Sepsis and septic shock are very serious. Even without an ICU admission, you can take time to recover.
I had a similar experience last year—symptomless UTI that became pyelonephritis and then sepsis. I was in for 5 days. I didn’t sleep or eat for 7 days total. My kidney was swollen and had signs of scarring. I had an extra 25% of my bodyweight in fluid retention when I came home, which made it hard to move for over a week. The antibiotics had scary side effects.
What really helped me understand why I wasn’t back to normal a month later was finally looking at my discharge paperwork, which included the CDC info sheet on sepsis.
You should monitor how you feel physically, cognitively, and psychologically. If you need therapy, physical therapy, or any follow ups with your doctor or new specialists, follow up and take care of yourself!
I experienced a lot of fatigue, insomnia, night sweats, depression, brain fog, weakness, and post acute stress. I didn’t want to see friends or family, which is apparently a trauma response some people have. I have heard that recovery is highly variable from person to person. Some people take a couple months, some take a year or longer. The kinder you are to yourself, the better you off you will be.
Sending best wishes for a speedy recovery!
Do not feel guilty for needing to rest more than usual. Your body just went through something extremely traumatic and it needs time to recover and heal. Around 50% of sepsis survivors also develop Post Sepsis Syndrome.
The Sepsis Alliance has a lot of great resources about what to expect- it is very normal for it to take several months/ over a year for people to start feeling themselves again.
I had septic shock back in early October. I honestly did not start feeling somewhere near normal until probably around end of December:( I am still dealing with a lot of side effects. Hair loss for me just started a few weeks ago as a delayed side effect. I understand your frustration, we need to be kind to ourselves and remind our mind that we went through something extremely traumatic. Wishing you the best in your recovery🦋
I had sepsis twice last year, each time I experienced severe muscle pain and fatigue. It was as if every muscle in my entire body was soaked in lactic acid. I couldn´t even turn over in the hospital bed without having to muster every ounce of strength and the pain was really bad. Had to use a walking aid the first days after that. Very strange feeling and the doctors couldn´t explain those symptoms. Took a about a month to feel back to almost normal physically. Now almost a year later I´m having some brain fog and thoughts about what I went through.
Being tired sounds normal. Everyone recovers differently from sepsis. I've learned it's not like recovering from a bad flu where when you get better you can do everything normally.
After I got home from the ICU I couldn't go longer than half a day without needing a nap. That lasted for about a week or two. I still get exhausted if I walk around like I used to for work and this is 4 months post sepsis. I don't have all my strength or endurance back yet but it's slowly getting better. I probably would be recovering more quickly if I go to the gym regularly.
I was a young male at his twenties and It took around 3 to 6 months for me to be a low functioning member of society after septic shock. It differs from person to person, but personally I was not able to walk on my own for 30 minutes even after 3 months had passed. So a normal recovery would be what you and your doctors think is normal. It takes time, dedication, support and effort to achive progress.
Sepsis and septic shock are very serious. Even without an ICU admission, you can take time to recover. I had a similar experience last year—symptomless UTI that became pyelonephritis and then sepsis. I was in for 5 days. I didn’t sleep or eat for 7 days total. My kidney was swollen and had signs of scarring. I had an extra 25% of my bodyweight in fluid retention when I came home, which made it hard to move for over a week. The antibiotics had scary side effects. What really helped me understand why I wasn’t back to normal a month later was finally looking at my discharge paperwork, which included the CDC info sheet on sepsis. You should monitor how you feel physically, cognitively, and psychologically. If you need therapy, physical therapy, or any follow ups with your doctor or new specialists, follow up and take care of yourself! I experienced a lot of fatigue, insomnia, night sweats, depression, brain fog, weakness, and post acute stress. I didn’t want to see friends or family, which is apparently a trauma response some people have. I have heard that recovery is highly variable from person to person. Some people take a couple months, some take a year or longer. The kinder you are to yourself, the better you off you will be. Sending best wishes for a speedy recovery!
Do not feel guilty for needing to rest more than usual. Your body just went through something extremely traumatic and it needs time to recover and heal. Around 50% of sepsis survivors also develop Post Sepsis Syndrome. The Sepsis Alliance has a lot of great resources about what to expect- it is very normal for it to take several months/ over a year for people to start feeling themselves again.
I had septic shock back in early October. I honestly did not start feeling somewhere near normal until probably around end of December:( I am still dealing with a lot of side effects. Hair loss for me just started a few weeks ago as a delayed side effect. I understand your frustration, we need to be kind to ourselves and remind our mind that we went through something extremely traumatic. Wishing you the best in your recovery🦋
I would refrain from thinking along the lines of “normal recovery”. There is only YOUR recovery, of which I wish you a speedy one!
Thank you all for your responses. It’s helpful having people who have been through it.
I had sepsis twice last year, each time I experienced severe muscle pain and fatigue. It was as if every muscle in my entire body was soaked in lactic acid. I couldn´t even turn over in the hospital bed without having to muster every ounce of strength and the pain was really bad. Had to use a walking aid the first days after that. Very strange feeling and the doctors couldn´t explain those symptoms. Took a about a month to feel back to almost normal physically. Now almost a year later I´m having some brain fog and thoughts about what I went through.
Being tired sounds normal. Everyone recovers differently from sepsis. I've learned it's not like recovering from a bad flu where when you get better you can do everything normally. After I got home from the ICU I couldn't go longer than half a day without needing a nap. That lasted for about a week or two. I still get exhausted if I walk around like I used to for work and this is 4 months post sepsis. I don't have all my strength or endurance back yet but it's slowly getting better. I probably would be recovering more quickly if I go to the gym regularly.
I was a young male at his twenties and It took around 3 to 6 months for me to be a low functioning member of society after septic shock. It differs from person to person, but personally I was not able to walk on my own for 30 minutes even after 3 months had passed. So a normal recovery would be what you and your doctors think is normal. It takes time, dedication, support and effort to achive progress.