[PlainJane]

Mom has sepsis - what to expect

by PlainJane on Tue Apr 29, 2014 4:43 pm

Hi all,

I haven't posted in so long. My mom had been doing okay, or so it seemed. Kyprolis (carfilzomib) didn't work, so her oncologist wanted to try one more treatment before placing her in a study at the University of Pennsylvania.

She was in the hospital for about a week receiving chemo for 24 hour increments for 4 days straight. She came home, however the hospital told her that she was going to have to come in 7 days a week to get platelets because the chemo had completely destroyed her platelets. She was released from the hospital Friday. She went in to get her platelets Saturday and they told her she didn't need to come back until Monday.

Well, yesterday when she went in she had a temperature of 103. They of course admitted her to the hospital. I got a call at 7 this morning from the doctors saying she was in ICU, they had the intubate her, and that overnight her fever had spiked to 106 and her heart rate to 180, but she was stabalized.

They got her vitals under control and have told us that she has sepsis. They found gram negative bacilli. They don't know where its from.

I'm so scared. They have her sedated because she keeps trying to pull the tube out when she is alert.

I'm wondering what to expect, and if there is anything related to sepsis and multiple myeloma that we should know.

[Nancy Shamanna]

Re: Mom has sepsis - what to expect

by Nancy Shamanna on Tue Apr 29, 2014 11:09 pm

Hi Jane, I am sorry to hear that your mother is having problems with sepsis in the hospital now. I hope that she recovers from that soon. Sending you all best wishes. She at least has you near her to help her through this time.

[mikeb]

Re: Mom has sepsis - what to expect

by mikeb on Wed Apr 30, 2014 1:04 pm

Hi Jane, maybe my story will reassure you a little bit. Eight days after my stem cell transplant last May, I got an E. coli infection and went into septic shock. I ended up in the ICU for 3 days. They gave me lots of antibiotics and also fluids to flush my system. They also cultured the infection to determine exactly what it was and know exactly how to treat it. After the 3 days in the ICU, I got moved back to a regular transplant room and moved on with my recovery, which went pretty smoothly from there

It's a good sign that the medical staff have stabilized your mom's vitals. I think / hope that the worst is over for her. Best wishes and please keep us posted on how your mom is doing.

[Dr. Ken Shain]

Re: Mom has sepsis - what to expect

by Dr. Ken Shain on Wed Apr 30, 2014 7:53 pm

We are all very sorry to here about your mother's situation. Infectious complications of therapy are very real and fortunately are not commonly as significant as your mothers. However, sepsis – when caught quickly and taken care of aggressively – is treatable, as you are hopefully experiencing.

Sepsis is your body's response to a massive infection, usually with bacteria – the Gram negative (GN) bacteria in your mom's case. GN bacteria tend to be E. coli and can come from her GI tract. Most infections in immune compromised patients actually come from themselves and not others. But I am sure that your doctors are looking for another potential source – pneumonia, line infection (if she has a port or PICC line), or a urinary tract infection.

The inflammatory response is characterized by high fevers, low blood pressure, rapid heart rates, and rapid breathing. With aggressive supportive care (intubation, IV fluids and sometimes agents to maintain one's blood pressure) and aggressive antibiotics (broad spectrum IV antibiotics), your critical care and infectious disease doctors should be able to get your mom's infection under control.

It will take a few days, depending on how significantly the sepsis has affected other organs, for your mother to recover and get out the ICU, then to a medical / surgical floor (normal hospital bed) and sometimes a bit of rehab. This will take a lot out of your mom. Stay strong and stay positive.

We all wish you and your mom the best of luck and please keep us informed / updated.

[lwem]

Re: Mom has sepsis - what to expect

by lwem on Sun Jun 11, 2017 7:01 pm

I recognize that this post is somewhat old, but I was wondering whether your Mom recovered from sepsis.

My husband has been in an intensive care unit (ICU) now for 11 days following sepsis. He was admitted the morning after he just finished his first 2 infusions of Kyprolis. The doctors do not know what caused his sepsis

I am concerned about treatment options after sepsis, given the assault to organs while septic. He experienced kidney failure, pneumonia / respiratory failure (he was intubated for 5 days), gastric bleeding, etc.

While all his numbers are stabilizing and he is on the road to recovery, I am wondering about questions to ask his doctor in connection with planning his continuing treatment. I'm also concerned more generally about the outlook for his recovery.

Thank you all in advance for any advice or perspectives you may be able to provide.