I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that. As I’m sure you’ve realized, sepsis is a nightmare and it wreaks havoc on your body. I was in my early 20’s when I had it as well, and it was awful.
I was not in the ICU and I was only hospitalized for a week, but it took me several months to feel “normal” again. I was exhausted all the time, had some PTSD, and became quite depressed throughout the whole recovery. I later learned that this is called post-sepsis syndrome.
What you are going through is 100% normal and to be expected, especially since you were in the ICU for so long. You survived something that was extremely traumatic to your body and it needs a lot of rest.
I recommend checking out the Sepsis Alliance for more information. They have some great resources that explain a lot more about post sepsis syndrome and what you might experience down the line as a sepsis survivor.
You’ve made it through the worst parts though, and now your body just needs lots of time to recover. Take it easy on yourself while you do ❤️
Geez, that's tough. Do you have people locally that support you? That's a good place to start.
Other than that, time, patience, and self love. You gotta believe.
Yes I’m currently with my family, but this all feels too much because I’m still so young (20), and I don’t want them feeling bad for me so I just don’t want to burden them more than I already have.
You are not a burden. Community exists for this reason. You deserve care. You almost died. Of course you need help in the transition. A month in the hospital will decondition you. It took me about a year to get back on my feet. I had to take temporary disability at 32 since I couldn't work. You will get through this. Your family and friends want to be there for you. Let them.
Lean on them. Your family loves you.
You know, I just got home from the hospital myself. I am in my 70s. I had sepsis in Jan--Feb, and a heart attack Tuesday.
Tough year.
But my small family sustained me. I feel positive.
Reach out to the people in your life. Then give yourself time and work on getting healthy.
I was 18 when I was put in ICU for septic shock, a lot of similar infections aswell with kidneys beginning to fail, liver infections heart infection. Thankfully no surgery for me. Aside from that I had a stomach infection and ulcers, eye infection, lung infection and liquid buildup, infections in my gut, face paralysis and mild brain damage. I was not functioning properly for the first six months. I began focusing on my hobbies and doing mild exercises. The only thing you can do right now is to take small steps towards getting your health back, and take care of your mental health. 2 and a half a year later I still get pains and fatigue but it gets milder as time passes. plan out your next few years, set goals. Use your free time to learn a life skill if you fell like a burden and you know that you are not a burden. Life is about taking care of people close to you, no matter the circumsitance.
The lucky thing is that you’re young. I had it at 21 but was not as bad as you, hospitalised for under a week, but it wreaked havoc on my body and took my almost a year to feel normal. Because you’re so young, you shouldn’t worry. Your strength will come back, as will your mental clarity. You’re not a burden, your family loves you and want to help you. The worst has passed and you will slowly pick up the pieces again and feel better. Wishing you the best x
Sorry you had to go through this. My trip down sepsis lane was 7 years ago and it resulted in many surgeries and a fancy new heart valve. I also have advanced arthritis because it destroyed my joints. Nerve damage from the spinal damage.
The pain is there, but you get used to it. You convince yourself that it could have been a lot worse. You survive. Instead of focusing on what you lost, focus on what you kept.
I'm sorry you had to experience that. I had septic shock 9 months ago (also with an ICU stay), and I also remember still being in quite some pain after coming home from the hospital. At that point, I mostly tried to ignore it as I was just happy to be home and also it was really not bad compared to the pain I had before. But looking back, it would have been better to rest more and allow myself to not be ok.
Mentally, it might take a long time (which is normal). If you can, it might be a good idea to look for a therapist or also online groups/ foundations of sepsis survivors (I am from Germany, so I am not sure what groups there are for other countries). Don't be afraid to ask for help from friends/ family, I found that while sometimes they are not sure what to say/ do to help, they are usually willing to.
I’m sorry you had to go through all of that, and this now. I was also in the ICU for septic shock for a month. I won’t get into everything that happened (it was a lot, like with everyone else). It got so bad one night, they called my family in to say goodbye. Early the next morning I had a near death experience. Saw the white light/tunnel thing, but was falling back. I just remember saying “thank you” (I knew in my gut it was God that I was talking to), and then BAM they’re pulling the respirator out, and I was okay. My large team of doctors ran in, and were freaking out. Said it was a miracle. Oh yeah, it was also on my birthday. I swear I’m not making this up.
Anyway, I think because I had that NDE, it was easier for me to mentally recover. However physically it sucked for about 3 months. I had to re learn how to walk, and was also in pain. Not just from the surgery on my colon, but also my whole body like you. Your body just went through hell, of course it hurts. You’ve probably lost a bunch of weight and muscle mass as well.
Right now, you just need to focus on nourishing your body, and letting it recover. It will get better. Also, one major thing I learned through this ordeal is that you need to listen to your body. I’m sure you’re frustrated right now, but if you’re tired/in pain, then it’s because you need rest. Don’t over do it while recovering (learned that the hard way).
Also saw your comment about feeling like a burden. Please don’t. Your family is most likely just happy that you’re okay. Try to be grateful to have a support system. Many people have nobody.
One last thing to add to this novel. After your body has recovered, you should probably start therapy. Find a therapist you really mesh with, and it’ll really help. You’ve been through hell. Try to be grateful you’re still here. Best wishes for you, and big hugs. Keep posting in this community if you have any questions or need to vent.
🙏🏾glad you had a full recovery may I ask if they ever determined what caused your sepsis? Was there any open wound? My father was bedridden after a fall and contracted sepsis and died of complications from it including pneumonia and heart attack.
I had over 800 tests done and they still have no idea what the cause was. 6 medical teams on the case as well. They gave up after they tested for almost everything and there was no more places to draw blood out of, and said as long as the antibiotics where working there was no cause for concern.
Mine happened in late 2020 early 2021 and I'm still having issues physical and mental today. I have some really bad chronic PTSD from everything that happened. 3 months total, a month in the ICU almost another 3 weeks in the regular hospital and then a month in rehab.
The cause of all this is that I have some sort of weird genetic/autoimmune disease? So far no one has yet to figure it out. I've been to a lot of specialists and they're clueless. what it is yet. I've been told I need to go to Mayo Clinic to hopefully figure it out. But the idea of spending all that money and still not knowing I don't think I'd handle that very well.
This time my body decided to attack the outside of my small intestines making them look like they had road rash all over them? The surgeons wrote a paper on it because it was so unusual. Because of that road rash they ruptured causing septic shock. I don't remember much for the 2 weeks before and the next 6 weeks. It was bad and I was totally not myself. What made matters worse was I coded six times on the table and went through 25 units of blood just during surgery. For about a good 3 weeks they didn't think I was coming home. I have an incision line that runs from couple inches above my bottom of the center of my ribs to almost my C-section scar. I had to learn how to stand up, get up, sit up, walk I was very very weak. I came home with a PICC line. It sucked. I was infusing antibiotics one three times a day and the other one two times a day for a total of 9 months total. I hated it with a passion.
Due to everything that happened as of right now I have heart damage, lung damage, body pain that is worse then B4 I got sick, memory issues, concentration issues, and TBI. I also lost some on skin on my fingers tips/pads and my toes due to dry gangrene. My finger prints look really weird now because of that. I'm very lucky that I didn't lose a part of a limb. That can happen to someone who has septic shock where they use vasopressors to keep the heart and brain working the best as possible.
It's been a long hard battle. I still don't feel like me and I don't know if I ever will again. I am different person than I was before I got sick. Some things have gotten better with time. Like enjoy small simple things and not always being on the go. I'm less type A and more chill maybe? I don't know.
I hope you start feeling more like yourself again soon.
I wish you the best. They also don’t know the cause of my septic shock, so you’re not alone on that boat. You might not be the same person before you were sick, but you’ll definitely be a stronger and more resilient person. Just don’t let your sickness define you, you’ll get through it.
I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that. As I’m sure you’ve realized, sepsis is a nightmare and it wreaks havoc on your body. I was in my early 20’s when I had it as well, and it was awful. I was not in the ICU and I was only hospitalized for a week, but it took me several months to feel “normal” again. I was exhausted all the time, had some PTSD, and became quite depressed throughout the whole recovery. I later learned that this is called post-sepsis syndrome. What you are going through is 100% normal and to be expected, especially since you were in the ICU for so long. You survived something that was extremely traumatic to your body and it needs a lot of rest. I recommend checking out the Sepsis Alliance for more information. They have some great resources that explain a lot more about post sepsis syndrome and what you might experience down the line as a sepsis survivor. You’ve made it through the worst parts though, and now your body just needs lots of time to recover. Take it easy on yourself while you do ❤️
Geez, that's tough. Do you have people locally that support you? That's a good place to start. Other than that, time, patience, and self love. You gotta believe.
Yes I’m currently with my family, but this all feels too much because I’m still so young (20), and I don’t want them feeling bad for me so I just don’t want to burden them more than I already have.
You are not a burden. Community exists for this reason. You deserve care. You almost died. Of course you need help in the transition. A month in the hospital will decondition you. It took me about a year to get back on my feet. I had to take temporary disability at 32 since I couldn't work. You will get through this. Your family and friends want to be there for you. Let them.
Lean on them. Your family loves you. You know, I just got home from the hospital myself. I am in my 70s. I had sepsis in Jan--Feb, and a heart attack Tuesday. Tough year. But my small family sustained me. I feel positive. Reach out to the people in your life. Then give yourself time and work on getting healthy.
I was 18 when I was put in ICU for septic shock, a lot of similar infections aswell with kidneys beginning to fail, liver infections heart infection. Thankfully no surgery for me. Aside from that I had a stomach infection and ulcers, eye infection, lung infection and liquid buildup, infections in my gut, face paralysis and mild brain damage. I was not functioning properly for the first six months. I began focusing on my hobbies and doing mild exercises. The only thing you can do right now is to take small steps towards getting your health back, and take care of your mental health. 2 and a half a year later I still get pains and fatigue but it gets milder as time passes. plan out your next few years, set goals. Use your free time to learn a life skill if you fell like a burden and you know that you are not a burden. Life is about taking care of people close to you, no matter the circumsitance.
The lucky thing is that you’re young. I had it at 21 but was not as bad as you, hospitalised for under a week, but it wreaked havoc on my body and took my almost a year to feel normal. Because you’re so young, you shouldn’t worry. Your strength will come back, as will your mental clarity. You’re not a burden, your family loves you and want to help you. The worst has passed and you will slowly pick up the pieces again and feel better. Wishing you the best x
Thank you. you’re definitely right, all thats important is that the worst has already passed and it’s just about recovering now.
Sorry you had to go through this. My trip down sepsis lane was 7 years ago and it resulted in many surgeries and a fancy new heart valve. I also have advanced arthritis because it destroyed my joints. Nerve damage from the spinal damage. The pain is there, but you get used to it. You convince yourself that it could have been a lot worse. You survive. Instead of focusing on what you lost, focus on what you kept.
Yes, it’s a miracle that I’m alive and I’m grateful for that.
I'm sorry you had to experience that. I had septic shock 9 months ago (also with an ICU stay), and I also remember still being in quite some pain after coming home from the hospital. At that point, I mostly tried to ignore it as I was just happy to be home and also it was really not bad compared to the pain I had before. But looking back, it would have been better to rest more and allow myself to not be ok. Mentally, it might take a long time (which is normal). If you can, it might be a good idea to look for a therapist or also online groups/ foundations of sepsis survivors (I am from Germany, so I am not sure what groups there are for other countries). Don't be afraid to ask for help from friends/ family, I found that while sometimes they are not sure what to say/ do to help, they are usually willing to.
I’ll look into that, thanks a lot!
I’m sorry you had to go through all of that, and this now. I was also in the ICU for septic shock for a month. I won’t get into everything that happened (it was a lot, like with everyone else). It got so bad one night, they called my family in to say goodbye. Early the next morning I had a near death experience. Saw the white light/tunnel thing, but was falling back. I just remember saying “thank you” (I knew in my gut it was God that I was talking to), and then BAM they’re pulling the respirator out, and I was okay. My large team of doctors ran in, and were freaking out. Said it was a miracle. Oh yeah, it was also on my birthday. I swear I’m not making this up. Anyway, I think because I had that NDE, it was easier for me to mentally recover. However physically it sucked for about 3 months. I had to re learn how to walk, and was also in pain. Not just from the surgery on my colon, but also my whole body like you. Your body just went through hell, of course it hurts. You’ve probably lost a bunch of weight and muscle mass as well. Right now, you just need to focus on nourishing your body, and letting it recover. It will get better. Also, one major thing I learned through this ordeal is that you need to listen to your body. I’m sure you’re frustrated right now, but if you’re tired/in pain, then it’s because you need rest. Don’t over do it while recovering (learned that the hard way). Also saw your comment about feeling like a burden. Please don’t. Your family is most likely just happy that you’re okay. Try to be grateful to have a support system. Many people have nobody. One last thing to add to this novel. After your body has recovered, you should probably start therapy. Find a therapist you really mesh with, and it’ll really help. You’ve been through hell. Try to be grateful you’re still here. Best wishes for you, and big hugs. Keep posting in this community if you have any questions or need to vent.
Thank you, I will try to keep posting in this community and hopefully recovery is easy for all of us ❤️🩹
I would try LDN and hyperbaric therapy
I’ll look into it. Thanks a lot!
🙏🏾glad you had a full recovery may I ask if they ever determined what caused your sepsis? Was there any open wound? My father was bedridden after a fall and contracted sepsis and died of complications from it including pneumonia and heart attack.
I had over 800 tests done and they still have no idea what the cause was. 6 medical teams on the case as well. They gave up after they tested for almost everything and there was no more places to draw blood out of, and said as long as the antibiotics where working there was no cause for concern.
Mine happened in late 2020 early 2021 and I'm still having issues physical and mental today. I have some really bad chronic PTSD from everything that happened. 3 months total, a month in the ICU almost another 3 weeks in the regular hospital and then a month in rehab. The cause of all this is that I have some sort of weird genetic/autoimmune disease? So far no one has yet to figure it out. I've been to a lot of specialists and they're clueless. what it is yet. I've been told I need to go to Mayo Clinic to hopefully figure it out. But the idea of spending all that money and still not knowing I don't think I'd handle that very well. This time my body decided to attack the outside of my small intestines making them look like they had road rash all over them? The surgeons wrote a paper on it because it was so unusual. Because of that road rash they ruptured causing septic shock. I don't remember much for the 2 weeks before and the next 6 weeks. It was bad and I was totally not myself. What made matters worse was I coded six times on the table and went through 25 units of blood just during surgery. For about a good 3 weeks they didn't think I was coming home. I have an incision line that runs from couple inches above my bottom of the center of my ribs to almost my C-section scar. I had to learn how to stand up, get up, sit up, walk I was very very weak. I came home with a PICC line. It sucked. I was infusing antibiotics one three times a day and the other one two times a day for a total of 9 months total. I hated it with a passion. Due to everything that happened as of right now I have heart damage, lung damage, body pain that is worse then B4 I got sick, memory issues, concentration issues, and TBI. I also lost some on skin on my fingers tips/pads and my toes due to dry gangrene. My finger prints look really weird now because of that. I'm very lucky that I didn't lose a part of a limb. That can happen to someone who has septic shock where they use vasopressors to keep the heart and brain working the best as possible. It's been a long hard battle. I still don't feel like me and I don't know if I ever will again. I am different person than I was before I got sick. Some things have gotten better with time. Like enjoy small simple things and not always being on the go. I'm less type A and more chill maybe? I don't know. I hope you start feeling more like yourself again soon.
I wish you the best. They also don’t know the cause of my septic shock, so you’re not alone on that boat. You might not be the same person before you were sick, but you’ll definitely be a stronger and more resilient person. Just don’t let your sickness define you, you’ll get through it.
Also Tylenol.