My Sepsis Story

I’m a survivor of a hat trick of septic infections.

It started with a ruptured appendix in 2011. (Sepsis and Appendicitis) I had just started a new job and didn’t want to call in sick, so I went to work until I collapsed from severe sepsis.

The appendicitis started on Saturday night at a dinner party. I got violently ill & thought I had food poisoning. I spent the night on the floor in our bathroom. When I finally came to bed, I could barely stand up straight because of the belly pain. Even when I got to our bed, I assumed the fetal position. My Husband took me to the ER on Sunday where I was diagnosed with the flu. Monday, I went to work an ashen grey. Tuesday, my appendix ruptured in the afternoon. In hindsight, I felt momentarily better & thought the worst was over. Wednesday, I remember calling my Husband & telling him I felt like I would pass out soon. He told me to tell my Boss, who finally took me to the Hospital around 11 am.

The Triage Nurse instantly took me serious. The problem was I had no temperature & my blood work was fine. At least I was on a morphine drip. Weeeee!

My Triage Nurse was going home & saw me still sitting in the ER. She was shocked to see me still there & immediately notified the Doctor. When they finally looked at my CT, the Drs couldn’t tell if my appendix or right ovary had ruptured. They were just excited to have a surgical case & 30 min later I was in the OR.

I never got better and next went my gallbladder in Oct 2013. By this point, we had turned to Naturopathy & after a Meyers Bag I started having seizures and vomiting on December 23, 2013, I bee lined to the hospital. This time it was sludge in my common bile duct and I was treated with an ERCP, (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography). I was discharged on December 27th but returned the next day with sepsis. I was so weak I could barely stand up & finally had a fever of 37.6. I spent 18 days over Xmas and New Year's, mostly in the hospital hallway. That was a tough one.

I had read that once you get sepsis, your chances of getting it again are increased.

That beast laid in wait until July 12, 2019. It presented like kidney stones and I was screaming in pain with a high temperature. (Sepsis and Kidney Stones) I had so many doctors, imaging, and blood tests, trying to find the source of this episode. At best, the diagnosis was gastroenteritis or the common flu. (Sepsis and Influenza)

I feel so full of gratitude. Somehow, I gained enough strength to tour, perform, & even received a Nomination for the Juno Awards in 2018. I got to live out my best life after & while circling the drain 3 times.

Now I’m a healthier 52, and once in a while, I can still sing my heart out. Life is mostly silent these days as I’ve had a soul-sucking migraine for about 6 and a half years. Is it related to Post-Sepsis Syndrome? Possibly…I definitely struggle with PTSD, anxiety, depression, insomnia, fatigue, poor appetite, & I have an eagle eye for the next organ dysfunction.

I don’t know why I’ve been spared 3 times now, but I have this huge sense that I’m meant to do more.