec 19 to remove a blockage in his corotid artery. Three days later he contracted a staph infection that the Drs say was the skin type not MRSA. However, they could not find any redness on his body where the intravenous lines were. He was put on Vancomycin. The Vancomycin caused his kidney levels to rise so he was put on a lesser dose. On Jan 9 Dad had internal stents that had been placed in his ureters replaced because something was causing his kidney levels to go up again. The kidney Drs had no answers and replacing the stents was the next reasonable step. Two days later his kidney levels were still rising so he had one round of dialysis. About an hour and a half after dialysis was complete Dad was shivering. I noticed he felt very warm and called in the nurse. He had a high temp and his blood pressure was low. He was becoming very restless. At one point Dad sat up and with clenched teeth and let out a sort of growl. At this point several nurses and Drs came in and asked me to step out. I asked the Dr if Dad had an infection. She said we’re not sure but we are taking blood and will see. I asked her if the dialysis caused it. She said, oh no, we are very careful and take every precaution….My husband and I waited outside for a few minutes. I thought to myself I’m not waiting out here when my Dad is in there so I went back inside. Dad was hooked up to an ekg. They were taking more blood,. There were 6 Drs/ nurses in his room all hovering over him. The Dr didn’t know I was in the room and I heard her say to a nurse Sepsis. I called my Mom and sister and told them they better get here because things didn’t look good. Never did a Dr or nurse say your Dad is dying.
    They ordered an antibiotic which came about two hours later which I feel was too late. I think it was already too late when it was diagnosed. The antibiotic arrived and we were all in his room. The Dr asks us if we want them to do whatever it takes to keep him alive if his heart stops. When I think back to that night why the f*** are you asking us that when you know he has Sepsis and is never going to survive it. He was already dying. His organs were shutting down. We of course say no. She proceeds to tell us they can give him morphine and he will not feel any pain. That is what they did and we sat with him for four hours until he took his last breath.
    The site of him in that bed will haunt me forever. The worst part about this is Dad couldn’t talk to us due to the stroke. He couldn’t converse with the Drs or nurses.

    My mother died from sepsis on October 8th, 2017. She was our best friend, our world. She was so excited to be a grandmother and 6 short years after becoming one her life was taken by something we didn’t even know existed. My mom went in for diverticulitis surgery with a local surgeon that she trusted and she believed him when he told her it was a routine and simple surgery and she would be released within six days. Two weeks later she died of sepsis, she never did leave the hospital. There was a leak that went undetected, even though my mom was in the hospital under their noses the entire time! I hate myself for not knowing how to help her. The woman who gave my life, held me when I was sick, and was there to comfort me through every rough patch in my life, I couldn’t help her. It is devastating. Thank all of you for sharing your stories. I have felt so alone and isolated. Thank-you.

    I too share a similar story.My mother died from septic shock,the cruel final stage of sepsis. Mom had been sick for several weeks with colitis and a severe UTI. Everything the hospital tried,failed. Every anti biotic … It’s been 12 days. I’m heartbroken.

    Lost my brother a year ago. He had leukemia so we knew infection was always a threat. What I don’t understand is how close he came to recovering and doctors were hopeful. Then fever comes again like a bat out of hell and that was it. BP dropped for good and all kinds of iv piggy backed on him. They never found the source ……didn’t know if it was bacteria, virus, fungus. I still research it because I still don’t understand what happened. I CU for 12 days and countless blood tests and X-rays and scans and still don’t know what happened . I am so sorry for those who have lost a loved one to this vicious killer.

    i had never heard of it until my mums death 2 years ago
    She had been feeling ill for a couple of days shivery and a bit confused she could not find the remote control when if was on her knee and not being able to eat she said she felt sick.
    she had surgery for diverticular desease 2 years before and had to wear a stoma bag.
    The district nurses were very good coming in every day to care for mum when she needed changing. The ambulance man suspected sepsis but when got to hospital there were big queues in corridor waited 5 hours and taken to CCU put on all kinds to combat the infection but died a day later due to organ failure and sepsis
    I feel so guilty that i did not realise that sepsis was a killer.
    She was very weak after her operation she was 62 years old

    we just lost our sister one month ago today to sepsis she had been an inpatient in a hospital and had been unwell for about 6weeks initially she was diagnosed with meningitis both sides of her brain and pneumonia then aspirational pnuemonia, moved from HDU to 6 different hospitial beds during her stay, we begged them to put her into ICU as she did not appear to make any much recovery and went from infection to infection and many many antibiotics, she also had a right side stroke within 2 days of her admission to the hospital,j we are just devastated as she leaves behind 5 young children she was married twice and 2 or her kids have conditions, the entire families are in a state of shock, the post mortem results state sepsis, on the day before her death we were never told she had sepsis and got an emergency call late at night to get to the hospital immediately that she had taken a turn well that turn now turns out to be sepsis, she was in 12 bedded ward and died in the middle of that room with 2 patients shouting and roaring, none of her kids got to say goodbye to her or her to them, this is a true nightmare for us, she was 44 yrs old

    Thank you all for sharing your stories. I thought my family was the only one dealing with hurendus disease. My Dad passed away Dec 21, 2017, he was in the hospital for physical therapy and one day he just wasn’t himself. I had drs paged, they did tests, he got worse while we waited for results. Tests came back as a blood infection-sepsis. He was rushed to the ICU, he was there 3 days and never came home. I feel if the doctors had caught it sooner he’d still be with us today. 100% healthy, strong man, I’m hospital for physio dies in 3 days from septic shock. We are all so devastated, I believe drs need to know more about this nasty, unforgiving disease. Thank you for advocating, what else can be done?

    In Sept 2015 my husband was diagnosed with lg.bcell lymphoma. His pk line was infected and removed and replaced. Nov 11we went to the hospital for paracentesis.he was in extreme pain a doctor who we had never met took over his care needless to say my husband died in my arms the 16th of November. It was horrible and I will never recover from this loss. Still no answer from the medical team , no accountability .

    Over the past two years, my mom gradually lost weight, but in August this year she could not keep any food down and continuously vomited. My brother and I took her to hospital and the doctors said it was due to ulcers. As they were treating her ulcers she still could not eat anything, her condition worsened. Doctors conducted further tests and diagnosed her with stomach cancer in late October. Unfortunately, the cancer had spread to her lungs and liver. The doctors then booked her into surgery on the 3rd of November, which resulted in her having a stoma bag attached to her stomach. Two days later, she was removed from the ward and isolated in another medical room. Thereafter, her condition worsened, her surgical wound was open, she still was not eating and we would at times find her wound not cleaned. On the 28th of November her doctor called for a meeting with close family members. The doctor informed us to say our goodbyes as they foresaw that she was dying. The next day, my mother passed on at 2pm. The medical certificate stated that the cause of death was sepsis. We were all unfamiliar with the term and believe negligence on the medical staff played a role in her death. Yes, she had cancer, she was diabetic and had ulcers, but none of these were the causes of her death.

    I survived sepsis 6 years ago, it has completely changed me in a multitude of various ways and it’s very difficult to accept.

    Sepsis
    I have a story I’m not quite sure how to share,
    almost like a dream, but a real nightmare.
    I survived something most know nothing about,
    you really need to hear this so I’ll scream it and I’ll shout!
    Have you heard of sepsis, have you heard that word before?
    Most people haven’t, so go on, please clear the floor…
    It’s an over active and toxic response of the body,
    an infection of the bloodstream so it spreads rather broadly,
    it leads to tissue damage, organ failure, and death,
    if suspected, quick treatment and hope for the best.
    I had complications and honestly still do,
    I had 4 surgeries, when originally scheduled 2.
    An autoimmune disease and steriod depedant to boot,
    abscesses after surgeries and a few nasalgastric tubes,
    2 different locations with a stoma and a bag,
    they never fit me well so chemical burns I did have.
    2nd and 3rd degree burns on my belly from myself?
    Needed a skin grapht, nature was to slow to help.
    I went septic after surgery number 2,
    I was discharged, at home, thought this was done – finally through.
    Only three hours later, symptoms started to show,
    this pain was just the beginning and quickly starting to grow.
    The fluids and food they gave me were now trying to escape,
    not a week after surgery my poor belly, butt, and face!!!
    My mother helped in every way that she could,
    the doctor said give her medicines and food – that will help, yes it should!!
    The next several hours I lay dying – alone,
    this pain was excruciating as I screamed, cried, and moaned.
    Upon her return, there was horror in her eyes,
    As I laid there in a pile of filth, I was struggling to stay alive.
    12 hours laters an ambulance was driving with haste,
    30 breath per min and 130 heart rate.
    With a shot of delaudin and sent up to a room,
    her vitals are deteriorating, we need to move her soon.
    5 days in a vented coma in the ICU,
    A picc line and the 2nd tube with sedated unconscieness – I had no clue.
    Waking up to find there is a 2nd bag,
    What the hell just happened?! I was so flipping mad!
    That was the only way to help keep you alive,
    you almost died sweetheart from a deadly infection inside.
    The Federal Bureau of Infectious Disease,
    they were by my side, monitoring me for nearly three weeks.
    So a quick recap of the whole shabang,
    Ulcerative colitis, no colon, and 2 bags,
    abscesses after surgeries that needed to be drained,
    a j-pouch constructed and 2 stomas to be maintained.
    2 picc lines in at different times,
    Chemical burns, now left with a skin grapht sight.
    With breathing like that and a high heart rate,
    spread sepsis like wildfire on parched desolate landscape.
    Those memories in the hospital are ones I’d like to forget,
    a few positive outcomes, but most I highly regret.
    I am just one survivior, of millions out there you see,
    most cases happen with illness or just plain neglegentcy.
    I have it rough, but others suffer worse,
    please look for symptoms, stay ahead of this curse!!
    Symptoms of sepsis, learn them to save a life,
    high fever, rapid breathing, your heart about to burst inside.
    Your body may be shaking with altered mental state,
    any possibilty of infection, this is something that cannot wait!!
    If anything like this ever happens to you,
    with haste and proper treatment hopefully you will pull through.
    The death toll is always on the rise,
    I pray you live and hope you survive.
    Please remember how serious this really is,
    you won’t be the same person as when you first went in.
    If going septic happens, it has long lasting effects,
    I pray for you that sepsis, won’t be something you’ll ever get.

    I just lost my mom to sepsis February 6, 2017..My mom also had M. S. She had M.S for 30 years and was confined to a motorized chair, she also had a catheter and a colostomy bag.. She ended up getting bed sores from sitting in her chair all day, The nurse told her she should lay in bed more but my mom was stubborn and hard headed and wanted to be in her chair.. She ended up going into the hospital to get better and they took her into surgery to cleaned the sores and after they put some kind of vac on her sores, then it seemed like she was getting better, she actually wanted to eat, and watch TV, which she didn’t want to before she went into the hospital..Then the Doctor wanted to move her to a different hospital that had a wound specialist floor that would help her the next month to get better, but a few days after the move her health got worse and she was out of it, they didn’t put her back on the vac when they moved her, which I think was the cause of her getting sepsis, also the nurses that were taking care of her didn’t use gloves when they changed her bandages..They didnt find out she had Sepsis until she was already out of it, and they tried the antibiotics but it wasn’t working, so my dad and my grandma and I decided to just let her go, and Not to resesitate it she stopped breathing..We decided to have her moved to another hospital (Hospice) in our hometown where she was born, They cleaned her up and gave her pain medicine under her tongue..So after and hour of being there she passed away With my dad, Her mom, myself and one of my daughters at her side we all said our goodbyes as she took her last breath and we watched one last tear fall from her eye..The last thing I heard my mom say was I love you to my dad, that was 4 days before she passed away.. I love her and miss her so much.. More hospital need to be more aware of Sepsis..

    I was feeling just a bit yucky last January. Nothing special. Went to bed to sleep it off. Got up that afternoon to use the bathroom, or at least that’s what my memory tells me. But I was out cold before I hit the floor. Woke up in the hospital 2 days later. My wife had to do the whole 911/CPR thing on me, so it was hard on her too. Sepsis. It’s now 11 months later, and I haven’t been the same since.

    Im just trying to keep my mind off him, he was a firefighter, EMT, Truck Driver, Construction Worker and many, many other things. He grew up with adopted parents and his father died when he was 14.. and hes been a quadriplegic for almost my whole life… Since I was about 6 and hes always.. Always been positive.. Not one day have I heard him complain.. He was a big independent survivalist type guy, and he kept being that as much as he could.. He has always been sharp and smart.. Last night he called for me and was asking me the same thing over and over, eventually I did it, and just got him a comfortable as possible.. So I went back to bed.. When I woke up the Aid that comes into help was already here and waiting on another Nurse to look at him and decide weather we need to call 911.. Well as soon as I took a look at him 100% I knew we did, he had snot coming down his nose, and couldn’t even notice I was there.. He was completely incoherent and calling for his long passed mother.. I immediately got him to the Hospital and here we are.. He was able to say “Love you” after I said it to him, and he responded to one of his oldest friends when he showed up, but since last night he hasn’t said anything, and hes not lucid at all.. He apparently has “sepsis” which is a blood infection..
    EDIT: I cant stand the thought of me not being there with him, Ive been there since last night.. I needed to leave to grab things and like I mentioned, I want more then anything to be there for him, but its grueling seeing him like this.. He hates it.. I know it. Hell Who wouldn’t.

    My mother has sepsis due to a Tumour piercing her bowls. So the doctors say. Should she be in a isolation room as she is in a room with 3 other patients. Does anybody know.

    My mum found out she had lung cancer end of aught she had one lot of kemo in September she got sepsis 3days after kemo and died 3days after that horrible and feel numb this year has been horrible

    My little momma died 12 weeks ago, from sepsis/septic shock from a bed sore. I am still in a state of numbness. I was not her medical power of attorney, but i believe my momma was a victim of neglect at the nursing home, and my heart is broken. I feel like I didnt take care of her— i didnt pay attention— and she is gone now.

    All hospital personnel should be completely aware of the signs of sepsis. It should be mandatory that anyone who works in a hospital setting should know the symptoms of sepsis regardless of how little training they have in diagnosing sepsis. There should be a law making all hospital employees take a course in diagnosing sepsis. Half of all people who have it die of it because of the negligence of nurses, doctors, etc. Everyone should be educated about sepsis. Half the people in this Country haven’t even heard of it. That’s a disgrace! Please do something to stop this horrible disease and help educate everyone about this. Many lives will be saved.

    God bless you and your family. I have no family left alive, so my prayers are with those who have a loved one die unnecessarily.

    I am a sepsis survivor of 4 years. Now the symptoms are becoming dangerously critical. I did not know sepsis could manifest in my gastric ulcer. I vomited blood a week ago. Now I am taking otc antacids for my ulcer, (lack of funds from my disability for all Rxs at the end of the month) the last 3 days. The pain and distention has been so bad, that my care giver is taking me to the ER today, now that I have new information. Thank you!

    I have been hospitalized 6 times in 4 years after going into septic shock from the bite of a friend’s house cat. It bit a blood vessel while I was rescuing it from being strangled while stuck in a stair railing. I have been hospitalized twice with septic shock, twice with pneumonia, and twice with a throat infection that did not allow me to swallow food or water.

    My limbs and feet swell to twice their size and the extreme fatigue and weakness is worsening to where I can be active up to 45 minutes at the most before sitting or laying down.

    One suggestion that I have. Please check your state resources for support, as it is there for this disease. Mental confusion combined with the inability to properly clean the house is reason enough. Your state Health and Human Services can provide a part time care giver to visit a sepsis survivor and help 7 days a week at no cost.

    I helped care for my mother for the four years until she passed recently from Alzheimer’s, I heard that losing a child is the worst pain imaginable so I battled to survive this as long as possible. Now every week a new symptom is occurring. The stomach pain from the gastric ulcer is relentless and the insomnia is increasing to two nights a week. I am transcribing a blog with photos to help educate people on this disease. My neighbor’s husband died of sepsis from a bed sore while in the hospital for prostate problems. Another’s 13 year old granddaughter died of sepsis from an implant for her scoliosis. Both hospitals would not list their deaths as sepsis but complications from surgery. They did not want to put themselves at risk for being unsanitary and pay the court costs.

    So many doctors diagnosed my symptoms as major depressive disorder, generalize anxiety disorder, Epstein Barr virus and fibromyalgia. Finally the doctors at Mayo Clinic said I have a bacterial in my blood.

    All the doctors I visited saw the photos of my 7 day hospitalization from the cat bite, and 38 other photos of accesses, distended and discolored limbs, unexplained bruising from broken blood vessels and mosquito bites that infected my entire arm until blood ran down my wrist. Not one mentioned the possibility of sepsis. Their response was, “This is too complicated for me. You need to go to a multidisciplinary medical center/school.”

    This month the MRI technician took me to the ER after seeing my foot 3 times the normal size and the radiologist found over 2 dozen superficial blood clots in my legs, and a 4 cm cyst/tumor in my liver after unusual blood test results.. Hopefully I will soon be in palliative care as recently no pain clinic or doctor will prescribe opioids for the excruciating pain. The medicines that I take have undesirable responses.

    Now I have a bloody UTI and kidneys filled with colonizing bacterial. The headaches increase and black and blue spots, ulcers, and limb swelling overnight continue. I hope that I may stay around long enough to fully document the many facets of this disease.

    How can doctors not recognize a BP of 100-80/60, the depression, anxiety, and isolation from others, heart beating of 105-120, weight loss of 30 pounds in 2 months, and a consistent body temperature of 96.3, as symptoms?

    Education is paramount. If money is a concern you might try Go Fund Me. Type sepsis under medical search, and you will see part of my story a friend put in. I will be putting in more information as comments for education. Sepsis Alliance is another informational asset. This is a wonderful site, thank. you for all the updated developments and support. Blessings.

    I work in a hospital. But I use to get cellulites when I worked at another hospital after I had a knee replacement. But 3 years ago I went to work feeling good and within 3 hours I started getting chills and running fever. The NP on duty that day sent me home with a prescription for the flu. Three days later I could not even get out of bed and when my husband got home from work he called 911. And when they got me to the hospital it took them 48 hours before the infection disease doctor came in said I didn’t have the flu like everyone else thought. He said I sepsis and started me on antibiotics. I was in ICU for 2 weeks and do not remember anything. It was Christmas. When I finally started getting better and my kidneys where doing better, but I could not walk and still had so much pain in my left leg. Nobody could touch me. I had a pic line in me finally they had to put in a rehab care and it took another 2 months before I got to go home. Please be careful and even when you think its just the flu go to the ER!. The infection disease doctor saved my life. He had told my husband if he had not got me to the hospital that night I would not have made it.

    I lost my 67 husband to a severe case of septic shock. He was taken by ambulance to the hospital in shock but it was not until 8 days later the hospital admitted he had sepsis and he died several days later. They are signs all over the hospital about sepsis but they could not even recognize it when it was under their nose. Thank you.

    Reading this post was like reading my life story just one short month ago. My mom was diagnosed late May with ovarian cancer, had surgery and died of sepsis early July. My sister and I begged for answers and transferred her care too late. I’ll never be able to get over my regret for not knowing enough about what was going on. He’s right, it was neglect. But my sister and I will have to live with their neglect the rest of our lives. Devastating.

    Thank you for this posting. I’m sorry to hear of your loss. I lost my mother to sepsis on 5/6/2017. The pain can be unbearable.

    I’m shocked that sepsis is so widespread, but so little can be done. More research must be done to save lives.

    My mom had surgery for a brain tumor in 1994. She had an urinary infection. When fever beoke she was transferred to nursing home. After a few days in nursing home she was rushed to hospital very sick. She had sepsis. She was allergic to any antibiotics used to treat sepsis and died after aseveral hours. Her arms were shaking. Her friend died of sepsis and she slways feared dying of sepsis.

    My brother was on dialysis when he had a stroke. While in hospital he had sepsis 3 times during next 7 months. He had to have both legs amputated and his arms would have been amputated had he not decided to stop dialysis in hospice.

    My husband has been fighting sepsis for 9 days. First hospital refused to give dialysis because he has cancer, small cancer just treated by radiation with good prognosis. They wanted to send him to hospice. He was transferred to another hospital and is on ventilator. He has had two dialysis treatments but during third his heart rate went high. The antibiotics will take out his kidneys if he does survive. We don’t know what caused the sepsis but I believe it was from blood clot he developed in nursing home which kept him immobile in recliner 20 hours a day because he was a fall risk. I believe his should have never happened.

    I am vaasanthi from India. I have something to share. Desperate to get any plausible explanation. My mother ( 75) has been suffering from sporadic sepsis ( 4th time in the last 6 months) and this impaired her vital functions thrice already. She is diabetic for 25 years and recently nephropathy has been ascertained the cause. This is the 4th time she is in hospital for sepsis. This time, so far she has been stable. She went for a total knee replacement sugery five years back and had two mysterious attacts of pancreatitis. There was severe pain in the upper abdomen and vomiiting both times. Ercp was done on her and she was good for nearly 2 years. Now in 6 months she has been gettting sepsis( reasons unknown). However we have been very careful about her food et al. There has been no diagnosis. All the 3times, it was not urinary tract infection. Waiting for an explanation. And to find a solution. She is having acute vommiting with burps and hiccups with a slight temperature.

    I want to begin by saying how eye opening this blog has been to me. One month ago my sister in law(best friend really) died unexpectedly at home. We were in total shock. She had had an organ transplant about five months prior(kidney). She had been on dialysis for about four years and when the news came they had a kidney it was like she was reborn again. The operation was a difficult one and almost didn’t occur but at the last minute another doctor was called in and was successful. We saw her the next day and she look better than I was expecting. Within 2 days after surgery something showed up on a test that was taken to see if the kidney was functioning. So much to their dismay they had to reopen and check turned out the test was wrong. Because it was so soon after the first surgery they had to close her up with staples. Well that’s when in my opinion everything started to go sour. She was in a lot of pain. She recovered and within I say about a month after she contacted an infection at the incision site. She was put on some sort of suctioning machine she had to wear 24/7. They said probably for 3-5 weeks. She ended up on it for at least 2 months or longer. I quite frequently went to her doctor visits with her and saw the infection area. She previously had been hospitalized and was at death’s door several times for other issues. So needless to say she hated going into the hospital for anything except for the chance for a new beginning with the kidney. I was not aware of her contacting sepsis and I certainly know she was not hospitalized for it. How it was brought to our attention was on her death certificate stating cause of death natural(I guess because it occurred at home) but underlying causes was listed as sepsis. I feel so heart broken and confused that no one in the family was aware of this. It was stated in (I guess) her medical file she had sepsis and why the coroner put it on the death certificate. I know we can’t get her back and she is peaceful now but am so confused about whether or not they were treating her for it. I know she was on quite a regiment of pills for the transplant but not aware if one was for sepsis. But according to everything I have been reading on the subject you usually are hospitalized, on IV and antibiotics. She was also diabetic and on insulin. I have heard somewhere in the past of septic shock but did not know the causes for it. I will say I have taken away a lot of very good information and have spread that information to many people in my life. I am the type of person who has to know why a human being seems to die needlessly from something unnessacry. I ask so many questions when one of my loved ones is in the hospital. I can say sometimes the staff get a little upset with my questions but I feel it nessacary to do so. It is another patient to them not someone vital in your life. And as we all know doctors are human and humans make mistakes and sometimes judgement calls are incorrect. We all have to have an advocate with us in these cases especially when it is a major operation or illness. I was quite please to hear on the news recently they mentioned Patty Duke died of sepsis. So sorry for her loss. Keep doing what you have and keep getting in the right people’s faces. We have to get more publicity on these curable disease and put an end to it once in for all. God bless.

    I really appreciate you sharing your experiences and the advice that you gave in your article. If only I had known this before I lost my mum very recently. Although I know that my mum cannot be brought back, I now feel that I should enquire into the few days before she died so very suddenly. She was only 68 years old. She was on steroids for quite a length of time for a number of medical reasons. Two weeks before she died, whilst I was visiting her, she told me that she was suffering from painful joints and couldn’t go for a wee very often. She suffered from FMS, so I, regretfully, chalked it down to this and suggested it might be that the recent reduction of steroids might be the cause. 7 days later, she was in agony and the doctor was called out, gave her morphine and told her to get some rest. 24 hrs later, she was asking for her mum and was in severe pain. She was rushed into hospital, diagnosed as having a kidney infection and put on an anti-biotic drip. 11 hrs later she went into septic shock and died. It has completely devastated us all.

    I lost my mom 2 weeks ago today to septic shock. She was in the hospital for 12 days. Had 2 surgery. With in 6 days of each other. We told them how tired she was is not normal they blamed on medication and the first surgery. She couldn’t even lift her head. She was seeing people that where not there when we asked about that we where told even though a very unusual side effect it was just from pain medication. On day 6 the second surgery happened. Even though she was so weak they made her get up. She told them she didbt have strength and that her stomach hurt way to bad they made her anyways. When she was crying in pain they put her back in bed and got nurse. Her incision tore completely apart and her intestine where coming out .they rushed her back to surgery. That was on Wednesday. On Thursday she was even more week. They still told us from all the meds. Friday at 4:38 am she went into respiratory failure they thought blood clot but scam showed nothing she was moved to icu. Put on a mask called something pack. They tried to lower it and she went into distress every time. At 5 pm they removed mask to wet her mouth she tried to speak made no sence when she looked at me it was like she didn’t know me. I was told again. Tired and meds. The nurse told me she was concerned about her kidneys out put . She called Dr he didn’t seem worried didbt come look. The nurse said if her function was not better they would have to call in a specialist. I asked it be done but since main Dr saw no reason it was not. During the night they switched her to a diffrent mask but breathing was still bad. Her whole body was seeping fluid but her kidney out put was very little. Buy 10am Saturday she was put on a ventilator. Still bad kidney function and her whole body was swollen very quickly. She now was in a coma. Her hands developed blood clots. Bother her lungs had collapsed she had 1 tub in 1 lung 2 in the other. Along with so many other tubes. Finally at 230 pm a kidney specialist was called in who immediately got ball rolling for diyaisys She was so swollen by now she didbt even look real. Her blood pressure kept going to low and her heart rate above 200 they couldn’t stabilize her enough to start diyaisys. She went into cardiac arrest they called us back and as we ran back we heard the call for cpr team to her room .when we got there we saw at least 20 people in her room Dr taking turns pounding on her chest people yelling epi clear other things. After 15 min they had a pulse. I will never ever get that vision out of my head. She was not stable at all after that at about 930 pm they finally decided to try diyaisys. At 11 pm. They told us she was not reacting to any kind of neoralogical testing and her one pupil was not responding to light. At 5 am Sunday they told us they had done all they could do. She would be lucky to make it another 12 hours and they could not tell us if in those 12 hours if she would go into cardiac arrest again. Or if she felt pain. My dad had choice to take off life support now or wait to see what next few hours would bring . He choice to let her go peacefully. We called family up. It took about 45 min for everyone to get there by time they where ready to turn off machine her blood pressure was 43 over 25. They turned off machine and she was gone in minutes. It was the worst 24 hours of my life. I don’t understand how it happened or why things where not done faster. She was our world our anchor my best friend. She was only 64 years old. I miss her so much. Never knew your heart could hurt so bad.

    I Lost my wife due to Sepsis on Oct 29,2015 she was 44 years old. She had been in and out of the hospital for the last 4 years or so after having a quintuplet bypass. She fully recovered from surgery and went back to work. She started having issues retaining fluid and was sent to a nephrologist. The nephrologist diagnosed her with Sarrcoid(spelling?). He began a regimen of steroids( Prednisone) and was put on fluid medication(Bumex) and later Selcept(though not a kidney transplant patient) this was to help prolong her as long before needing to be on Dialysis. Fast forward to Oct 2014, My Wife was leaving work for an appointment and fell, she broke her leg and required surgery to it being her femur. She completed her stay in hospital and was doing physical therapy. My wife then noticed a dark spot on her big toe, not taking any chances made an appointment with her podiatrist. The podiatrist called it Blue Toe Syndrome and sent her to a vascular surgeon, The Vascular surgeon was abrupt and quick to assume because her weight and diabetic that it had something to do with her issue, he performed test and a catherization and found circulation was going to foot. He kept an eye on it but did cut on it a little to start to see if would heal, I had to get frank with him to even prescribe and antibiotic. She is diabetic. After weeks of watching the toe went black, due to cutting on it, he said toe or foot, So her toe was amputated thus another setback. She developed wounds that became larger as he cut on them. She went to another surgeon that referred her back to the Vascular surgeon. She started to receive home wound care and weekly see the surgeon whom took a wait and see approach. He eventually visually diagnosed it as calciphylaxis, never doing a biopsy. We eventually chose to see a dermatologist who immediately biopsied and a week later had a diagnosis of pyoderma gangrenosum. She was admitted by her nephrologist to Henrico Doctors and started on Antibiotics immediately at our Dermatologist request. She began dialysis as a result of her Sarcoid and being on pain meds Dilaudid. This was where she should have finally seen some relief but no one considered that she might have had sepsis. How does this happen? Negligence? To many patients not enough doctors that care? nurses who could care less? Somebody knows……

    My mother died of sepsis from a misdiagnosed UTI. She had MS, which the hospital/doctors tried to tell us, made it hard to pinpoint exactly what was wrong with her because MS can give confusing symptoms. The doctor initially told my mother that she had a sinus infection (this was about 2 weeks before) despite my mother telling them that she knew she had a UTI. The loss is unbearable at times. I feel that medical staff can be extremely lazy at times. If they had been more diligent and listened to her, she would still be here.

    I lost my mother to sepsis dec 8th 2014 , i never new or heard of this !!! my mom was stubborn and would not go to the drs, She said her belly hurt horribly bad when she called me on the 6th and she was just moaning in a great deal of pain,she said she had fallen 3-4 weeks prior, she felt she just jarred her insides which led to the upset and pain , so she would just take over the counter medication for her guts as she would call them !!! I begged her to please go to the hospital and be looked at she did not like hospitals or drs so that was not going to happen,my mother also suffered from colon intestine and stomach cancer but thats not what took her life, she also had hep c ,gastric ulcer which helped in her passing,My sister and i were fortunate to make it to be by her side and our brother on the phone in her ear telling her it was ok to go and be with the lord, she went in on the 7th by ambulance and 10 min after our arrival to california on dec 8th at 550 am she passed as if she was waiting for us <3 we are from wyoming it was the longest drive of my life and the sweetest 10 minutes of my life,god knows how much i wish she was hear but i know her suffering was not what i wanted for her,I would be greedy to ask her to stay but god said no more suffering for my child , I love you so much mom and always will love your daughter

    My wonderful father entered heavens gates on may 10, 2014 after two weeks in the hospital battling sepsis! They knew after the first day he was septic, and his white blood cell count was OVER 30,000. YET, they waited a full week (until be went into septic shock.) to admit him to ICU! I am furious!! I miss my daddy so much, and I wish I had known more to help him! The infection had went info his heart valves, he had kidney, liver, and bladder failure… His heart eventually could not handle the stress. I watched his heart beat hit almost 200 beats a minute! I am trying to spread the word in Ohio… I will fight until I take my last breath to spread the word about sepsis!! What a nasty, terrible epidemic!!

    I praise you for your courage to write this so that others will know. I wish these stories were published for anyone entering a hospital. I am a Microbiologist and now I work in Infection Prevention. There is so much “good” being done in hospitals and yet these infections are still happening needlessly. The public does need to be informed to advocate for patients and themselves. The numbers of hospital acquired infections are decreasing! But none of them should be tolerated and all must be prevented. Thank you.

    Dear Sir, There is excuse for what happened to your mother and grandmother. Many patients presenting in the emergency department (ED) with potential sepsis. Joint Commission standards require blood cultures be obtained and the patient be given a broad spectrum antibiotic within an hour upon arrival. Blood cultures typically take about 3 days to identify a more appropriate antibiotic treatment. However, in your mother and grandmothers cases they obtained Healthcare Acquired Infections (HAI) which are not covered by Medicaid, Medicare, or most insurance companies since there is no excuse for them to happen. Sadly, in your mother’s case, it is clear that sepsis was caused from a surgical site infection. Hospitals do not want to record this data as it will not be covered by insurance. It is common for healthcare providers to lie to patiences, deny or chart HAIs. Medical errors are the third leading cause of death and/disability in the United States, today. I could cite numerous references verifying this is true. In addition, myself an RN was permanently disabled and most likely die soon because of 50 doctors ignorant of tickborne diseases continuously claimed I had a somatization disorder. This really means they believed, I was crazy and making up my symptoms but happily took $405,000 in cash from me. I apologize for what happened to your family but sadly doubt any improvements will be made because the US healthcare system is the most expensive in the world and has the poorest outcomes. My 68 year old friend who had knee replacement surgery is in the same situation, presently. His health care providers denied multiple HAIs and instead continue giving him antibiotic after antibiotic. Because providers minimizing the risks/dangers of surgical complications. He may lose his life or suffer a knee amputation. I thank you for speaking out and wish the best for your beloved. Sincerely, terminally ill RN screwed by the system.

    I have witnessed first-hand how terrible a sepsis infection can be. Both of my elderly parents almost died from sepsis but they survived because of the very skilled, observant, quick acting medical professionals at the hospital. Neither of them caught the infection in the hospital – it was a complication from injury outside of the hospital. Don’t mistake the symptoms as just the flu!!!

    I am so very sorry for your loss, and I appreciate you sharing with us, it sounds alot like what I went thru, I would like to share my story with you and your family also. I am a three time sepsis survivor, but I only documented my last journey. If you so choose you can read it at http://princessmemaw.livejournal.com/2013/11/13/
    I would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks again. Sue

    Mr. Karl’s article was extremely well-written and absolutely every adult in the U.S. should read it and be warned. He is very correct in saying that you must engage yourself in your loved one’s care and ask questions. Become actively involved and stay on top of the situation. You CAN make a difference by becoming an advocate for your family and friends. Questions do get attention, provoke thought and result in appropriate action. Being proactive for your loved ones can save their lives. He is correct in stating that we need to educate ourselves about the symptoms of sepsis. Sometimes it is inevitable, but often it is not. Microorganisms produce powerful toxins that, once formed, result in the shutdown of vital organs, and result in death. His warning is much-needed and he has done everyone a favor by taking the time to express himself. I am saddened to learn of his loss. My 98-yr.-old mother was a victim of sepsis, and I know how he feels. Please take his advice to heart. Thank you, Mr. Karl.

    My 11 year old niece had a 2 day history of sore throat and fever, on the third day she complained of severe weakness. Her parents immediately took her to our local Children’s hospital.
    Once in the ER – the staff and physician’s quickly assessed, diagnosed and began treating her for sepsis ( they did not wait for cultures).
    She was placed in a medically induced coma, intubated, given vasopressors, antibiotics and steroids.
    After 5 days she was weaned from life support and made a full recovery – no permanent organ damage!!
    Today she is 19 years old – away at college.
    Our family will be forever grateful to the staff and physicians at Children’s hospital of Buffalo for their rapid response to her illness.
    Kudos to the CDC for this program to increase the medical community’s and the public’s awareness of sepsis.
    Sincerely,
    Therese
    Buffalo, NY

    My ex husbands mother was diagnosed with sepsis.
    She had no previous surgeries or procedures done.
    She did have a fever and severe abdominal pain.
    The hospital had no idea what her path of treatment should be.
    This happened ten years ago.
    As her kidneys started shutting down she started to swell up like a proverbial balloon.
    She died after only 3 days in the hospital with a diagnosis of respiratory arrest due to kidney failure with a admitting Dx of sepsis…

    My sister died unexpectedly about 4 months after her she finished her chemo and had her cancer surgery. One of the causes ‘they’ said was sepsis. She never fully recovered from her surgery and she had the symptoms from your blog. She was only 56 years old. Thank you for being an advocate for this issue!

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Page last reviewed: October 27, 2022
Page last updated: October 27, 2022