Madison Coulter

Hi! My name is Madison and I am a grateful survivor of septic shock. It all began on December 4, 2024 when I was feeling extremely tired and worn down. I took my temperature to see I had a 101.7 fever. I monitored my temperature and exhaustion the following two days. My fever increased and fluctuated between 102 and 103 in those two days. I visited urgent care where I tested negative for strep, flu, and Covid, and was sent home with antibiotics to treat a UTI. I was already accompanied by some moderate back pain at this point, but I was assured it was just a UTI. (Sepsis and Urinary Tract Infections)

Two days later, I had gotten a lot worse. I was experiencing severe back and pelvic pain, and my urine was the color of motor oil. This time my mom and I went to a local emergency room where I spent 8 hours receiving IVs, pain medications, and various scans. Doctors couldn’t find anything, so I was again, sent home with a severe kidney infection and more antibiotics. Another two days pass by, and I’m still experiencing pain, unusually dark urine, and high fevers. This day, December 10, 2024, my mom and I felt something was seriously wrong despite being told everything was normal and I was fine the first two doctors visits.

At this point, I was experiencing a rapid pulse, extreme fatigue, pale skin, shallow breathing, clammy hands and feet, dizziness, and lots of unexplained pain. We decided to rush to another emergency room. When we arrived, I was immediately admitted and placed on a sepsis protocol according to my vitals and symptoms. I spent several hours in the ER before being admitted to the CV ICU. After my admission to the ICU, I vividly remember resting and several nurses and doctors rushed into my room in the middle of the night. They inserted a breathing tube as my oxygen fell to the low 80s, as well as an NG tube for decompression. I was also told I had pneumonia. (Sepsis and Pneumonia) It was soon after this when my blood and urine results returned. This was the moment when time stopped, and I drifted into a medically induced coma.

During this coma, I was on dialysis, ventilator, and countless IVs and medications. My heart enzymes were in the thousands as I had a grade 2 myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure while induced. Doctors and nurses were unsure if my organs would be able to make a comeback from this, and they were unsure if I would be able to make it. However, after two days doctors decided to slowly take me off dialysis to see if my kidneys would begin functioning properly again, and thankfully, they did. I have amnesia when it comes to my time in the coma and the two days after it. Due to the complications of sepsis and the medications I received, I had some nerve damage which resulted in a loss of hearing in my left ear.

I spent a total of nine days at the hospital, where each day I faced many challenges and setbacks, but I still continued to make progress every day to improve my physical and psychological wellbeing. Since being in septic shock, I have been hospitalized twice with post sepsis complications. At 19, I was face to face with death, but God’s goodness and healing has allowed me to make a full recovery. Today I am beyond blessed to have a fully functioning heart and kidneys, as well as a chance to continue my life’s journey, although things still aren’t always easy.