Kaity Schlauer

In March 2024, only a week after moving to a different state, I developed the worst pain of my life on the right side of my abdomen. I knew something was wrong, maybe my appendix, but didn’t know what so I went to the ER. They did a CT and ultrasound, but nothing abnormal came up. They figured it was my first kidney stone, gave me some pain meds, and sent me home to pass it.

Within an hour of being back home I spiked a fever, started vomiting profusely, and was fetal on the bathroom floor in so much pain. My wife took me right back to the hospital. The ER doctors gave me morphine and admitted me, but I still nothing showed on scans. I was absolutely terrified but could barely move I was so weak. In the early morning hours, a female doctor made rounds, discovered me alone in my room with a high heart rate, very low blood pressure, and altered mental state. She was furious that nobody noticed I was in severe sepsis. She called in the critical response team.

Turns out a kidney stone was stuck in my ureter, my kidney doubled in size that night, and I had a UTI. (Sepsis and Kidney Stones, Sepsis and Urinary Tract Infections) They put in an emergency stent and started pushing antibiotics right away. I think often of that female doctor because as other doctors were gaslighting my pain levels, I was quietly slipping away in the middle of the night. It’s eerie how silent and fast sepsis can be. She understood the severity and signs. I also think about how I almost didn’t go back to the hospital that night because I was made to feel crazy like I was making the pain all up in my head.

After scary four days in the hospital, I got to go home. Looking back, I feel incredibly fortunate to have survived when so often others do not. Please drink water, listen to your body, and be a loud advocate for your health. I encourage everyone to learn the quiet signs and symptoms of sepsis. Maybe you will save a life!