Angélique – Sepsibel

Septic shock due to peritonitis

I am Angélique Dammer a woman of 52 years. In September 2022, my husband and I took our boat sailing towards Purmerend. Moored at Purmerend, ordered some food, watched some TV and then went to bed. My husband always lies with the dogs in the front part of the boat and I lie in the tip of the boat (my husband still snores sometimes, hence the name).

That night I developed terrible abdominal pain but also a fever, which was new. The abdominal pain resembled the pain I had a year before when I had my breasts preventively removed with reconstruction because of a BRCA-2 gene, then I got constipation in my intestines.

So I thought that's me again, only I didn't have the fever then. Opposite our boat, I had already seen a GP sign at a house. So I called the GP. Couldn't come because I wasn't from Purmerend, I just had to go to the emergency room at the hospital in Purmerend. We called my daughter if she and her boyfriend could come to us then my daughter could sail on with my husband and I would go to the ER with her boyfriend. There they said, why didn't you go to the GP, yes because I won't be helped there because I don't live here. Yes but now this will cost your deductible. No problem that's gone anyway.

I had to take a seat in the waiting room. Just when I felt it shouldn't take any longer, I was picked up. I was first given a drip of fluids, then they started looking into my abdomen with an ultrasound. She didn't really see anything particularly stooly, but something else but she couldn't explain it.

There was consultation. My blood pressure was already low by then. I was forwarded by ambulance to another hospital nearby to stay overnight and I was given an enema.

The next day, I was allowed to go home with some stool bags. The nurse asked the doctor if that was wise because my blood pressure was still very low. But the doctor felt I could go home.

I called a taxi to take me to Edam as my husband was there with the boat, and went from there to Volendam to spend two days there.

In Volendam, we went to walk the dogs and I noticed that I could no longer walk on my right ankle, so halfway through I said, I'll wait here until you return with the dogs because I really can't take another step.

My husband a little irritated, I could tell from him that he thought I was acting up. The next day, I really couldn't stand on my foot anymore. So we headed towards Amsterdam to sail back home. When we were out of the Amsterdam locks, the wind was very strong and we managed to sail into the harbour close to the lock, meanwhile with only one engine as the other had broken down. With much pain and effort, we managed to dock at the mooring jetty. We walked to the restaurant where the Harbour Master was. It took me 15 minutes to get there. We asked if we could stay the night. We could but we would have to move the boat. My husband said: I can't because I'm glad I managed to get it on shore with this wind, and as my wife is ill and with this wind it won't work. Luckily it was allowed to stay put. My husband phoned my daughter again to ask her to come with her brother to pick me up and leave my son there because they would sail to Alkmaar the next day.

My daughter dropped me off at home, and I then called the GP clinic. The operator fortunately took me seriously and asked if I could come to them, I said: I will just ask if the neighbour can take me (my daughter had already left for work) So I slow motion to the neighbour with my phone in my hands and rang the doorbell.

Gave phone to him and he continued talking to the operator. I had to come immediately. My neighbour was shocked at how I looked, he thought I was already 1 foot in my grave.

At the HAP, he took me inside with the wheelchair where I had to wait to be called. He then went to set up his car properly. I was called pretty soon, then another patient wheeled me to the doctor.

The doctor did some tests and asked some questions and then called an ambulance. It was there in no time. Even sooner than my neighbour had come in.

So I climbed on the stretcher and still said: but my neighbour doesn't know now that I am leaving. That will be fine they said. And there I went to Noord-West Hospital in Alkmaar. When I arrived at the emergency room door, the lights went out for me.I know that after the emergency room I ended up in the AOA, that's where my sister-in-law works and also spoke to me there. I don't know anything at all. The doctors called my husband that they were going to operate now, to which my husband said: I am almost in Alkmaar, can you wait a little longer so I can see her? No I couldn't I had to be operated on urgently now.

My entire abdomen was opened up, peritonitis, everything full of pus. Back in the AOA, I've been awake but I don't know anything at all. I only had nightmares. Later that day I came to the ICU because I developed a fever, my blood pressure was still low and the antibiotics did not work. Then they circled the red spot on my arm where the drip had been from Purmerend and went to operate on my ankle. My infection levels were sky high, another antibiotic put in. Pus removed from my ankle. Meanwhile, I was also having delirium. Back in the ICU again. I was put in a coma because I remained very agitated. They told my family to say goodbye as they did not know if I would make it. In March of 2022, I had had recovery surgery on my left breast, so that was still pretty fresh.

There, the bacteria could run its course undisturbed because the blood vessels there were still weak. They found that out later, and I had to undergo surgery again to take out the prosthesis. Still my levels sky high, and still fever. Again my family had to take into account that I wouldn't make it.

Many nightmares I had, which I can still describe daily. Totally spent a month in hospital.

And that some days I was just at and my husband asked me to marry him again and I said "yes" but that I don't remember that at all, that is a very black hole for me. I have had to read in my file about the family conversations how sick I was, and I kept asking what did I do or say then. Even my hairdresser has come on democracy to braid my hair. And that I'm glad my husband took lots of photos and videos so I could see myself again, and I still do regularly. Because it's so unbelievable.

But this small and thin body is a fighter, because I can still tell after. Still on sick leave, still suffering from concentration, memory and fatigue. Physically I am already a lot stronger, and in treatment for the eating disorder. I eat healthy and make sure I get enough vitamins, even though my family has already had the flu and colds in these two years, I have escaped. But the fear still remains of getting it back but is easing.

After my admission for my eating disorder in September, I am getting emdr because of the images of the nightmares then on the ICU that I still see almost daily before my eyes.

I was already not wearing a jacket, as I also had a 35-year eating disorder at the time, and because of this I had taken out three by now. I seem to have taken the ventilator out twice so they had to tie me up. And then they finally found in the lab what I had, Streptococcus A bacteria, Sepsis, Septic shock and delirium, so now they could finally put in the right antibiotics. After 17 days on the ICU, the ventilator was allowed out, and I slowly regained consciousness. And when I woke up all my muscle strength was gone, that I couldn't even hold a fork and it took weeks for me to get my taste back.

After my admission for my eating disorder in September, I am getting emdr because of the images of the nightmares then on the ICU that I still see almost daily before my eyes.

In September 2023, I went to Ibiza with my family and my 83-year-old father and my husband's sister and her family with supporters to make our vows again in my wedding dress from 17 years back done on our wedding date, and the next day we scattered my husband's parents' ashes in Ibiza, as that was their island for 13 years. I hope in a while, under supervision, I can slowly try to go back to work and participate in society again. I have already shared my story at my first aid classes, which I was still taking at the time, so that they too know what to look out for. Because the bacteria can also enter through wounds, and if you are too late, people can even have to give up limbs.
In that sense, I came off well, but it was touch and go. I, too, think it is important that the symptoms of Sepsis become known worldwide so that everyone can be helped earlier which could save many lives.