Jennifer Mulvihill is a survivor. The St. Mary Medical Center nurse fought and beat sepsis, a potentially life-ending condition, twice in two years.
“I could really feel that my body was on fire,” Mulvihill said of her first bout with sepsis. “I knew at that time I was running a fever, but getting out of bed was such a challenge because I had no strength. My Labrador, Daisy, helped to get me out of bed because, as I was attempting to walk to the kitchen and get a thermometer, I could not catch my breath.”
Mulvihill later discovered she had sepsis.
The condition is a medical emergency with rapid onset. Once symptoms begin, quick recognition and treatment are required to prevent severe and lingering aftereffects or death.
“Sepsis is basically your body’s overactive and toxic response to an infection that can ultimately lead to organ damage and failure and death,” said Mulvihill, who also is manager of Quality Improvement and Risk for Community Healthcare System’s St. Mary Medical Center. “Fast treatment is critical for survival.”
Mulvihill’s first experience with sepsis was following a liver resection when her immune system was weakened. Despite knowing the signs to look for, she was recuperating from surgery and many of her symptoms overlapped.
“I was beyond exhausted. I had just lost a large portion of my liver, and I was recovering from acute hepatic liver failure,” she said. “It was really hard for me to know whether my fatigue was from acute liver failure or severe sepsis.”
As Mulvihill tried to sleep, she began to notice symptoms. She felt unwell and had abdominal pain. She believes Daisy sensed something was wrong because the dog kept waking her up. When Mulvihill awoke, she knew she was seriously ill.
She had trouble breathing, which she described as the feeling of struggling to blow out birthday candles. Then came the fever. Her temperature hit 103.7 degrees. Mulvihill was admitted to the nearest emergency room with severe sepsis.
“I had additional imaging done that ultimately demonstrated I had a superinfection around my liver, requiring three drains to be placed as well as a stent in my bile duct,” Mulvihill said. “My blood pressure was significantly low, and I required multiple IV fluid boluses. I also had blood cultures that showed enterococcus faecalis, a Gram-positive bacteria usually found in the gut, in my bloodstream.”
Thanks to quick medical intervention, Mulvihill survived. Two years later, Mulvihill required an ileostomy, an operation in which a piece of the ileum is diverted to an artificial opening in the abdominal wall. For two months, she monitored her recovery and didn’t notice any redness, drainage or other symptoms commonly associated with sepsis. The day after Thanksgiving, however, Mulvihill began feeling tired again.
“I was feeling really tired, but I’d just had a large meal with the family, and had cooked for them,” she said. “Later that evening when walking, I started to blow out those birthday candles again, getting really short of breath from walking a few steps.”
Once again, Mulvihill went to the emergency room and was admitted for septic shock. Another quick intervention resulted in Mulvihill surviving sepsis.
These two encounters have given Mulvihill an appreciation for organizations like the Sepsis Alliance, which provides information to patients regarding sepsis symptoms and treatments.
“The Sepsis Alliance offers webinars and resources, educational material and training for all patients, families and healthcare providers,” Mulvihill said. “The Sepsis Alliance focuses on the acronym TIME: temperature, infection, mental decline and extremely ill. When I look at that acronym, I look at the ME (mental decline and extremely ill) part. Fever started later for me, and I didn't exhibit any signs of infection. These were life-altering events, and I will always take time for ME.”
Mulvihill is using her experience to help others. Alongside her fellow team members at Community Healthcare System, Mulvihill has organized a co-ed softball game as part of the Sepsis Alliance’s Sepsis Superhero Challenge.
“I chose co-ed softball because softball has always been a sport I’ve had a passion for,” she said. “I was able to reach out to Dan Lukes, the Adult Recreation director at the Valparaiso Parks Department, and he graciously provided the fields for us to play the softball game. And our patient advocate, Dee Bedella, was able to obtain sponsors for this year’s event. They made corporate contributions by either donating to the Sepsis Alliance or collecting pledges to help contribute and make this year’s event a success.”
St. Mary Medical Center consistently has ranked highly in the nation for sepsis treatment, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. On top of the high-quality personnel, the hospital’s approach to treating patients plays a significant role in the early detection and treatment of sepsis.
“One of the things I really like to highlight is that we need to treat all infections seriously. Wash your hands often and take all of your antibiotics as prescribed. When it comes to sepsis, you always have to remember that TIME acronym,” Mulvihill said. “If you experience sepsis symptoms, seek urgent medical care and call 911 or go to the hospital.”
In sharing her story, Mulvihill hopes to inform others about the causes, signs and treatments of sepsis.
“I know each person’s battle against sepsis is different,” she said. “I hope that by talking about some of my postoperative complications, more patients can recognize sepsis early and get treatment.”
To learn more about the Sepsis Alliance, visit www.sepsis.org. To donate to Mulvihill’s Sepsis Survivor/Superhero Fund, visit her page.
Community Healthcare System’s St. Mary Medical Center has been ranked by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as one of the top 10% of facilities in the nation for sepsis treatment. To learn more about the services at St. Mary Medical Center and Community Healthcare System, visit COMHS.org.
