Thomas Tavolacci

I got sick three and a half yrs ago I was driving and I made it home. I got out of my car and staggered into the house walking sideways. I went into the bedroom and felt so bad I called out to my wife. I told her to take me to the hospital.

I don’t remember much, but I think I was at the hospital the night and sent home the next morning. That day I felt really bad I knew there was something bad going on in me. I told my wife to call an ambulance, and this time they took me to a different hospital. They got me a room and gave me blood tests, had x-rays, CT scan, and an MRI, and I can tell you more then one. They put me on antibiotics, and pain killers, my back and left leg hurt so bad. The ankle was swollen big time.

They had a good team there they recognized the symptoms. Well they finally told someone that things needed to turn around soon or it wouldn’t be good. Well they drained my knee twice and my lower back once of the poison. That wasn’t all. I had an abscess on my spinal cord. I had to have surgery. I was in the hospital for a month and a half , then a rehab hospital for another month. I went home and had more therapy. It’s going on 4 yrs now I’m still not back to normal.

My core is weak. My balance is bad. It affected me mentally because I say to myself I’m lucky to be here I should have died. I’m working out now and things have gotten better, but I’m not there yet my core is still weak , and believe I’m working at it. The problem I have is I don’t know how much damage was done to my spinal cord because of the abscess. If the first hospital would have recognized the symptoms at the start, it may not have to this point. It could have gotten to my organs, and who knows what. I could’ve gotten gangrene in my knee and lost a leg. It gets to you it really does . Hopefully by working out my core will come back. It’s a struggle but I aim to win. I will be playing baseball again for the first time in 31/2yrs. There is hope it takes some perseverance, and determination. Sepsis is nothing to fool with. I did a lot of reading on it so I know what it can do. Thank You.