So you survived sepsis…now what? There’s a reason this is a tag line for my blog. It’s been my lived experience. My community of survivors has expressed that the feeling is when you are discharged from care, the medical community pats each other on the back and congratulates itself because they saved your life. This is a huge accomplishment considering sepsis still has a mortality of 20%.

I also learned that when we are discharged from care, there is no care plan for recovery. That is something highly individualized and something we are left to figure out by ourselves.

Now factor in that you’ve been critically ill for a duration, usually a month or more. Which means without your income, your household may have financial difficulties. Not to mention, you probably will never recover 100%, so your earning capabilities have been adjusted or obliterated, as was my case.

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We Have Lost Our Humanity

I feel overwhelmed writing this. Life was not easy following sepsis. We were forced to sell our house during a market downturn, we sold a vehicle to stay afloat, and we eventually became tenants in a basement suite to downsize and keep our monthly bills as affordable as possible.

That is why we’re going to explore Insurance Assistance.

Where to Begin

I’m Canadian living in BC, so I can only speak on the process here, but I want to discuss the federal, provincial, and third-party disability insurance I was able to navigate.

The 1st long-term disability we were able to access was the Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) Disability. I say we, because in my brain-damaged mind, I would not have been able to advocate for myself. Luckily, my Husband helped at every turn and kept me focused when I wanted to give up. And let me tell you, giving up is exactly what CPP Disability wants you to do. There is so much paperwork in legal language it just made me cry when I would look at it.

Wanna Fight?

I survived my 1st sepsis infection from a ruptured appendix in 2011. I was young and healthy and thought I would bounce back immediately, and life would resume as per normal. WRONG! 

I’ve always been a migraineur, but the migraines became inherently worse. I also had these gastro flares that would make me scream out loud unexpectedly. Then there was the fatigue. I was exhausted all the time. My attempt at returning to work was marred by absenteeism, which eventually told me to take a knee. I was still hopeful that a couple of months of healing and I would be back at it, so we applied for CPP Disability.

We had documents for support from my Surgeon, Neurologist, and walk-in clinic Doctor. We didn’t have a GP at the time. We also wrote letters to explain my symptoms, hardships, and we supplied proof of income. 

Round 1

Our 1st application was denied, then we appealed. The next 2 appeals were denied, so we were then asked to put our case before the Social Security Tribunal and attend a hearing at a Service Canada office. 

By this time, I had had my 2nd sepsis infection in December of 2014. Now it was sludge in my common bile duct after having my gallbladder removed in October of the same year. I had an ERCP performed on Christmas Eve and became septic from the medical procedure. Essentially, my liver had been poisoned, and the diagnosis was transaminitis or high liver enzymes, not sepsis. So, because the healthcare team didn’t understand that I had just survived a lethal infection, I was treated so poorly. 

I was in the hallway for the majority of my 18-day stay, except for the day I was diagnosed with Pseudomyxoma Peritonei, a mucosal cancer not detected in blood or lymph that was potentially multiplying and crowding my organs. I got a bed that day, but then the next day, the diagnosis was refuted, and I was back in the hallway. At least I didn’t have cancer, but now they were looking at me for how I caused this. 

Mic Drop

Back in the day, bed rest was the norm for recovering from a major illness. However, I felt better when I was moving. I started walking every day I was able and aimed for 5000 steps/day. My proud acknowledgement of trying to better myself was used against me. If you can walk that distance, then you don’t need benefits and can return to work. They didn’t understand that if I walked one day, I was probably on bed rest for 5. They monitor your social media and may even send a spy to see if you’re really as sick as you claim to be. They tried to invalidate my experience.

These hearings get very personal, so I encourage you to be as vulnerable as you are comfortable with. I have a nursing background, so it’s all physiology for me. The moments that made the 3 people on the tribunal gasp started with the cancer diagnosis. Even when the diagnosis is overturned, you never forget that on January 1st, 2014, at 10:00, you have cancer and that the treatment is to fill your gut with chemotherapy solution and rotate you like a rotisserie chicken for an hour.

The moment that solidified the victory was when they asked me about bathroom habits. Because I had peritonitis for 36 hours post-appendix rupture and may have had my vagus nerve injured during surgery, I now have gastroparesis. I literally have a broken gut. At that time, I was mostly on fluids, but my abdomen would get so bloated I looked 6 months pregnant, and I could not have a bowel movement. It was telling the panel I needed to use an enema to have a bowel movement that made me a candidate for CPP Disability.

Keep Fighting the Good Fight

We started this process in 2011, and in 201,7 we received a retroactive cheque to the beginning of 2014. That lump sum made us solvent again. 

On CPP Disability, the rate is just over $1000/month now. In the 14 years since I started this process, CPP Disability has increased by $100. As of 2025, you are allowed to earn $ 7,100 before your benefits are penalized. The safety net is now that I’m returning to work; if, for any reason, I am unable to succeed, I will instantly receive my benefits again. I feel like a baby bird leaving the nest again.

What Else Ya Got?

But that’s just the trials of CPP Disability. We applied for BC Disability Assistance benefits with our Doctor’s support, our landlord’s support, and proof of income. This was 2014, we now have a GP who sent us to an internist, who explained my recovery was as good as it was going to get. 

We were instantly denied because my Husband made too much money. Unbeknownst to us, BC Disability is for individuals in extreme poverty. We didn’t hit the threshold because a couple is only allowed to have a combined income of $19,440.

FYI, BC Disability pays $1483.50/ month. This actually breaks down to $983.50/month because $500 goes directly to shelter. Clearly, this needs improving because the average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment is currently $2,056/month.

Let’s just say I qualified for CPP disability and BC Disability, my monthly income would be almost $2500/month. If I didn’t have my Husband, I would be living in an SRO, and we all know those conditions are nasty.

Drugs Are Expensive

Now let’s talk medications and services. I am so fortunate that my Husband has an Extended Health Benefits. His policy pays 80% of your prescriptions to a max of $3000/year. As of this weekend, it is all gone. Now we will be paying 100% for the rest of the year. I am now in the space where I need to choose which medications I will have filled at the pharmacy because I can’t afford to pay out of pocket.

There is a safety net called Fair Pharmacare, but to qualify, we have to pay $3000 out of pocket before they assist. This amount is formulated based on our tax returns. Once you’ve paid the deductible, the Government pays 70%.

We also have access to $500/year for pretty much every treatment you can think of. 80% off dental and $300 every 2 years for vision care. Not bad, right?

Mental Health is Health

The only hindrance is that most survivors of any critical illness will have mental health problems, especially if they had a baseline psychiatric issue before the illness. On our extended medical benefits, Counsellors are not covered. Only Psychologists are covered. The ones accepting new patients are hard to find, and their intake starts at $300, so you can see that $500 covers almost 2 sessions.

Staying on the need for accessible mental health, I had a mental health crisis in November 2023. I will talk about this in length another time, but I wanted to share that this gave me access to something called Plan G. All your meds for anxiety and depression are paid for by the Province of BC.

Resources

This has been my experience dealing with Insurance post-sepsis. It’s overwhelming having a life-changing illness. To handle all the documents, I strongly urge you to have an advocate. It was too much for me to do on my own. If you don’t have someone in your life to turn to, reach out to the BC Disability Alliance. They will assist you with your applications for CPP Disability, the Disability Tax Credit, and BC Disability Assistance.

If you worked in the corporate world before illness, I know a few people who were successful using the Lawyers from the Disability Law Show on Global TV. They work on contingency and get paid when you get paid.

Lastly, I’ve pointed out how low-income disability benefits are. However, if you’re under the age of 50, do your best to contribute to an RDSP, Registered Disability Savings Plan. If you contribute $500, the Canadian Government contributes anywhere from 100%-300%, depending on your household income. You’re not allowed to access it until you’re 65 without penalty, but it’s something for your retirement.