• phutatorius@lemmy.zip
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    2 days ago

    I was recently in the hospital for some necessary but non-emergency surgery. The guy I shared a room with was a hardscaper who had gotten some soil ground into a cut on his thumb while on the job. Two days later his hand and forearm were like a purple ballon and he was well on the way to septic shock. Luckily an IV infusion of antibiotics worked, and within 36 hours, he was more or less fine, though they had to remove some necrotic tissue from the thumb, which will probably leave a nasty scar.

    My surgery left me with a 4-inch incision yet I went home before he did. He had a very close call. Sepsis can happen fast and can fuck you up badly. If he’d come in half a day later, he could have lost that arm or even died.

    Heart attack and stroke happen suddenly, but there are usually (though not always) warning signs: high blood pressure, high blood LDL for extended periods, edema, weight problems. If you’re free from those warning signs, your chances of suddenly keeling over are low, even in your 70s.

    • Rhaedas@fedia.io
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      2 days ago

      My mother was once hit from septic shock, and barely got through it. She waited thinking it was just something she ate or whatever, and had they waited another 30 mins to call 911, it would have been too late. Don’t ignore your body tells.