My ear infection turning into severe sepsis
Posted , 1 user is following.
I've had an ear infection for 5-6 months unresponsive to antibiotics both oral and drops. The list of sensitivities was short with Gentamicin, Ciprofloxacin and then IV. 8 courses of Gentamicin drops failed, Ciprofloxacin I'm allergic to.
2 weeks ago I got increasingly ill overnight, by 10am I could barely move, stabbing pain in my lower back near kidney, lots of blood stained discharge coming from my ear and just a whole host of other things. Called my Dr and he asked me to come see him in urgently. He sent me to hospital with a diagnosis of 'Sepsis secondary to ear infection'.
Got to hospital and my temperature was recorded as 39.4, a heart rate of 140 and when getting blood for cultures, my blood was very thick and black.
I was given IV paracetamol, fluids and Tazocin (strongest IV antibiotic). Confirmed Sepsis.
The ENT team was at a different hospital and they refused to see me to check where the blood was coming from, why it was bleeding, the new pain at the top of my ear or the reduced nerve sensation.
2 weeks later and I'm still recovering but thankfully my ear is now dry, no sign of infection however, still have the pain and decreased nerve sensation. I also have a really bad cough which is being treated as silent pneumonia and under the care of respiratory specialists.
Just making everyone aware that ear infections aren't just a small, easily sorted infection, they can be incredibly serious and do have the potential to cause death if not properly managed by a medical professional. When I went into hospital it was a Friday morning and I told the Dr that I have an appointment with my GP on Monday so I was just gonna wait until then and the Dr at the hospital said to me that if I waited for probably less than 24hrs, my body probably would have went into shutdown mode, my organs would have started to fail (which was likely what the lower back pain was) and I'd probably be in the morgue as severe sepsis has a 50% death rate.
Luckily, my parents were there to pester me to call the Dr.
2 likes, 0 replies