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What are Some Causes of Septicemia?

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Septicemia is a systemic infection, usually caused by bacteria of various types contaminating a person’s blood. When septicemia is not treated with the appropriate antibiotics, the infected blood can then contaminate other organs or tissues of the body, creating life-threatening infections. There are many things that can cause this condition, most notably, cuts that have become infected.

Infections of the mouth or teeth, when untreated by antibiotics, can cause blood poisoning. One serious complication can occur if a dentist initiates treatment of affected teeth, and there is an additional development of bacterial endocarditis (BE), which is a strep infection. The strep enters the blood stream and then cultivates inside the cardiac tissues creating blockages. Anyone with a heart condition is slightly more vulnerable to BE and needs to take antibiotics prior to dental procedures. In most cases, where infection of the mouth, like an abscess is clearly evident, dentists will treat the infection prior to performing any type of oral surgery.

An infected cut can cause septicemia if not treated.
An infected cut can cause septicemia if not treated.

Infections of cuts or surgical wounds both carry a risk or developing septicemia. These wounds that begin to feel hot, look red, have red streaks coming out from them, or that seem to be draining pus should all be examined by a doctor. Since many people who have surgery now go home within a day or two, self-examination is important to rule out possible infection. With a large cut or surgical wound, one has a slightly increased risk of blood poisoning, because blood loss lowers the body’s natural immunities.

Diabetics should typically avoid being barefoot outside of the home, so as to prevent foot injury.
Diabetics should typically avoid being barefoot outside of the home, so as to prevent foot injury.

Burns are another major causal factor in septicemia. Third degree burns are particularly vulnerable to infection, and the larger the burn, the greater the chance of infection. Often third degree burns damage the nerve endings of skin, causing people not to initially feel pain at the site of the burn. People may not notice initial infection of burns without visual inspection.

Diabetics should inspect all parts of the legs and feet for sores or wounds on a regular basis.
Diabetics should inspect all parts of the legs and feet for sores or wounds on a regular basis.

Another possible cause of blood poisoning is internal injury, such as a stomach injury after a car accident. Intestinal rupture, gall bladder disease and rupture of the appendix or spleen are very often are treated with antibiotics from the onset, since the blood is immediately exposed to high and dangerous bacteria levels. This is particularly of issue with intestinal perforations, which spill bowel contents into other parts of the body, causing almost immediate septicemia.

A partial miscarriage, or missed miscarriage can also result in septicemia, if pregnancy remains stay in the uterus and become infected. Virtually any internal infection can cause blood poisoning because of direct contact with blood cells.

A ruptured appendix may result in blood poisoning.
A ruptured appendix may result in blood poisoning.

Some conditions make one more prone to septicemia. Those who have autoimmune disorders are more prone to infections of all kinds, since they have weakened immune systems. People with diabetes tend to exhibit an overall higher risk for blood poisoning because they also lack the ability to heal from cuts. Diabetics with foot injuries are asked to be particularly watchful, as these injuries or even small cuts can be very susceptible to infection.

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent TheHealthBoard contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

Learn more...
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent TheHealthBoard contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

anon927568

I lost my sister because of this septicemia. I hate this septicemia. The doctors were helpless.

anon330180

My dad has sepsis, we were told, and the doctors told us that they can't do anything because he has no blood flow and other problems with his body.

He was breathing on his own before and then they did a debridement and it was OK and then they did another debridement and this was the second one and now he has problems breathing and he is in ICU. Please let me know if anybody else has ever been through this before.

anon321912

I lost my mother to this disease. She had pancreatic cancer surgery (Whipple surgery) September 2012, which was a 95 percent successful surgery. she had nine chemotherapy treatments, but she suddenly got ill in February 2013 and was admitted to a super specialty hospital in Kolkata India, but the next day, she was put on a ventilator and expired three days later. It is a terrible loss for me and my family.

anon315101

My mother-in-law died four days ago from this infection. Her BP dropped and she went into cardiac arrest. We lost her 45 minutes later. I loved her very much.

anon313632

What accountability do the doctor or hospitals take when a patient becomes infected/septic due to hospital acquired infection? Should the hospital charge the medical aids for isolation of the patients who acquired infection in hospitals?

anon295118

I lost my sister six months ago to this. She was healthy one month then got the flu, then this. One month later we had to take her off the ventilator and let her go. Terrible.

anon259959

A dear friend of mine has died from septicemia. I wish there was some way we had knows. He was diabetic, and was 43 years old. He left behind a wife and three children. He became ill with fever, and had back pains. He went into a coma, and not even 24 hours later he died. His organs began to break down, and now he is in a better place now.

anon257669

I had streptococcal septicemia and was hours away from dying. I had gone to A/E and the duty doctor told me to go home as there was nothing wrong with me even though I was sweating like a pig and in agony. My wife took me to see her father that night who is a doctor (three-hour drive) and he took one look at me and took me straight to casualty where they discovered I had septicemia. I was on a drip for days and in a very bad way.

Had I not gone to see her father, I was told the chances of me seeing the morning were very slim.

anon236689

I gave birth to a baby girl five weeks ago. She was diagnosed with sepsis after six days and has been hospitalized for 16 days with antibiotics and IV fluids. Now she's well. Good thing we've found it very early.

Now, I am experiencing a rapid heartbeat and I felt very weak when I woke up this afternoon. The other day, I noticed that my fingernails turned purple. I don't want to tell it to my husband because I don't want him to worry. Can anyone here can give me advice about what's happening to me? Is it sepsis? I don't have fever.

anon220191

My husband visited his friend yesterday in hospital and just received word that he has passed away. He had septicemia. He had a minor operation six weeks ago and now he is dead. This gentleman was healthy and a keen runner. I find this all too sad.

anon216871

RE: post # 44 I also had the same problem. My water broke at 32 weeks, I was admitted to the hospital and six days later went into labor requiring an emergency C-section. One day after the birth, I went septic, with a high fever. I also had an elias blockage which caused me to be intubated and in ICU. I did not know what actually happened until about two weeks after I went home.

Because of the laws regarding security, my husband was not even informed about what happened. They told me at the hospital that they were waiting for test results. I was never informed of the long term effects or given instructions on how to combat the long term effects. I am also trying to find out more information about it. Your story is the first one I found similar to mine. I was told from an outside sources that the infection did come from my surgery but there is no way to prove it so I am just going to have to chalk it up to experience.

I have been told I should "avoid" having more children in the future because of possible complications. That advice may be just for my case but if I were you, I would find a very reputable OB and discuss it before trying for any more children.

anon215061

I was pregnant and everything was fine, when suddenly at the end of my eighth month, I had fever and loose motions. Because of this, my water sac broke and I delivered a beautiful baby girl one month early. But I noticed that her hands, legs and tongue were bluish in color. She underwent several treatments, but she couldn't survive and after a week she passed away. It was a shock to all in the family.

Can anyone please tell me that if I want to have another baby what precautions should be taken so that I can have a mentally and physically safe child.

dotmacis

I'm so glad I found this online support group. I lost my dear roommate and friend Michelle, to septicemia this past May. She was only 41 years old and had battled significant disabilities her entire life. She had spina bifida and hydrocephalus, and was a full-time wheelchair user. She was obese and eventually developed Type 2 insulin-dependent diabetes. She also had two ostomies (a urostomy and a colostomy).

In July of 2009 we discovered an abscess on her rear end, and she would make frequent trips to the hospital ER to have it debrided. She was receiving daily in-home nursing care. Eventually the abscess led to a significant anal fistula and she was put on in-home IV antibiotics, for which she had a PICC line inserted into her upper left arm. Given her disabilities, her colorectal surgeon decided to perform a colostomy procedure on her, in hopes that the fistula would heal on its own. She had that surgery this past January. At first it seemed to respond really well so the antibiotics were discontinued but in March, the fistula started draining a lot again. The daily nurses were monitoring it very closely and we had two more visits to the surgeon, who didn't want to do anything else despite our concerns. He eventually reluctantly agreed to refer her to a plastic surgeon as we definitely wanted a second opinion! Unfortunately, that wasn't to be.

Over a very short period of time she became increasingly tired and in more pain. She also had severe sleep apnea so we thought she wasn't sleeping very well at night. Two days before her death she started becoming really lethargic and the day before she died, the nurse took note of decreasing blood pressure. Eventually she was taken to the hospital. That evening, she was still talking to me when her BP was only 49/21!

When they sent me home from the ER that night, they were inserting a central line into her left groin and were also preparing to put her on a respirator. When I arrived back the following morning with our other roommate, Lisa, Michelle's mother and sister advised us that she was dying, despite the medical team's best efforts. We were there, with her immediate family, as she entered God's presence just before 2:45 pm.

I've read the other stories on here, and most of them mention fever. Well, believe it or not, she did not have a fever, and her blood sugar was normal. Be warned, and keep a sharp eye on your symptoms. Septicemia can strike without warning. And also, Michelle's fistula showed absolutely no signs of infection. It went internal. We'll be spreading her ashes at her family's annual reunion, this coming Sunday. We lived with her for over 15 years and I was her primary caregiver. I'll always love her!

anon193970

I have been a victim of septicemia. I suffered for 30 days and miraculously escaped with no damage (Well, i thank the doctor until now). I have heard that the fatality rate is more than 50 percent. It started with high fever, which never ceased to low, lethargy, dryness of throat, weakness, vomiting, rashes on the body (Well, my body was tainted in red). All in all it was the worst! For 15 days, I did not know that i had this disease as the doctor misled me. I was fighting the disease and giving my exams. On the 15th day I became tired of the doctor and went to a hospital for a checkup. That's when the doctor said my TLC was 40,000 and I needed hospitalization. I went to the college the next day, gave a presentation and then was hospitalized.

15 more days of antibiotics, plasma and whatnot cured me. The doctor did see fluids in my kidney (not severe) and I was on medication for a year post-hospitalization. It's been four years now and I am thankful to the doctor for saving me.

anon181646

My friend is 38 yrs old. Four months ago, continuously 4-5 days he had fever. And then one all the organs of his body started dysfunctioning and his heart was totally stopped. Doctors said that his Kidneys were not functioning, and due to this he had heart attack. That 4-5 days he was in coma. And then when he was out of coma, he did not remembered any thing that happened in that 4-5 days. He was admitted in K E M hospital for 1 month. And then he was discharged and he went to his native place. But after 2 months when he came back to Mumbai, one day his breathing rise rapidly and was feeling like vomiting and was shouting. Immediately then he was taken to the hospital and given treatment and was fine again. Now he is looking very ill. Still his life is going on. Now everything is now in the hands of God. Let God bless my friend..........!!!

anon181466

my 72 yearr old father is in icu at the moment. he has been in eight days with sepsis.

It started off one day with him thinking he was taking the flu. He felt weak and had a pain in his side. A couple of hours later he collapsed on the floor and he was taken by ambulance to accident and emergency. They put him on iv fluids straight away and antibiotics.

The doctors tested his blood, etc., and quickly diagnosed sepsis and he was moved to icu. There were stones in his bile duct that had blocked it and caused infection which had then spread into his bloodstream and caused low blood pressure.

We cannot thank the doctors enough. My father would not be here today if it was not for them. My father is recovering slowly and is still very sick and weak. He is still on dialysis for his kidneys. I believe he was caught in time and also he was quite a healthy man for his age before he took sick. He has never abused his body and is fit and active.

anon163288

Reading about septicaemia, sounds like the very symptoms I experienced last year when I was bitten by a Blandford fly, which is a very nasty biting insect no larger than one's smallest fingernail but has a pack of bacteria which it leaves in its wake.

I felt nauseated, and all my bones began to ache as if I had flu, plus I had a very high temperature of over thirty degrees centigrade. Within twenty four hours after my first visit to the doc, my foot had swollen to twice the normal size, my temperature soared then plummeted, resulting in convulsive shivering and tremors. All I wanted to do was sleep. It took four packets of antibiotics before the infection eventually receded.

anon154164

I was septic after my first son was born and spent 8 days in the military hospital (after he was in the ICU for 3 days - unrelated). My son was four weeks overdue and they conveniently lost our medical records. I was treated aggressively with four antibiotics via IV simultaneously which I accredit to the special medical service corps friend I had at the hospital at that time. I cannot believe how lucky I was. I cheated death once with Lyme disease and again with septicemia. But I still have some minor effects today.

anon140089

So i just had my first son and had to have an emergency c-section. i had it Tuesday and early Thursday morning i started to get a little fever and before i knew it, my fever went from 100 to 106 within not even an hour and i was having trouble breathing and my heart rate was 180-190.

My mom was there for the whole thing, and she said i had a seizure, which i have never had before, so i assume it was because of my high temp. She said i kept asking to have my c-section; i didn't remember that i had it two days prior.

When they finally were able to get my fever to come down a little and i was conscious again, i didn't know where i was and I didn't remember who anyone was. I was in ICU for a few days and then in a regular room.

I wasn't allowed to see my son, and i think that was the hardest thing for me. To have this precious little boy with me for almost 10 months and now people are telling me i can't even see him. The doctors told me that i must have been infected with e.coli sepsis after the c-section because my son didn't have any signs of it at all. Thank God.

I have talked to a few different people and nurses and they said that i must have contracted it during my c-section, but i can't find anything to prove that. If anyone has more information about it or knows where i can find more info please let me know. Thank you!

And i am so sorry for everyone that has lost their lives to this and to any mothers that have lost time with their children because of this. i know how you feel.

heather89

In response to the post below, your husband's symptoms sound awfully similar to those of my dad. We did have further tests on my dad and it turns out he was originally infected by streptococcus group A. As this was not treated, the infection managed overwhelm his body and progress into sepsis.

I was told that if my dad had been treated with penicillin (which strep bacteria are extremely sensitive to) when the doctor had been at our house then that would have been likely to help kill the infection before it got out of hand.

Although my dad complained of having an extremely sore throat, he was still not prescribed the antibiotics he much needed.

What infuriates me even more is that, a few weeks after my dad's passing, I went to the doctor with a painful throat, got diagnosed with strep throat and had penicillin thrown at me within five minutes. I don't understand why this wasn't the case for my dad, as he was in a much worse state than I was.

I'm really glad to hear that your husband's condition was eventually taken seriously and is being given the treatment he needed. I really do hope that he makes a full recovery, you are both high in my thoughts and I will say an extra prayer for you both. If you can find the time, then let me know of his progress and to both of you - stay strong!

anon133168

@heather 89: my husband is in hospital at the moment 21 days. i thought it was flu the first two days, but called a doctor out i could tell she thought he just had flu. She gave him an anti sickness tablet and an injection in his backside.

the next day he was worse could not move or keep water down, shook violently then went freezing, going very, very hot then cold.

he said this isn't right. this is not flu. I called an ambulance, they did tests on him, took blood, put him on a drip, then sent him home. the next day he was even worse. I rang again and the same paramedics came and said don't let him come out of hospital this time.

we still don't know the cause. He's still taking blood every day and he has fluid on his lungs, a rash covering his body. His hands and feet are swollen but he is getting better, which i can't believe, considering his breathing was so shocking to see it was so fast.

i thought he could die at any moment. he is 54 years old. i am so sorry for you for the loss of your father. my mum also died of septicemia following an asthma attack.

anon122715

I am a 27 year old female and I developed e coli sepsis 24 hours after giving birth to my baby girl. I have never really quite got to the bottom of how I got the infection, however I am sure it was through a UTI as I do suffer from these.

I was very sick and went into ICU for around a week after my little girl was born. I have to say the hospital I was in Northampton General, Northamptonshire, UK was excellent. None of my symptoms were ignored and I was given IV antibiotics quickly and recovered well. I am scared about getting this again, should I have another baby as I feel I was very close to not making it through and I have also suffered ongoing rapid heart rate since this occurred 19 months ago! Very scary condition and need somewhere where you can contact other people and share stories! Leanne

anon120487

I had septicemia, which lead to pneumonia, and then ARDS (Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome). I woke up in the ICU from and induced coma after two weeks. I had just turned 22, and the doctors told my family that I had a small chance of surviving.

I was in the hospital for 1 and 1/2 months. They gave me so many drugs, I started to hallucinate. It is a scary illness, and I was luck that I had survived it.

anon112596

Septicemia is the condition that occurs when bacteria gets into the bloodstream (from a cut or open wound inside or outside of your body). It takes over your body and damages or shuts down major organs such as the kidneys, heart, lungs and in the majority of cases these bacteria kill the person. It is not a contagious illness.

anon105941

I had sepsis from a UTI in 2002. The symptoms are nausea, you will not be able to keep anything down, not even water, fever over 101, and low blood pressure.

anon105622

I almost died. I am a 34 year old female. I had been having pain in my right lower back. I always get UTIs from passing kidney stones and I assumed it was a stone. I took several UTI home tests and all showed blood in the urine, but no sign of infections. Finally, the pain was so bad that I wanted to kill myself.

We went to the ER and the doctor did an x-ray and blood work. She then came back and said I was completely healthy. She called me a drug seeker. I begged her to do a CT scan, but she said no. We were kicked out of the ER. I was begging them for help. The doctor said go home to bed.

Lucky for me, after three hours of being at home in horrible pain and passing out many times, we headed for another hospital. They did a ct scan and found that a stone had blocked my right kidney. I had hydronephrosis. The next morning I went into septic shock. I had a fever of 106. The nurse had checked me two hours earlier and I was fine with no fever. Then Bam! I was dying. My labs were all normal 12 hours earlier and showed no sign of infection.

I spent 28 days in the hospital. I nearly died four times. Although I did not have the infection when I first went to the ER, I know that I was dying. It's hard to explain. I just knew that I was dying. I was panicked. It was so scary. Listen to your body.

anon102601

Sepsis can occur when there in a cut or nick inside or outside your body that gets infected.

People who are more prone to get infection and later sepsis are people who have weak immune systems, such as people on chemo. As far as I've read, chances of death are 50/50. My grandmother died of septicemia the day my twins were born last year.

My aunt, who had taken care of her, is on chemo and was found passed out in her courtyard (not sure if heat or heart attack or both). It took forever to get her bp up, and now she is septic!

anon96855

My spouse who is an MD in Medicine from Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Post Graduate Medical Sciences, Pondicherry India died of septicemia in early July. She was already a temporal lobe epilepsy patient since 1995 was on on strong anti epileptic drugs. We tried for gamma knife surgery but it was not advised.

She developed osteoporosis and had a fracture in right thigh bone. she was operated twice and was lastly operated for total hip replacement under spinal anesthesia in left lateral position through posterior Moore's approach, short external rotators incised, acetabular cup and femoral stem prosthesis removed. Acetabular cup size 43 mm implanted. The surgery done by experienced surgeon who is MS Ortho and D Ortho.

She was OK and was discharged from hospital in late June. She started to do exercise. Suddenly her condition deteriorated two days later. The next day it was severe and it was diagnosed as septicemia. She passed away at 4 a.m. the next day.

She had a bed sore at the time of discharge. What may be the cause for her death? Bed sore (local infection) or weak immune system triggered by continuous drugs for 15 years or complications in surgery?

We are not aware. Can any medical faculty give us consolation?

amypollick

@Anon87252: I am so sorry about your brother. Yes, septicemia is extremely serious, especially for diabetic patients. Long-time diabetics often have suppressed immune systems, which means they don't fight infection as well as non-diabetics. Because of this, something like septicemia can act very quickly.

Please accept my condolences on the loss of your brother.

anon87252

I had often heard of septicaemia but knew little about it, if fact always thought it as just bold poisoning easily treated by antibiotics. That is until June 2009.

My brother, who was 50, died suddenly after being admitted to hospital with diabetic complications. Less than five hours later he was dead. He had been feeling unwell for a few days and had been suffering from sharko arthritis in his foot for a number of years.

Within the short stay on hospital his organs failed one by one and finally his heart just couldn't continue. I know realize just how serious this disease is.

anon85244

In March, I lost my friend and whom I thought was my husband. About a week prior to his passing (he was 44) he was complaining of headache and fever. We thought it was the flu. He was seeing a dentist and getting deep cleanings and had been prescribed antibiotics.

At 11:34 a.m. that Sunday I received a text message that he would see me around 4:30 p.m. Unfortunately, he never arrived.

I was so angry. I thought he just blew me off. Upon speaking with the police and the attendant for the ambulance which was called, he passed approx 1:20 p.m. -- two hours after texting me. He couldn't breathe, Many people thought it was drug induced. His death certificate says unknown cause of death. We are still waiting for the autopsy, but I know in my heart this caused his demise.

I loved him very much. I wish I could tell him how much.

anon71980

I am a healthy 28 year old and I have just returned home from developing sepsis from a UTI.

I lost my mum last year to sepsis and when the docs told me i had it i panicked.

I was fine all day on Friday and then went to bed. I woke up at 4 a.m. vomiting everywhere, so i went straight to A&E.

I was then admitted to the Acute Care ward because i was rapidly deteriorating hour by hour, and it was not until the evening that the docs said I had sepsis but were not sure how it came about. All i can say is I felt so ill i couldn't even talk or respond. my temp was 40.2 degrees, my BP had dangerously dropped, i was breathing so fast that my both my hands and feet went numb, my heart rate was over 150 bpm. i was in the danger zone, and the next thing i know i had the Intensive Care docs around me trying to help me. at this point they put in a catheter to record my urine output to make sure my kidneys were not failing.

Luckily i recovered very quickly and by the next morning i felt much better. i am very lucky to be here and somewhat scared that it could strike again as they found out that it was cased by E Coli in my urine and i have always been susceptible to urinary tract infections, so i must now see my urologist.

I feel that my survival had a lot to do with my age, but it was very scary and trust me -- even if you are hours away from developing sepsis you know!

Thank you for reading. --Nikki in the UK

anon71426

I am now fourteen, but the worst experience of my short life, is my father dying four years ago, on my birthday, of septicemia. I did not think he was going to die, at all. I was only ten. What i want to know, and i feel i need to know, is how do people with septicemia die, and was he in pain? All i know is that he died in hospital. Did he stop breathing? Did his heart fail? What is most likely?

anon70323

I had surgery last month at approximately 8 a.m. Around midnight I started shivering and threw up and had a fever. I couldn't sleep, checked my fever all night, and in the morning at 5:30 am was retching loudly.

My husband took me to the hospital and my blood pressure was very low. I had many tests and was admitted. I had sepsis and was there four days.

Health workers are saying that sepsis never comes on that fast as to have been solely caused by my surgery. They are saying maybe I had some other infection and the surgery exacerbated into sepsis.

We don't want to sue anyone, I just wish I knew if it came on from surgery only because I am so afraid of everyday germs now it's ridiculous.

Does anyone know what the shortest time frame is for sepsis to develop?

anon65771

A man I'm dating has sepsis. he takes antibiotics and has blood transfusions very often. can i catch sepsis from kissing or having sex. i truly like him but I'm afraid to be with him.

anon64738

my grandad has caught septicemia in the testicle. What are his chances of surviving? can someone please who knows the chances of him surviving please get back to me and tell me?

heather89

My name is Heather, and three weeks ago I lost my dad to septicemia. He was 55, happy, healthy, didn't smoke or drink often, had no health problems and kept himself in considerable shape.

Three weeks ago last sunday he started feeling shivery like he had a cold. I was convinced it was a cold as I had been off college with it the week beforehand.

By the following day he had gotten considerably worse. His joints were aching and he wasn't able to sleep. By this time we'd guessed it was the flu but in the early hours of that night he had gotten up to go to the toilet and collapsed as he tried to open the bedroom door. He didn't know how long he had been unconscious for and woke up not knowing where he was.

He injured his ankle pretty bad which left him unable to walk as it was so swollen. When he eventually did get to the toilet he was vomiting quite violently. By the tuesday I knew he had to see a doctor as he had to crawl to get to the toilet and couldn't hold down any food, and could hardly drink any fluids as his throat was so sore.

His skin had also turned a yellowish color. The doctor came out that evening, took his blood pressure which turned out to be rather low, but said it was just the flu and prescribed him co-codamol and gave him a sick line for a week. Come the thursday morning I had woken up to find my dad on the phone to NHS 24 who called an ambulance out to our flat.

He was really bad by this point and it broke my heart to look at him. He was struggling to breathe, his skin was really yellow and he was screaming in pain crawling to the toilet. He also hadn't slept since saturday night.

The ambulance was there in no time but the two men only stayed for 5 minutes, didn't seem interested or even check my dad's blood pressure, take his temperature or anything.

My dad explained to them he'd had flu before and it was nothing compared to the pain he was feeling now. The men shrugged it off and said "yeah you think you had the flu...This is the real flu".

I asked if they would take my dad to hospital as I was extremely worried but they refused as it was just "the flu" and to keep taking the co-codamol and he'd get better. I had been running about like mad after my dad that whole day and was exhausted so I went for an hour and a half's nap.

When I got up I went to see my dad and he had deteriorated dramatically, his skin on his body had gone a purple color, he couldn't breathe out his nose and was struggling like hell to breathe out his mouth.

His skin on his face was even more yellow and I couldn't make out anything he was trying to say. I have never been so frightened in my life. I ran downstairs to my neighbor who came up immediately and called an ambulance.

When it got here the men mentioned septicemia and took him to hospital straight away. When I got to the hospital I was eventually taken into the family room and a nurse came in and told me my dad had passed out in the ambulance and that he was extremely septic.

This gave me the fright of my life as he'd not slept since the saturday so I knew something wasn't right. Around an hour went by and the nurse came back through to tell me they'd tried everything and my dad wasn't responding to any treatments and that he only had minutes to live. They were right, and he died moments later.

The doctors didn't know what had caused the septicemia so had to hold an autoposy. After doing this I was told that they were unable to figure out what had caused the sepsis and that further investigations will be carried out, so to this day, I still don't know why my dad is gone.

I had a letter from my doctor saying that they found an organism in some of my dad's tests, though didn't say what it was, and that if me, my family or neighbours feel generally ill or have a sore throat then we'd to contact the doctor immediately. We have all been fine.

It just puzzles me so much how one day a person can be fine, singing in the car with you then four days later, with no explanation, is gone.

It also infuriates me that the first ambulance that came on the Thursday morning didn't take him to hospital because there is a good chance it could have saved his life.

I'm finding it really hard to come to terms with this and get closure as I still don't know what took my dad's life.

He was my best friend. My mother left the family seven years ago and since then me and my dad were closer than close, did everything together and I could tell him anything.

I just don't understand this.

If anyone could give me any advice at all I would really, really appreciate it. Thank you.

anon58708

My wife had multiple gallbladder stones. She is taking medicine for rheumatoid arthritis. In June 2009, she was admitted due to septicemia. Thanks to God, she is recovered now. I would like to know whether gallstones (not giving trouble) can cause septicemia or not. Gallstones are removed already after six months of recovery.

amypollick

Anon56154: I am so sorry about your mum. She sounds like a wonderful person. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.

My dad almost died of septicemia a year before he actually did die. He had a urinary tract infection and we didn't know it. When someone has kidney failure due to diabetes like your mum (and my dad), their immune system is also usually severely compromised, and something small can become a raging forest fire in a very short time.

Your mum may have stepped on a rock or stubbed her toe at home, but because of the poor circulation, present chest infection, kidney failure, diabetes, etc., whatever happened just had free rein in her body. It sounds like she just didn't have enough resources left to fight it. It's hard to say why the other doctors didn't catch the condition of her foot. I'd ask them, though.

In any case, again, you have my deepest condolences, my thoughts and my prayers.

anon56154

i lost my mum three weeks ago. She died of septicemia. she was in our town hospital for seven weeks with a chest infection, then they sent her home. Two days later, she had to go for dialysis as she was a kidney patient at the royal london hospital.

they told us my mum had a gangrenous foot and that they would have to take her whole leg away on that monday, but on the saturday before, my mum did not respond to anyone and she died at 3:30 p.m. due to septicemia.

My dad, my aunt and uncle and I were there when she died. my mum wasn't only my mum but my best friend as well. I would talk to her every day on the phone. She had my two granddaughters as well and my oldest who is 5 were so close to my mum. my mum also had diabetes. i miss my mum so much i still can't believe she has gone.

it's so hard. i wake up crying and go to bed crying. me and my mum were so close. the docs at our local hospital didn't tell us my mum had septicemia, so would they have known or not?

anon55160

I have just returned home from hospital after developing septic shock after child birth. I was in for six weeks.

I was so sick the doctors gave me a 30 percent chance, then later gave me 1 percent chance. They were doing everything they could and it was up to me to pull through. I was put in an induced coma for eight days, during which time i received dialysis as my kidneys were failing.

Later on, i had to have two different chest drains which drained about 3.5L from my right lung.

After several infections and setbacks i finally moved from ICU to the medical ward, now breathing without the ventilator, for lots of physio to be able to walk again and regain the muscle i lost from being in bed for so long.

I am a mother of two, a newborn and toddler and i'm only 26. Had doctors not ignored my symptoms i would never have become septic and wouldn't have missed the first six weeks of my baby's life.

My symptoms were: Rash all over, low blood pressure, fever, rapid breathing/shortness of breath, just feeling terrible.

anon54398

I am from New Delhi, India. I lost my father recently, and the docs agreed it was due to Septicemia (Sepsis in short).

It all began the month before with a lump just below his jawline which, after an incision and a biopsy turned out to be TB positive, but was curable.

He was put on AKT 4 medicine dose and advised for six months. Unfortunately within 2-3 days his appetite went for a toss, his stomach swelled up and he felt breathless. Over and above he was hiccuping all the time.

He was taken to Max Saket and was rushed to the ICU because his BP went dangerously low. He was administered with BP inducing drugs and on life support, antibiotics and the ventilator. An MRI unfortunately could not be done as was kept alive at this moment.

In the meanwhile he developed infarcts in the brain which made him a vegetable and finally he died due to a sudden BP drop (40/26) and then went into a cardiac arrest.

From what I have read above in this website and a few more, it surely does seem it is a clear case of Septicemia. I felt helpless as I put my Dad into the best possible hospital in the city, and saw him go further away, day after day. today as he is no longer with us.

I sit at my desk looking for answers. What happened to him, when did it start, did he know there was something wrong within him, why didn't he tell us, could I have done something differently, could he have been alive today -- and so on.

Anyway, I hope if someone reads this, he/ she is able to take better care of their near and dear ones, so that they can be around for a while more. Much Love. i!

anon52423

i lost my wife to septicemia three months back. she was only 26 and had undergone iin-vitro fertilization at R N R hospital, delhi. she was absolutely fine but after ovum pick up she was infected -- i don't know from where. but i lost my everything. Doctors please take care.

anon51665

Hi my best friend died three weeks ago from septicemia. i was wondering if there is there a cure? x

anon51122

i think i might have this. I'm 13 and was picking my nail in the dark then fell asleep. i woke up and i had picked right through the nail to the flesh, and red flesh had risen to the surface. it's oozing yellow pus. my mum put antiseptic and a plaster on it but i don't think it will help. my friend had this, too, when she was younger, in her leg. a red line crept through her veins and she went to A+E. luckily she was well treated and came out a few days later. you can die from this disease. i did some research, and there is an over 50 percent death rate. i'm really really scared and don't know how quickly i should act or what i should do, as it might just be a normal infection. please give me some advice, and can i just say to anyone who finds this page to take it very seriously? i don't mean to sound all doom and gloom, but i could well be dead by the time you read this. value your life. you never know how long you've got.

anon50768

my pa is in intensive care now with septicemia. something ruptured inside him and his tissue and organs are badly infected. the doctors just want to keep him sedated and pain free. this is the third day now that he has been ill for. and i wish we could know if he will recover or die in a few days or a month.

sherman81

My mother died, due to unexpected reasons which I never imagined. She was OK in the morning, dull in the afternoon, she told me to that i should bathe her at 2 p.m. i did, then she slept. I thought that it was a normal fever, but what happened was after 7 p.m., she was out of mind. She was speaking to me but sometimes irrelevant things to me. I was shocked then. i called my father then we admitted her in a hospital at 8:15 p.m. The last words she spoke to me were, "You will be hungry. go and have your food" at 10 p.m. so i went home after 11:30 p.m., and returned after 12:40 a.m. to see my unconscious mother. Then she went silent, and her breathing was dull. She was struggling to breathe, then the next day, in August, she died. The doctors told us that the reason may be that her sugar was more than 400, and also septicemia, but don't have the proper reason. At 11 p.m. that day, when i heard that my mother's heart beat was stopped, i felt a pain in my heart which i could never explain. in my life my mother was everything. From my young age, she was my father, a loving mother, a sister and like a girl friend. i called her daily and talked to her for at least 30 minutes. i sleep in her bed. She always forgave me and was always caring. in my dreams i see my mother frequently -- it was like she never died -- and me talking to her. when i wake up, i can't control myself as i know that it was a dream. Nowadays dreams are the best parts of my life. I can tell many stories related to my mom. when i feel sick, she counted my coughd. She was very caring and wouldn't sleep until I was better. I lived in a world called my mother in which i experienced only happiness and joy. now i am far away from my mother. now i know only to cry. I don't know how to breathe. i am like a fish out of its pond. I don't know how to describe my sorrows. i felt that i'm completely lost. every day. if i give a missed call i get a reply, but now that number is switched off for ever. Before, i sleep with my mother. now sometimes it seems i sleep in the grave where my mother was buried. it's been one month after my mother's death. i feel guilty and ashamed that i could not save my mother. my mother's name is Mala. she is beautiful even after death. I miss her. is this is a curse or this is the way i should walk through? i don't know. my brain is dull. i could not explain properly. i hope i see my mother on earth and definitely in heaven. This is how my mother died at age 51. my mom had fever for more than a week, but that was a very normal fever, but one day she became sick. She also speoke of some irrelevant matters, and lost consciousness then. She had 0 Bp, also hard to breathe. It all happened in one day. The previous day she was not ill, the last word she told me was to go and have food. that hurts me still today. The doctors said it was septicemia, and she also had high blood sugar. i am still wondering how it all happened in one day. after all she had was a normal fever. who will comfort me now? My Mom Wisy mala, I miss you very much. mum i love you very much.

anon43775

My mom developed sepsis after being hospitalized. She was elderly and there was nothing more the doctors could do. The family did not realize that this condition existed. If you know anyone elderly who has symptoms of sepsis, please go to an ER immediately. God Bless

anon42390

I had a UTI and didn't realize I had it. I didn't have any of the usual symptoms. One day I got the chills, nausea, fever and I thought I had the flu. No improvement for two weeks. I finally fainted and went into shock. My husband took me to emergency and they admitted me. I was in the hospital for five days. I was septic and so very sick. Tests showed I had the UTI, then it went to my bladder and to my kidneys. I am fine now but have to be very careful.

anon41235

What is weird is my mom didn't have surgery or anything. She had pneumonia and they said she was septic. She was super healthy and had no medical problems and to this day we still mourn after her. She was everything to me. And no she is no longer with us. It has been over a year without her and we are still trying to cope.

anon38399

My sister died after her gall bladder operation. She was 36 years old. Everything was fine after her operation. The doc said that she was healthy enough for her release. But on the third day, she had complications like high fever, breathing problems, uneasiness, vocal change. She died of scepticemia. Please tell me the causes behind the disease.

anon37818

My brother died back in September, symptoms. labored breathing, yellow eyes and skin, fever,weakness,bowel seepage, we suspect septicemia.

He was hospitalized for about 12 days.Blood pressure took a sudden drop, liver destroyed in a matter of weeks. coma and finally death. We are still in shock, He was the life of the party family member. Any one know of anyone dying like this, also was bleeding internally? All symptoms started to show shortly after his colonoscopy.

anon36133

how do you know if you have it?

anon17670

Hi, I am reading a novel, where septicemia is mentioned. The author describes a septicemia patient and say it was caused by "diprococcus in the blood". It is a novel written in about 1920, and I am sure the diprococcus part is wrong. But what could he have meant? Best regards.

Sonet

Good afternoon. I am a 27 year old female and need to ask some advice. I had septicemia in 2006 in my womb. They did all the tests and i went for the laser treatment. Everything was fine no problems and after that i did not have any problems what so ever. But a while back everything started all over again. I started getting bad back aches my kidneys got so sore i could not walk. My cycle started on the 13 th April up until the 18 the of April there was clots as big as golf balls that was discharged. I was bleeding very bad and could not sleep without going to the bathroom more than once a night to change. My problem is i started again on saturday 26 April and again it is clots and the bleeding does not go down. I am worried about this and need to know is it possible for a female to have her cycle more than 21 days a month.

Will you please be able to advise. Regards.

aarpee

I delivered my first daughter 4 and a half years ago - My daughter weighed 9.9 pounds when she was born and is healthy but I had septicemia post pregnancy. I have no clue about the reason for the sickness. I was in the ICU and had to undergo extensive treatment. Dialysis was administered 7 times. Almost 5 years down the line, I am fine now and i have been regularly doing my check ups including Creatinine, urine, blood test, ultrasound etc which have given normal results. I want to now explore the possibilities of having a second baby though my husband is strictly against the very thought of going through the pain again. Grateful for your advice on this. Would you go with my husband's fear or can you tell me if I can follow my gut feeling and observing my present condition go for it. Would there be chances of this repeating or could you give me some advice on any other reasons why we shouldn't plan to have a second baby?

anon10321

hello sir, here is a small doubt for me. hope you can clarify it.... my mother died due to septicemia.... my question is.... after how many days a person affected with septicemia will die..... firstly her leg became very reddish and transformed into big wounds from which pus came out lightly... then we have admitted her in hospital. they cut the wound and took out the pus and left it to heal by its own and tied cotton bandages tightly.... we brought her back and after few days pus used to come out at her leg.... after operation she became very ill even she is unable to eat anything. even if she eats also she used to omit it... then again we have admitted her in same hospital. her b.p became very low, low heart beat, heavy respiration problem. even from the thigh region also pus used to come out. after a treatment of more than 25 days she went to coma. after two days she died. she even used to have high serum creatine levels. the bacteria found in that pus is klebsiella and after 22 days the reports told that it is staphylococcus. they used to give MAGNEX as antibiotic. sir i kindly request you to clarify my doubt that for what reason she died.

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