This has been an absolutely devastating week in the course of my mother's illness.
After being diagnosed with relapsed primary plasma cell leukemia and two plasmacytomas, she was admitted last Thursday for a round of DCEP + carfilzomib (Kyprolis) to try to get her leukemia under control. Mom was all set for discharge on Monday after her round of high-dose chemo.
While we still didn't know whether or not the chemo was effective in treating her leukemia, she seemed to have at least tolerated it well. However, as she was preparing to go home on Monday, she spiked a fever. The doctors said they would need to monitor it for 24-48 hours in the hospital. Then, a few hours later she developed excruciating pain in her right rib area and her blood pressure dropped. The oncology team tried to give her IV fluids in an effort to bring her blood pressure up and they were also planning to do an x-ray to see if she had perhaps fractured a rib.
That was how we left things on Monday evening. Then we got a phone call at 3 a.m. in the middle of the night saying that mom was being transferred to intensive care as they were unable to get her pressure up and that her family should come in. We went right into the hospital and things were very much touch-and-go that night and the next day.
As it turns out, she had developed an incredibly severe pneumonia (causing the pain in her rib area) and also was in severe septic shock. She received constant care in the ICU and the doctors worked very hard to figure out a way to balance her blood pressure, heart rate, etc. She is still in the ICU and on oxygen, but her vitals have stabilized. The doctors are cautiously optimistic.
I'm looking to hear from anyone who has had a similar experience.
I am absolutely floored by what this infection has done to my mother. She went from a sick but fully functional and vital woman, to now being in diapers barely able to speak or keep her head up. She is refusing to eat anything and the doctors are considering a feeding tube. She barely communicated beyond almost inaudible one word answers. She is also suffering from ICU delirium.
I have seen my mother go through some pretty devastating things since being diagnosed last May, but, even in the throes of a failed stem cell transplant, having diarrhea on the floor, and vomiting all over herself, she was always my mother.
This experience, however, has literally aged her 20 years in 3 days. She is like a different person. The doctors report such improvement from a medical perspective every day, but, to me, she looks worse each morning when I walk in there.
Anyone else with similar experiences with sepsis and the ICU course?
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Re: Septic shock and pneumonia - what to expect?
I am very sorry for what your mother is going through.
My husband had a similar experience. He has multiple myeloma, was doing okay. He had carpal tunnel surgery on a Monday, surgery went well. He slept for a couple of days after the surgery. As he had to be put to sleep for the surgery, I thought it was just the anesthesia. By Friday, he seemed to be getting weaker, so I called the doctor. He said to watch for a fever and, if he started to run one, to call back.
On Saturday, my husband began sweating profusely and his fever shot to 104.2. Therefore I called an ambulance and took him to the local ER. His blood pressure was dropping very low. He was transferred to a larger hospital and admitted to ICU. He developed pneumonia and was in septic shock. He was put on a ventilator and stayed in ICU for almost two weeks.
That ordeal has really weakened him and he hasn't recovered completely, and that was in May. I hope your mother's recovery is much better.
My husband had a similar experience. He has multiple myeloma, was doing okay. He had carpal tunnel surgery on a Monday, surgery went well. He slept for a couple of days after the surgery. As he had to be put to sleep for the surgery, I thought it was just the anesthesia. By Friday, he seemed to be getting weaker, so I called the doctor. He said to watch for a fever and, if he started to run one, to call back.
On Saturday, my husband began sweating profusely and his fever shot to 104.2. Therefore I called an ambulance and took him to the local ER. His blood pressure was dropping very low. He was transferred to a larger hospital and admitted to ICU. He developed pneumonia and was in septic shock. He was put on a ventilator and stayed in ICU for almost two weeks.
That ordeal has really weakened him and he hasn't recovered completely, and that was in May. I hope your mother's recovery is much better.
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sharples74 - Name: JSmith
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Spouse
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Sept 2013
- Age at diagnosis: 60
Re: Septic shock and pneumonia - what to expect?
Thanks so much for your reply sharples74, and so sorry to hear that your husband went through a similarly trying ordeal. Did he have the same unbelievable weakness and loss of functioning as I'm describing in my mother? My mom literally can barely lift a spoon to her mouth or even utter a sentence. It's just like nothing I have ever seen.
Her vitals have grown increasingly stable with each day - her BP is stable now without meds and she is only on a nasal canula. She is still obviously on a ton of antibiotics etc. Maybe my mother's course is particularly devastating because it came on the heels of a round of high dose chemo?
Her vitals have grown increasingly stable with each day - her BP is stable now without meds and she is only on a nasal canula. She is still obviously on a ton of antibiotics etc. Maybe my mother's course is particularly devastating because it came on the heels of a round of high dose chemo?
Re: Septic shock and pneumonia - what to expect?
Hi mmcc82,
I'm sorry to hear about your Mom's pneumonia and sepsis. But encouraged by your last post saying that her vitals have stabilized over the past couple of days. I hope she continues to progress.
I contracted an E. coli infection and went into sepsis at day +8 following my ASCT last summer. I ended up in the ICU for three days. I was kind of out of it for the first day or two, but knew something was up when I counted 12 doctors and nurses in my room (and my room's doorway) at one point before I was moved to the ICU.
Fortunately, the medical team did a great job, got me stabilized fairly quickly, and then I improved from there. The infection slowed down my SCT engraftment, so I ended up being in the hospital for 29 days. But I kept improving and was running again (though very slowly!) at Day +45. And things have mostly gotten better and better in the year since then.
So I am hopeful that your Mom is past the worst with her infection and will have a similar recovery.
I'm sorry to hear about your Mom's pneumonia and sepsis. But encouraged by your last post saying that her vitals have stabilized over the past couple of days. I hope she continues to progress.
I contracted an E. coli infection and went into sepsis at day +8 following my ASCT last summer. I ended up in the ICU for three days. I was kind of out of it for the first day or two, but knew something was up when I counted 12 doctors and nurses in my room (and my room's doorway) at one point before I was moved to the ICU.
Fortunately, the medical team did a great job, got me stabilized fairly quickly, and then I improved from there. The infection slowed down my SCT engraftment, so I ended up being in the hospital for 29 days. But I kept improving and was running again (though very slowly!) at Day +45. And things have mostly gotten better and better in the year since then.
So I am hopeful that your Mom is past the worst with her infection and will have a similar recovery.
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mikeb - Name: mikeb
- Who do you know with myeloma?: self
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 2009 (MGUS at that time)
- Age at diagnosis: 55
Re: Septic shock and pneumonia - what to expect?
Fortunately your mother was already in the hospital when things went bad. Hopefully with the immediate attention to her declining condition so quickly she will bounce back from all of this and be pretty self sufficient again. She still has a long road ahead of her, but she sounds like she isn't ready to quit just yet. Hang in there and know that things should continue to improve.
A friend of my hairdresser was admitted to the hospital with raging pneumonia recently and ended up in ICU with pneumonia and sepsis for 17 days. He was diagnosed with possible myeloma during that time, but hadn't been able to do a bone marrow biopsy yet because of his weakened condition. At last report he had been moved to a step down unit and was beginning to talk, make sense and eat. He is very weak and has to be fed.
It's amazing sometimes what people go through and recover completely when they get good medical care quickly.
All the best to your mother and you,
Nancy in Phila
A friend of my hairdresser was admitted to the hospital with raging pneumonia recently and ended up in ICU with pneumonia and sepsis for 17 days. He was diagnosed with possible myeloma during that time, but hadn't been able to do a bone marrow biopsy yet because of his weakened condition. At last report he had been moved to a step down unit and was beginning to talk, make sense and eat. He is very weak and has to be fed.
It's amazing sometimes what people go through and recover completely when they get good medical care quickly.
All the best to your mother and you,
Nancy in Phila
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NStewart - Name: Nancy Stewart
- Who do you know with myeloma?: self
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 3/08
- Age at diagnosis: 60
Re: Septic shock and pneumonia - what to expect?
So sorry to hear about your mom and glad to hear her numbers indicate some improvement. Pulling for you and yours all the way. See if the ICU doctors have any comment on the role (if any) the high dose chemo might have played in tripping the sepsis reaction. A common thread here may be presence of pneumonia.
My husband went from fine to a sudden body rash and weakness a week ago today. Treated his fever with Tylenol [acetaminophen, paracetamol] and talked to doctors. Tylenol failed a few hours later. Took him to emergency room, where his blood pressure had dropped significantly. He was alert and oriented.
He was quickly diagnosed with septic shock and the team went to work on him. It's one of the most frightening episodes with multiple myeloma to date. Cultures were negative for bacterial but positive for 2 flu strains complicated with pneumonia. Yep, flu in July.
He's fortunately recovering rapidly and due to leave hospital tonight.
My husband went from fine to a sudden body rash and weakness a week ago today. Treated his fever with Tylenol [acetaminophen, paracetamol] and talked to doctors. Tylenol failed a few hours later. Took him to emergency room, where his blood pressure had dropped significantly. He was alert and oriented.
He was quickly diagnosed with septic shock and the team went to work on him. It's one of the most frightening episodes with multiple myeloma to date. Cultures were negative for bacterial but positive for 2 flu strains complicated with pneumonia. Yep, flu in July.
He's fortunately recovering rapidly and due to leave hospital tonight.
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philatour
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