I was a nurse for 30 years when I developed sepsis, and even with my background, I almost did not recognize what was happening.

It started with gallbladder issues that only showed themselves once infection had already set in. After removal, I improved somewhat, but things worsened after my first injection of an immune suppressant I needed for my autoimmune disease.

That day, I actually felt rare energy and had a good day. Around 7pm, though, the vomiting, diarrhea, and rigors began. My joints froze. I had experienced high blood pressure and tachycardia for months leading up to this, but no one had connected the dots. Then came the feeling I will never forget: the overwhelming sense that I was about to die. That was what finally pushed me to get help.

Looking back, I wish my healthcare providers had recognized the totality of my symptoms. I had seen five different doctors, each treating individual issues. Many of my symptoms were attributed to my autoimmune disease, even though I insisted they were not. My gut was right, but no one put the pieces together. Hindsight is 20/20.

It was very touch and go, but I survived. That was twelve years ago. Recovery has been a fight, both physically and emotionally, but I now use what I went through to help others. As an RN, I make sure to bring up sepsis suspicions with physicians when I see them in my patients. I am proud to say they have listened, and in several cases, patients were not discharged prematurely.

My message to others is this, Trust your gut. If something feels wrong, it is wrong. The body has incredible self-preservation instincts, and simmering symptoms should not be ignored.

Sepsis changed my life, but it also gave me a new mission: to help prevent others from going through what I did.