The First Episode of Sepsis
At four years old, before I could even understand what was happening to me I developed pneumonia. This was the first time I ever had sepsis. Alone it might not seem like a big deal. Little kids get high fevers and crazy bugs and then they get better. That’s just how life goes. But then came along even more infections like influenza, and urinary/kidney infections. This is where it became obvious that I had a serious issue, one that put my life in danger.
The Article in the Canadian Sepsis Foundation Website
Researchers will tell you that if you have experienced sepsis once, you are more likely to experience it multiple times in a lifetime. We learned that to late with me.
Back in 2021 I had a hard hit from sepsis, and I would like to share a little bit of that journey with you by sharing an article I published on the Canadian Sepsis Foundation Website. I would also like to share a poem with you that resonates my experiences with sepsis back that.
The last two and a half years have been challenging in dealing with the aftermath of that episode of sepsis. I have had to deal with physical, mental, and emotional trauma, invasive memories and deficits and have had to learn to adjust to life with a urostomy that I had surgically created four months after my battle with sepsis.
Educating Others
Recently, the sepsis struck again through a case of influenza combined with a severe kidney infection that crept in through my ileo-conduit tract. For the rest of my life, I will have to live with the specter of sepsis looming over my head. The best I can do is educate people on the trauma sepsis can cause and how important infection control methods really are.
Not Again
My knees are weak
The sacs under my eyes are baggy
My heart is heavy
Tears run down my cheeks
I never dreamed this nightmare would reoccur
My fears took me captive three years ago
They took every piece of me
Leaving my skeleton shattered on the floor
A puzzle without an image for a guide
Fighting Back
Every breath I take is a fight to hold on
Battling harder against the Devil
Scraping up courage and determination so that he can’t break me
Control or manipulate me to follow his commands
I will crush and conquer fears of the past
No longer am I a timid small child
Now I have emerged from my cocoon as a strong, mighty warriorÂ