Lauren Gilliland

My story is very long and complicated but to keep it as simple as possible, for about two weeks I was in and out of doctor’s offices and the ER for a chronic severe sore throat. At first I thought it was strep or mono however it continued to get worse. New symptoms would pop up such as a swollen vein on my neck and a piercing chest pain in my lungs. Doctors could not figure out what was wrong with me. After being told again and again I just had a “strange virus”, on October 18th 2023 I went into septic shock.

I had a temp of 104, was barely conscious, and hallucinating. In a strange way sepsis saved my life because without getting that sick they never would’ve diagnosed me with Lemierres Syndrome (a rare complication of a bacterial throat infection). My life was forever altered that day. People don’t realize how much it alters your everyday life afterwards. Chronic fatigue, low immunity, brain fog, depression, and anxiety all just scratch the surface of life after sepsis. Not to mention just knowing how scary close it was to being the end. A year later I still don’t feel the same as I did prior to going septic, and I probably never will. However I am learning to live with my “new normal” and learning to love the stronger post sepsis me!