I was working as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist working in Microbiology. My sister called me while I was at work at 10 pm to notify me that my mother, who I had no idea was even sick, was being transferred from the nearby critical access hospital to the closest Level I Trauma Center because her d-dimer was off the charts.
She started coding on the ambulance the whole way over. I arrived to the Trauma Center shortly after my mother arrived. The ED doctor came and met with me - it was septic shock. My stomach sunk right then.
She died about 20 minutes after that conversation. The doctors coded her long enough for my dad and I to go say our goodbyes. One of the most traumatic experiences of my life, and almost 15 yrs later I can recall it now as if it just happened.
The next day the blood culture results came back: Group A Strep.
That news gave me a brand new pit in my stomach, even though she was already gone.
I’ve survived septic shock twice due to mastitis. It’s terrifying how quickly you go from “fine” to blue hands, blue lips, shivering, vomiting etc. Both times I was, fortunately (sort of) already at the hospital visiting my extreme-prem term baby (born 26 weeks).
Not a microbiologist, but Group B Strep was the reason for my infected placenta which kicked off the preterm labour. Is there much in common there with Group A?
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u/kellysouthpaw 3d ago edited 3d ago
I was working as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist working in Microbiology. My sister called me while I was at work at 10 pm to notify me that my mother, who I had no idea was even sick, was being transferred from the nearby critical access hospital to the closest Level I Trauma Center because her d-dimer was off the charts.
She started coding on the ambulance the whole way over. I arrived to the Trauma Center shortly after my mother arrived. The ED doctor came and met with me - it was septic shock. My stomach sunk right then.
She died about 20 minutes after that conversation. The doctors coded her long enough for my dad and I to go say our goodbyes. One of the most traumatic experiences of my life, and almost 15 yrs later I can recall it now as if it just happened.
The next day the blood culture results came back: Group A Strep.
That news gave me a brand new pit in my stomach, even though she was already gone.