Frank B.

This is my story. I am 64 years old. My encounter with septic shock took place in June 2023. I was driving a tractor trailer in an Over the Road capacity working towards a client in East Peoria, IL. What led to my stay in the ICU of a hospital in Urbana IL was a kidney stone roughly 1 cm in diameter dropping out of my kidney and blocking the passageway (ureter) to the bladder. (Sepsis and Kidney Stones)

Urine backed up leading to the sepsis condition. My recollection of my condition constituted a diminished capacity to safely operate the truck; I ran off the road for the entrance to a rest area, totaling the cab of the truck. Upon arrival of paramedics, I remember getting out of the truck onto the gurney but nothing after that. The next thing I was aware of was being in a hospital bed some 10 days later, having recovered enough to be removed from the ICU. Per my family’s account regarding my condition, my doctor told them that among the 32 patients in the ICU, I was the sickest and they weren’t sure I would survive the evening. A video shot by my sister who journeyed to the hospital showed me hooked up to a (call to the senses to get a grasp of how serious my condition was.

I have spent nearly a year recuperating post accident. Follow up care has eradicated the stone but the toll of my ordeal has taken a toll on my cognitive functioning. I can’t put into words how much I appreciate the care I received to make it back to where I am today. Awareness for the impact going forward: the sepsis caused permanent damage to my kidneys – there are 6 stages of Chronic Kidney Disease (1,2,3a,3b,4,&5) where stages 4&5 are most commonly associated with dialysis treatments. I am stage 3b. Properly maintained through proper diet I shouldn’t deal with any further downgrades. Periodic blood testing is forever warranted to monitor my kidney function.

I am thankful for being able to say I survived sepsis.