Newbie looking for advice

[Katherine H 0]

I've just discovered this forum after scrolling through Google looking for answers.

On the 20th January I was admitted to hospital severely ill with a burst appendix and ruptured bowel. As a result I ended up with sepsis and pneumonia and induced into a coma for 10 days to recover after surgery. My kidneys began to fail and my immune system would not work properly.

Just a couple of days after I woke up, I was rushed back into surgery when the sepsis had returned. I was then subjected to a further 2 operations to close my stomach and ensure everything was healing correctly. 

I spent a total of 7 weeks in hospital, including 5 weeks in Critical Care. As a result, I have lost a lot of muscle mass and currently going through physio to build up my strength and allow me to walk independently again. I have nerve damage in my foot, and my breathing still isn't 100% as my lung collapsed following removal of the ventilator at one point.

I have been out of hospital for 4 weeks now and still very weak, walking short distances on crutches but getting tired easily, I'm constantly exhausted, in pain, spending most of the days asleep and finding that I get upset very easily.

I joined this forum in the hope that someone has been through a similar experience and would be able to give me some idea of recovery times? And whether a full recovery should be expected? Is how I'm feeling normal? 

Thank you

[Skyehammer 9]

You've been through the mill a bit both from the surgery and the sepsis and while my experience was slightly different to yours I did have to learn to walk again due to muscle waste . It will take time before you are fully recovered but you're showing the determination required for this to happen .

When sepsis struck back in 2012 my kidney [ I only have one ] and lungs failed at our local hospital - I was flown to Paisley and within days my heart stopped and continued to stop . I was in hospital for a total of 3 months [ I developed pneumonia 4 days after being released from hospital so back I went for another 2 weeks ] .

The Physios helped me with my walking but it would be a while before I could get up our stairs so my wife made our spare room into a bedroom  , even longer to get up the steps which lead up to our track - however , I had had an operation on my back in 2011 so my circumstances were slightly different .

Four weeks isn't a long time especially after what you went through , take things easy while doing your best to build up your leg muscles once more , I would say another month and you'll see a lot of improvement .

Best of luck , Katherine .