Chris Lamb

December 16,2024 is a day we will never forget. After several days of not eating, left side abdominal pain and being bed ridden, we knew something was terribly wrong. My husband visited his PCP office and was told he had constipation. As the days went on, he became worse.

I was at work, calling home to check on him. When he answered the phone he could barely speak, he was so short of breath. I immediately left work and headed home. When I arrived at our house, Chris (my husband) was waiting in our garage, hunched over, having rapid breathing, was bone cold to touch and was turning purple right before my eyes. I called an ambulance and we headed to the ER.

A CT scan was done and lab work. Once the results were in, he was immediately rushed for emergency surgery. His labs were at critical levels and the CT showed that he had a perforated bowel in his large intestine (colon). (Sepsis and Perforated Bowel) Time was of the essence. Going into the surgery, the doctor assured me he would be ok.

After a long 4 hours, I received a call from the surgeon, shortly after midnight. She told me, once surgery began, it was far worse than expected. A large portion of Chris’ colon was removed and he was/is in septic shock. The outcome at this time was unknown, she told me the next 48 hours were crucial and she didn’t feel comfortable telling me if he was going to be OK. After 3 days in the ICU, where he was kept on a ventilator and four vasopressors, due to dangerously low blood pressure, he awoke and had self extubated himself. At that point, his blood pressure stabilized some and did not have to be put back on the ventilator.

As the days went on, Chris slowly improved. He now has a colostomy and has a long road to recovery ahead. He will have a reversal in about 3-4 months, once his body has time to heal. Chris was our Christmas miracle. We were able to come home on Christmas Eve. Time was of the essence and getting medical treatment immediately can save your life.

Source: Ann Lamb - Wife