Erin C.

Diagnosed with uterine carcinosarcoma August 2018, followed by radical hysterectomy. Was stage 1B very aggressive grade 3-4. Port surgically implanted and started chemo. Having completed 9 of 18 chemotherapy infusions, next I was on a 4 week break, before undergoing 30 rounds of radiation. (Sepsis and Cancer)

My ninth infusion was the day before Thanksgiving 2018. Around the first week of December, I felt as if I had twisted my right ankle. That lasted a few days, then I was driving home from the grocery store and I turned my head to the right, to double check my lane change, and my neck was stiff ( very painful, like a neck injury). Not thinking much more of it, that evening, I went to bed and awoke with my ankle hurting so bad – I just iced it.

Upon awaking the following morning I was on the phone with a friend and said it looked as if I had gotten bitten by a spider. Three welts on inside of my right arm, with what looked like bite marks in the center. The next day, my friend shows up at the door only to find me stuck in the bathroom almost passed out on the toilet. I had evidently sat down and became totally paralyzed and unable to stand up. All my joints locked up. Now as I go through all these little aches and pains, I was able to explain them away as I had never heard of sepsis, seen any posters in infusion rooms, nor in my chemo info folder given to me.

Long story short, friend called 911, was transported to ER, and on December 10, 2018, with ER full, parked in the hallway. Initially, the first ER doctor to look at me had me sent to oncology floor with an impression of lung metastasis, having had diagnosis of cancer. I was crashing and my friend pulled a doctor aside and relayed the events up to calling paramedics. At this time I crashed and he took over and intubated me while tests were run, and chest x-rays that looked like metastatic cancer invading my lungs was actually an infection. Onward to check chemo port and determine staph entered directly through port main artery and was in full on septic shock. (Sepsis and Bacterial Infections)

The port was surgically removed which showed infection. No stitches were allowed as the port hole was dug out and left open while my body was flooded with antibiotics and antivirals, among whatever else was keeping me from dying the two weeks I spent on a ventilator. In that time, all I remember is horrific pain being done to me by evil hospital staff and laying in a room tied up ( which I was), and being captive in a purple web all around me. The voices around me were like a record player on slow, very scary and I remember trying to die. To just hold my breath and die.

December 23, I was weened off the sedatives and could not call out for help. I was so scared. I still had ventilator in, but had survived the septic shock. Several doctors had called me their Christmas miracle. I almost lost my right side limbs, but did not. Spent three weeks in transitional care. Had to start radiation treatment while doing PT for the extreme atrophy and pain in limbs on right side. It was exhausting. Then after a full month of daily radiation, I had to complete the second half of chemo, via infusions through hand and wrist veins. I have a hole where my chemo port was, as it had to heal itself shut with Manuka honey and gauze, until it closed on its own. Please spread the word, sepsis is not always straight forward. I would’ve guessed it would present as fever, my port being red and inflamed or weeping. When the sepsis gets bad, it is quick and septic shock can occur in the snap of a finger.