Hi there,
I hope this finds you all well. By now some of you would have found out about my last six weeks or so from Jay sending out information.
Six weeks ago we decided that I would go to Trinity Hospice for some respite care so I could have some medical advice and Jay could have some rest from having me at home for twenty-four hours a day. I have been bedridden due to the pressure sore since August the 4th and that is quite trying for both of us, especially with my ongoing psoriasis issues.
So I arrived at the Hospice at lunchtime on Monday 23rd September. I had a general check up by the doctor on duty and all was fine. By later that evening I started to get a bit of a temperature. By midnight I had developed a severe fever and uncontrollable shakes, and was sent straight to St.Georges Hospital, Accident and Emergency. By this stage I had gone into septic shock which meant that the infection had started to interfere with my organ function. My blood pressure dropped to such a low level it was preventing my organs from receiving enough oxygenated blood and my heart rate was through the roof. They worked on me in A&E until the early hours of the morning when I was then transferred to ICU. By this stage my kidneys and stomach were shutting down but they continued to dose me up with huge amounts of IV antibiotics and a variety of other drugs. Eventually by late lunchtime on Tuesday I was beginning to respond to the drugs.
We then had a few more stressful days where I was pumped full of more antibiotics and had loads of medication to lower my heart rate, raise my blood pressure and oxygenate my blood. Essentially it was touch and go whether I would make it, and thankfully I did with the help of a load of ICU doctors and nurses who do an amazing job.
I spent a week in the Intensive Care Unit going slightly crazy and had a touch of paranoia, delusions and confusion which didn't help things. Apparently ICU delirium or psychosis is not that unusual, but I didn't realise that as I was hallucinating and thought that everyone was out to swiss-cheese me. I was so determined to get out of there so I was happy when I got discharged back to the hospice the following Wednesday. Unfortunately, I got a fever again and landed up back in hospital the next day for another week.
After that I went back to the hospice where I was put onto another dose of IV antibiotics for seven days as I was still showing signs of infection. I spent a few weeks there and I am now back at home after five long weeks of hospital and hospice stays. Thankfully everything has stabilised for me and whatever caused the sepsis has gone. They never figured out whether the pressure sore caused it or whether it was an infection from somewhere else, but it was pretty scary nonetheless.
So now I am back to square one after setting another interesting challenge to the medical community to keep me alive. My pressure sore is looking less horrific and hopefully it will improve so I can be up before Xmas as I am going a bit nuts being in bed all the time. I don't know what's next but I would like a bit of a break.
Hope you are all well and keep in touch.
