Ross M.
Beginning of December 2024 I wasn’t feeling well. I’m a teacher so I thought it was one of the myriad of illnesses that run through a school every year… it’ll pass… I reluctantly stayed home. I progressively got sicker and after 7 days I called an ambulance because I was so weak and my vision was going. 911 Dispatch sent the Stroke Intervention ambulance because that’s what they thought I was experiencing… long and the short, once the EMTs arrived they knew I had not had a stroke and another ambulance came to take me to emergency. I was exhausted, severely dehydrated, my BP was dangerously low, my skin was ashen and could barely speak. Anyhow, our emergency system in Alberta is amazing … when you’re having an emergency. I was quickly admitted and a team of incredible doctors and nurses pulled me through. I was given over 10 litres of fluids over 12 hours to get my BP up so that they could start treatment. Infectious Disease, ICU and GI teams were all at my bedside… they told me that if I had waited another 24 hours my body systems would have begun to fail.
Diagnosis… I had my gallbladder removed in 2020 because of gallstones. Some of those stones lodged in my liver and bile ducts giving me jaundice… hence why my gallbladder was removed. So I still produce gull stones… some of those wee beasties once again lodged in my liver and bile ducts and because of an existing stomach virus I developed Sepsis … I spent 15 days in acute care, I was discharged, put on mandatory 2 month medical leave, take massive dosages of antibiotics twice a day and will be going in for infectious disease follow up, CT scans and another MRI.
Currently I am recovering well, some days I have tremendous energy… others I can barely put on my socks. I lost over 40 lbs in less than 3 weeks. Unfortunately it was muscle mass in my upper body and legs. I took pride in my strength and ability to lift and move heavy weight… now… not so much. I’m currently swimming 3 times a week and using a nautilus machine. It’s a slow recovery but I’m getting there.