Please excuse the extreme spacing on this posting. In order to make it readable and better understood I had to leave it as it was when I copied the HTML from Frontpage to here. If anyone has suggestions on fixing these issues please let me know. I'm new to blogging. Thanks! :)
As some of you may know, I became very ill at the end of October 2006. I went from healthy to a slight fever to near death in less than a week. It was a scary, to say the least, experience. In January I had what I have summed up as a mild re-occurrence. I feel that if it had not been for my ankles I might have been back where I was in October.
At the time I had no idea how close I came to death. I mean I knew I was in bad shape, since I was in severe pain, was to the point I couldn’t move or catch my breath and when they basically have you standing on your head because your blood pressure is almost non-existent, you know it’s bad. I also think there were at least four doctors in and out of the ER room the first hour I was there. Not
to mention all the doctors in and out in the ICU room. But it wasn’t till I was home and talking to friends that I found out that had I waited even two more hours, I could have been gone. David kept making comments about my almost dying on him but I thought he was just scared. But now I know he wasn’t just scared he did almost loose me.
I can’t thank God enough for saving my life! Now all I want to do is, well first get healthy again and stay that way, but more importantly I want to know His plan because if He didn’t have one or if I had already completed it I wouldn’t be here now. I know that one plan is for me to continue my work with the healing ministry I am forming at church, called “Precious Mettle”. I am using my healing experiences, to heal from two childhood abuses, to help other that need and want healing. And it’s not just open for abuse victims but for anyone healing from life hurts. This group is my passion and I will be concentrating most of my summer on campaigning it at church and within the community.
I am also feeling lead to share my story of recovery from my illness and to create an awareness of regarding the illness I had. It is something that no one really understands and jumps to conclusions based on what information is given. I am a firm believer in using your experiences to help others, so here goes…
Though there is a debate between the infectious disease doctor and my O.B., the consensus is that I had Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS). The infectious disease doctor says, “Yes, that’s what I had”, the O.B. says, “yes you had many of the symptoms but I’m not sure that’s exactly what you had, but at the same time we can’t pinpoint what you did have”.
I know what some of you may be thinking, and it is the same response I receive any time I tell about my illness, “oh my you abused tampons”. Ok so maybe it’s not said exactly like that but the pause or the looks when I say TSS say plenty. And ok, so maybe I should not let what other people think bother me. But it does, especially when even your MIL believes that’s how it happened. But it
doesn’t bother me out of embarrassment, for myself, but that no one really understands what this is. Yes, the most commonly known way to develop TSS is through tampon usage. However, it is not the only way and it does not only attack women.
Below is information I researched and found on-line regard TSS along with some notes about what I experienced (in italics).
WebMD says:
What is toxic shock syndrome?
Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is a rare, often life-threatening illness that develops suddenly after an infection and can rapidly affect several different organ systems, including the lungs, kidneys, and liver. I had issues with each of these; most concern was with my liver. Since toxic shock syndrome progresses quickly, immediate medical treatment is needed. I started with menstrual type cramping and a fever on a Wednesday morning. I was vomiting, and such, by that night. By Friday night I couldn’t even keep a sip of water/juice down and felt very weak and out of breath. I barely made it from the car to the ER check-in. For, at least two days, I was so weak I could not move. I could feel myself sliding down, in the bed, and would have to have the nurse or David lift me back up.
What causes toxic shock syndrome?
Toxic shock syndrome is the rare result of infection by Streptococcus pyogenes (group A strep) or Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria. These bacteria produce toxins that can affect most people. However, people who haven't developed immunity to these toxins can have a severe
reaction to them, resulting in toxic shock syndrome.
Strep TSS most often occurs after childbirth, the flu (influenza), chickenpox,
surgery, minor skin cuts or wounds, or injuries that cause bruising but may not break the skin.
This is the form I had. In January and February I had post strep
reactive arthritis. When I first saw my rheumatologist, about my ankles, he wanted to be sure that my body was free of infection and found
the strep. Now I thank God for the problems with my ankles because I fear this could have lead to a re-occurrence of the TSS. Outside of
what appeared to be a ruptured ovarian cyst we are unsure what caused me to become sick. I also had the worst yeast infection I had ever
had, the week before.
Staph TSS most often occurs after prolonged use of a tampon (menstrual TSS) or
after a surgical procedure, such as nose surgery using packing bandages (nonmenstrual TSS).
What are the symptoms?
TSS symptoms develop quickly and can become life-threatening within 2 days. First signs of TSS usually include:
(I have underlined my symptoms and made notes in italics)
Severe flu-like symptoms, such as muscle aches and pains, stomach cramps, a headache, or a sore throat.
Sudden fever over 102 F. Mine reached 104.
Vomiting and diarrhea.
Signs of shock, including low blood pressure and rapid heartbeat, often with lightheadedness, fainting, nausea, vomiting, or restlessness and confusion.
A rash that looks like a sunburn. The rash can be over several areas of your
body or just in specific places such as the armpits or the groin. I did not have the rash when I originally got sick, but I did have it when I started having problems with my ankles.
Pain at the site of an infection (if a wound or injury to the skin is involved).
I had sever lower abdominal pain and vaginal pain (and itching). The only way I was not in extreme pain was if I was lying down. Even walking and going from a sitting/lying position, or visa-verse, was painful. Just before I called the doctor my cat decided to walk across
my abdomen and it was so painful I screamed.
Redness in the nasal passages and inside the mouth.
Other TSS symptoms that may follow include:
Conjunctivitis (pinkeye).
Involvement of more than one organ system, most commonly the lungs, and
kidneys.
Blood infection (sepsis) that affects the entire body. I was diagnosed, without a doubt,
of being sepsis, all the doctors that treated me agreed on this one.
Skin tissue death (necrosis), which occurs early in the syndrome.
Skin tissue shedding (desquamation), which occurs during recovery.
Toxic shock symptoms vary slightly depending on the strep or staph bacteria involved.
How is it treated?
Emergency treatment often requires intravenous fluid replacement and hospital intensive care, particularly when the body has gone into shock. Further treatment involves antibiotics to kill the bacteria involved, removing any source of infection, and treating any complications. If there are no major complications, most people recover completely in 1 to 2 weeks with antibiotic treatment.
Here’s a bit of follow-up and treatment information from the emedicine site:
(I have underlined my experiences and made notes in italics)
Further Inpatient Care:
Further Outpatient Care:
Close follow-up is recommended, because some patients can have sequelae.
I think this might have been the strep infection found in February along with the re-active arthritis, if I understand what the term sequelae means.
Complications:
Prognosis:
Please don’t think that I noted my issues so everyone could feel sorry for me, I did this so you could see what a person goes through outside of what is said in some medical journal/website. I felt that if you knew first hand what happened, you might understand better. I’m also not telling you any of this to scare you. I just feel there is a need for awareness outside of what they post on tampon boxes and so that should you ever become sick suddenly you may know what to do more than I did. I called my O.B. and asked about the sudden cramping and fever because of the yeast infection but because I was about to start my cycle and had just finished medication for the yeast infection they said to watch it and that a yeast infection doesn’t cause a fever. I called my family physician and was told that because I only had a fever that I just needed to watch it. So that’s what I did till I couldn’t handle any more. I was lying on the bathroom floor or the sofa with a trash can near all day and night. Just walking 100 feet from my bedroom to my office took my breath away and I thought I was going to pass out. While I lay on the sofa waiting for David to get home, my neighbor was with me so she could stay with the girls, I just prayed that I would make it till he got home and could get me to the ER. I wasn’t sure I was going to make it from the car to the ER. The ER check-in tech told me I should have come in hours ago.
Because they didn’t know what was going on I was put on pain medication, via an IV, seen by four doctors, taken to have a scan done, had other scans done in the ER room all the while I was laying basically in a headstand position so they could get my blood pressure back. I was so dry, not even an ice chip helped but till they determined whether surgery was out I couldn’t have anything to
drink. I remember some things while I was in ICU. The worst part was the oxygen mask. I swear I was having hallucinations or something. I would wake up and realize I was trying to rip the mask off or I would wake up to the nurse telling me I had to leave it on, not even realizing what I was doing till then. On a lighter note, when I vision myself in the ICU bed, now, all I can vision is me being in a
partial bed, it’s like cut off at my knees or something but yet my feet are there too. Because I was on so many medications, and they had o take blood so much, they had to put a central line in my shoulder that had at least five IV ports. When I was finally taken to a regular room I was given daily shots, in my stomach, so I wouldn’t get blood clots. They would nag me to eat; constantly; only food tasted and ooked horrible, not just because it was hospital food either. I think I ate more orange sherbet than I did anything else and drank lots of fruit juice. I lost at least 20 pounds in the two weeks I was in the hospital. I was so weak when I came home all I could do, and wanted to do, was sleep.
I also tell you all of this because it helps to talk about it. I still cry when I think about the fact I was near eath and I could have left a wonderful husband and two beautiful daughters behind. They are tears of fear, fear of being sick again, tears of thankfulness, to God, for saving me, and tears of joy because I am still here. These feelings, and reactions to my story, are what lead me to share my story, in more depth.
Should you ever want to know more or have questions please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Also, if you would like to read further please visit:
http://women.webmd.com/tc/Toxic-Shock-Syndrome-Topic-Overview
http://www.toxicshock.com/
http://www.emedicine.com/EMERG/topic600.htm
