Septic Shock with Multiple Amputations: A Survivor's Story

My daughter in law passed very quickly from sepsis. At the time we didn’t know much about it. Needless to say we were devastated. I am so appreciative of your talk and the knowledge that you are sharing with people like us that didn’t know how serious sepsis can be. Thank God you survived.

My husband was involved in a tragic motorcycle accident 4 weeks ago, he is been in ICU for 3 weeks and out of induced coma for 1. He might lose his right leg. There is a big chance. I am watching these videos because even I pray that doesn't happen I have to be ready for him. He is 52 years old. Very active and handyman. He worked as a superintendent manager in an electrical company. We are facing very hard times. He is all 💔

Katy , thank you for sharing your story, my mother just passed away because of the septic shock 2 weeks ago. I just want to say, you are a warrior.

My story is almost exactly the same, minus the limb amputations. Due to e-coli infection from a large kidney stone blocking my ureter. Ended up needing a Nephrostomy tube for almost 4 weeks. Had surgery to remove it and took me a good 3 months to get back to normal. Septic shock is NO joke. God bless you, ur family and everyone else who is part of this awful club.

We lost my mother in law almost ten years ago from sepsis. She became septic after a mild illness and ended up in an ICU in a coma from early September until mid November. About 3 weeks prior to her coming out of the coma, her children had to make the heart wrenching decision to agree to a quadruple amputation of all 4 limbs without knowing if it was something she would have consented to personally. She was transferred to a rehabilitation hospital in December where she stayed until Christmas Eve. The first evening she spent home in almost 4 months, she spiked a sudden fever and had passed away in the emergency room early on Christmas morning. She was only 46 years old.

A year ago my 75 yr old husband got really sick. High fever over a couple days. Helpless. My stepson heiped him into his car and took him to Mather AFB Vet Hospital. We were told he had bladder sepsis. He stayed in hospital 2 more days. He came home, weak but in one piece. If your parent is sick don't hesitate. We have a 76 year old feisty old man with us today.

Your awesome. Thank you for sharing your story. I'm a sepsis survivor, in August of 2019 had sepsis in 11 out of 12 major joints. In May of this year I had total hip replacement and still need total joint replacement surgery for my shoulders. I keep fighting every day because I'm a 40 year old single man that wants his life back. I hope that I can inspire others as you have inspired me.

Wow this whole.time i was crying bcz she has so many ppl who love her. She has a best friend, a husband, 2 daughters, and ppl who depend on her. She is so lucky that she has those ppl in her life. It is so hard to find a friend to pick u up from the hospital.

Your story made me think about a few years ago when my husband had heart attacks, strokes and so many life threatening things happen. He was in a hospital in Richmond in a hospital but after two months needed a larger hospital. He was sent to Norfolk's Sentra Heart Hospital where he stayed for two more months. So many problems occurred but the wonderful, caring doctors and nurses there loved him and the rest of my visiting family which made everything more bearable. In the end he had a LVAD (Left Ventricular Assist Device) which was a heart pump which was attached to his heart and went down around different organs and came out his left side to what was called a controller.....which was kind of like a small computer type apparatus. After all of this it's quite complicated to explain. What I was going to try and relate was having been in bed on his back for four months he began to develop horrible bed sores that caused excruciating pain even though the did all thing possible to alleviate the pain. When I was listening about your sores it just made me think of him. He also had sepsis but they were never 100 percent sure where the infection started. It was honestly one thing after another to the point everyone wanted to visit him because word spread quickly that there was an old fellow who overcame all the odds that were up against him. He finally got to leave (Feb 18, 2019 -- July 26, 2019) on July 26th at which time he was using either a walker or a cane and I had to be inches away in case he lost his balance. By January we were able to purchase a condo close to my daughter's home in Virginia Beach. Our son and family lived and worked in SF. On October 9 we celebrated his birthday of which we have a recording of him singing and blowing out his candles. Three days before my daughter's birthday on Oct. 22, I woke up with his head close to mine but knew he had passed to a better place. He had had a bigger stroke and was too confused to do what he needed to go back to sleep. I had almost 50 yrs with him but even one day would have been perfect. I have a large family who all loved him immensely and close, close friends who adored him. John was my rock, lover and friend. Now he is my angel. I am so grateful that you were such a fighter and won your battle.

My 5 week old great granddaughter died of sepsis 2019. It was terrible. She had a health issue prior and had to have surgery. As she was recovering from the surgery she got sepsis, May God take care of her until she s reunited with her wonderful mommy xx

I'm writing a novel and one of the characters became a double amputee after going into septic shock as a baby. Videos like this are very valuable in making sure I approach the subject with respect and realism as someone who hasn't experienced limb loss themselves. Thank you for sharing your story.

Thank you for this. My 38 yr old sister has been in hospital on life support for a week now, after going to ER after a 5 day illness that she thought was the flu. She went to hospital when she could no longer stand. Her organs were shutting down the first night and they prepared us for her likely death. She just woke up yesterday and recognizes our mother who is by her side constantly. Her left arm and feet look bad, very bad. She's a trucker, single, no children, fiercely independent and active. She was. I worry a lot about depression as she had already struggled terribly with it all her life. She has a very long hard road ahead of her. I lost all my toes to frostbite 15 yrs ago, and even just that has affected my life greatly, I can only imagine what she will go thru. She will probably lose her arm, and her feet. Doctors are "hopeful" she won't, but they really look bad. God I feel so awful for her — and it's so unfair to live a good, healthy, moral life and to still be struck down by something so tragic. But she has a big family who will be there to help her thru everything, and I'm gonna help/encourage her to find a sepsis organization for emotional support. You are amazing, thank you for sharing this. It will help us better understand and help my little sister.

I am driving to Houston to see my daughter who is at the hospital with sepsis. Your story gives me hope and makes me see the importance of family around. We are an small family. Since we migrated from Colombia many year ago. Keep my daughter in your prayers ❤ .

I have suffered through 2 bouts of sepsis one 5 years ago and the other last Memorial Day. I was delirious from 103 degree fever. When the doctors said I had sepsis I said “Oh thank God I was afraid I had I had Covid” I wrote on my FB page “Thanks to the doctors and nurses who studied many years how to care for extremely sick people and thanks to all the scientists who figured out how to fight infections” I know I am very lucky but I am afraid the next infection may do me in.

That is a lot of trauma. You did a great job explaining the entire ordeal. I can tell by listening that you have really educated about yourself about sepsis and all the thi ngs that came with it in your case. You are amazing and I am glad you shared your story. Your strenght and positive attitude with the love of your friends and family pulled you thru. Keep shining and god bless♡

I went to doctor in terrible pain in my back. He sent me home and I had sepsis. It came from my infected hip. I eventually was so painful and went to hospital. The heart machine told the nurse my heart was stopping and the next thing I had 6 or 7 doctors around me. I'm still traumatised 2 years later.

I am a retired RN. I was so moved by your story and was so amazed at your attention to so many details. It is amazing that you survived and thrived like you have. To have all of that happen from a small cut on your finger is alarming, though I took care of many patients who I saw go through similar struggles. You are very courageous and a true inspiration to others. The decub on your but is a result of not being turned frequently, however there may be reasons that was problematic to your other issues in icu. I have always said God will take your greatest weakness and turn it into your greatest strength. It’s absolutely true. God bless you and keep you. JUDY Newton

I also made it through sepsis in 2019. It took over 30 days for it to be recognized because I was dismissed so many times by doctors. Sepsis put me into a catatonic state that lasted for 3 months. I was taken off my psych meds and experienced brutal psychosis on top of the infection. I plan on going into medicine in hopes to help patients like the doctors that ultimately saved me. It was overlooked. 1 psych hospital, 3 different emergency rooms, and I was nearly turned away that last ER visit. It has also left me with health issues but not nearly as severe as yours. You are an inspiration, sepsis is no joke.

I got sepsis from a root cannel infection and dentist extracted the tooth and told me to go to an emergency room because now my knee was swelling they kept me there 6 days on intravenous antibiotics I was cured with prayers by many ( no amputations) . I did not know how serious this was.

After I survived septic shock and everything that goes with that, losing my hair was one of the most challenging parts for me too. It’s been 9 years and there are still times when I have my PTSD triggered. Thank you for sharing your story.