Hi Ray
I am new here but experienced Sepsis and septic Shock in 2017. I have had PN since 2001 following chemotherapy for breast cancer. The first question my oncologist asked after my treatments was, "How are your feet"? Since then it was total numbness in my feet and then up to my shins. No pain just constant numbness. I was Dx with T2 diabetes since 1996 but well controlled. In 2005, a doctor decided I needed to be on insulin but without much guidance and my well-controlled diabetes took a turn. The circulation in my legs got bad. I kept getting small bouts of cellulitis and rusting from pooled blood in my shins. In 2010 I had double knee replacement surgery. The PN got worse after that with pain in my heels. Then in May 2017 on a Friday, I woke feeling extremely cold. I had a cup of tea and went back to bed just wanting to sleep and be warm. I woke up the next morning with pain in the side of my leg. I went back to sleep, saying no to my husband asking if I wanted something to eat. I woke up Sunday afternoon with severe pain in my knee and unable to stand. Hubby says we need to go to the ER. I told him I won't be able to get in the car. He called 911. I couldn't even put clothes on it hurt so badly. They took me straight to the hospital rather than our local ER and gave me a shot of fentanyl but it didn't help at all. The ER said I had an infection in my leg and decided to keep me there. I don't remember anything much after that other than being transferred to the Med Center. Two weeks later I came back from wherever I had landed and found out that I had surgery to replace the plastic part of my knee, 2 Transesophageal echoes, numerous other tests, and they had informed my family that I wasn't going to make it.
And this was all from a small bit of cellulitis and the natural strep bacteria that occurs on everybody's skin. They couldn't figure out what was wrong with me as I didn't have a fever and wasn't showing textbook symptoms of sepsis. Only my BP was dropping. The infection crossed the blood-brain barrier and has given me permanent ataxia and incontinence issues. I also have an issue with kinesthesia. I startle quite easily now. I was in a skilled nursing facility for 2 months learning how to be me again. Learning to walk, control of my hand movements and severe lymphedema. I have had Sepsis two more times in different areas since then and I am on lifetime antibiotics.antibiotics.