Yesterday Was What Day?

**This blog post originally appeared on the Blackburn News website:

Sepsis. It doesn’t have a wristband or a colour of its own. There are no runs or telethons for it. And yet statistically it’s deadlier than heart disease, stroke and many other well-known illnesses. Every 3-4 seconds someone in the world dies from sepsis. And 3 years ago, I was almost one of them. 

World Sepsis Day is September 13, 2014. Sepsis is a bit of a chameleon. It always starts with an infection but it doesn’t always create the same symptoms. Millions of people undergo dental procedures every day with no problem, but that’s what prompted my own bout with sepsis. An infection began at the site of a root canal. As I went to bed one night I thought, if this is worse in the morning I’d better call the dentist. But in the morning it was gone. I thought that was a good thing but it turns out, that’s when the trouble started.

The bacteria traveled into my bloodstream and in my case, attacked my liver. My own doctor refused to see me quickly because, over the phone, my symptoms sounded like the flu. Over a few days, as I felt worse and worse and couldn’t even stay awake for longer than a few minutes at a time, I saw two different clinic doctors. They both diagnosed the flu despite my protests that it felt different than that. Long story short, and without getting graphic, I did end up calling 911 on my own and landed in the ER where after a battery of tests I was told I was a few hours away from an irreversible coma. My liver had stopped working and I had 3 months of recovery ahead of me. And I was one of the luckiest people on the planet to have listened to my intuition over the poor advice of those doctors.

Have you ever heard of someone who died after a cut wouldn’t heal? That’s sepsis. Symptoms do mimic the flu in some ways but, lucky for me, the attack on my liver took it to another level that I had never felt before. During my recovery, I heard of two RNs who died from sepsis. People, including some in the medical field, simply don’t know.

I don’t want to give you the impression that it’s out there lurking in wait for you. But if you have a wound or infection that doesn’t heal, or you’re told you have the flu when you know it’s more than that, don’t listen to advice no matter how many medical certificates are on the wall. I respect most doctors, but as my surgeon at University Hospital said during my recovery: What do you call a medical student who gets 50% on his final exam? You call him Doctor. In other words, like every other profession, not all doctors are created equal.

Amazing research is being done right here at Western. Dr. QingPing Feng is working on a method for a quick diagnosis for this troublesome illness that’s the number one cause of in-hospital deaths. If you’re interested in learning more, the site for World Sepsis Day has loads of information HERE. Well informed is well armed. Stay well.