Feb 13, 2020. It was a scheduled C Section and I could feel the Epidural injection going in, as my left leg started becoming numb and I warned the anesthesiologist about it. I was assured it was common and my surgery went well. My son was born, and I forgot every pain (of course I had epidural too). As my insurance allows me to stay for an extra day, I chose to stay back in the hospital and go home on day 5!
By Day 4, I started experiencing electric waves in my back and I had developed headaches. I informed the nurses, but they said it was all normal.
Day 5 was the discharge day. My Blood Pressure was very high, and it was very abnormal for me as I always record 100/70 or lower. But the nurse told me that breastfeeding makes the BP rise and discharged me. I went home with headache and hypertension and largely an uneasy feeling. Over the next few days, I had stiff neck and persisting headaches with blurred vision.
I called the gynaec and went for UTI exam just to be careful. The gynaec informed me that my BP was high but I did not have any UTI. So, as a precaution, I called the anesthesiologist, and he immediately asked me to come back to the hospital.
This was Day 13 after the delivery. So, I rushed to hospital with my husband. The triage people said, I had abnormally high BP and I needed to be admitted as I might be developing postpartum preeclampsia. My heart sank at that moment. I left my 13 days old son and 2.5-year-old daughter at home and here I am with unknown condition- getting admitted.
The nurse took me in and put a catheter as I was on Magnesium and cannot walk for next 24 hrs. After being on Magnesium for 2 days, the doctor informed me that it was not postpartum preeclampsia, but I might have a Cerebro spinal leak because of anesthesia. So, I was suggested, I should go for a blood patch where they with draw blood from my arm and inject it directly into the epidural spot.
In the meantime, I had the pain medicine doctor treating me for headaches and gave me injections at five spots on my head.
All this while, I was enduring severe pain in my body, head, back and not to forget the emotional pain of being away from my kids. By this time, I have started bleeding profusely. On the day of my discharge, I had mild fever with pain in my back and heavy bleeding. I was happy to go home and be with my kids, so when I was discharged, I was just ready to go!
Day 17- The next morning, I couldn't move as my back was hurting really bad and I was bleeding profusely. My body was squeezing my life out of it and I never understood why this was so bad. I was not even in a position to sit, and breast feed my son. Slowly, I started developing fevers and chills and my pain in the back grew enormously.
By day 20, I had a fever of 103 and my gynaec said, I needed to go to emergency.
When I entered the emergency, my Blood Pressure of 150+ and my fever was 106. I was immediately admitted in the ward and was being checked for COVID. I informed the doctor that I am unable to breathe as it is hurting badly in the back and that my urine is very dirty with blood and wastes.
They immediately checked it and came back with the news that; I had developed SEPSIS. My heart dropped and I lost all hopes on my life. I knew what it means to have Sepsis just 2 weeks postpartum especially after C section. I was shifted to ICU and was treated for Sepsis for next 1 week.
By this time, COVID cases have increased in the USA, and nobody was allowed inside the hospital for visitations. It was just me on the bed dealing with emotional, physical and psychological pain. All this while, I was pumping and dumping just to keep the supply up. And the pain from pumping during sepsis is unexplainable.
Day 29- After a week, my infections started decreasing and I was discharged with a PICC line to receive IV antibiotics at home. I came back to my son just 1 day before his 1st month birthday and continued my treatment for next 2.5 weeks from home.
I was glad to have my parents by my side who took utmost care of me. I was down physically, emotionally and psychologically but my kids and family kept my spirits high. I survived postpartum sepsis.
I am still suffering the consequences of Sepsis and I haven't fully recovered.
Icing on the cake- I was sued by the anesthesia consultants in December of 2022 for not paying $800 (which I was not even aware)!
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