I almost died as a result of having PID Its so strange to say out loud, and to read those words as I type, but it’s true. I want to share my story with others in hopes that maybe I can make others aware of how serious this disease can be and to not ignore the warning signs. To listen to your body and to not be afraid to ask for help even if you might feel embarassed.

This is my story: I had been having painful periods for quite some time, maybe for almost a year. Towards the end of my period I would start to get bad stomach pain, my stomach felt bloated and it hurt to walk. I had been having back pain as well (I have kypho-scoliosis) and had been taking a lot of advil and midol and I honestly thought the stomach pain was a result of all the advil I was taking.

Towards the end of april the pain was so serious on my period that I could barely walk or move. I was vomitting and I couldnt eat because it hurt too bad. My mom rushed me to the ER in fear that my appendix had burst. I hadn’t been to a doctor in years because I didnt have any health insurance and I REALLY NEVER thought anything could be wrong with me. I thought I was invincible. I guess I was in denial. When I got to the ER they saw I was running a fever and my blood pressure was elevated. I was immediatley started on an I.V. and the tests and xrays began. After an hour or so of waiting the doctor finally came in and said they were going to have to operate. He said that a 6cm mass was seen on my xrays and that I was VERY VERY sick. What did this mean? He never even explained it to me!

I put my brave face on and said “Lets get this over with”….I really didnt have time to be scared and I knew if they didnt operate I might die. My mom and boyfriend said I was in surgery for 4 hours. It really only seemed like a minute to me. They ended up doing a laproscopy then after seeing how bad things were they performed a laparotomy (pretty much like a c-section). The abscess on my ovaries was removed/drained through a catheder and they removed my appendix, so I got a 2 for 1 deal. I had staples in my stomach from where the drain was coming out and lots of stitches. The second day after my surgery is when things took a turn for the worst. I was becomming very short of breath and was hearing crackling in my lungs. I was nauseous and vomitting and all of the nurses seemed to be ignoring all of these warning signs (they also failed to give me a spirometer and numerous other things they neglected to take care of).

They kept giving me more morphine and more nausea medicine. I was drifting in and out of consciousness because of all the drugs and because I couldnt breathe. I was so short of breath I couldnt finish a sentence. When my nurse on call that night came in to check on me and take my vitals I was running a 104 degree fever and my SP02 (oxygen saturation) was down to 18% which they consider a nonbreather. My heart rate was out of control. From there on chaos ensued.

I had 5 doctors and tons of nurses in my room doing tests and they immediatley rushed me up to catscan because they thought I had a blood clot in my lungs. I was started on heparin right away and shot up with potassium to get my heart under control. They re-cathedarized me and got me set up in the ICU.

I couldnt beleive this was happening to me! Was I going to die at 24 years old? I prayed and I prayed and I prayed….and Im not even religious. I had so much left to do in my life. After I was stabilized the doctor who performed my surgery came in and told me I was very very sick (once again). He said that I had ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome) and that he had only seen this in one other girl my age…..I didnt even want to ask if she died, but that was the first thought that came to my head. I kept my mouth shut. He said my lungs werent working on their own and he prepared myself and my family for the worst. They explained how they were going to have to put me on life support if my lungs didnt start working. I immediatley changed my frame of mind and told myself there is NO WAY im going to die here like this at 24.

After multiple breathing treatments tons of tests a billion needle sticks and 24 hrs in the ICU I was breathing on my own again. They transferred me back to a regular room the next day. It was explained to me by lung specialists that I had sepsis as a result of the infection being so severe, which can cause ARDS. I spent 7 days in the hospital altogether and was finally released. I didnt even really find out what was wrong with me until my 2nd post op visit when a doctor mentioned the words pelvic inflammatory disease. I immediatley went home and looked it up online. I was so shocked that they never explained to me what was really wrong. They never told me to have my boyfriend treated or tested. They just sent me on my merry way for me to figure out on my own. It was still never confirmed whether or not an STD was the cause of my infection but I believe it was. I haven’t been with many people and was only careless with my last boyfriend. But, as I now know, it only takes one mistake to have your life changed forever.

As a result of my infection I suffer from chronic pelvic pain. I am still having ultrasounds done and multiple doctor visits to make sure the infection hasnt come back. I try to remain positive about the future and the possibility of having a family one day. Thats all you can really do. I hope that maybe this story has impacted at least one person. I would be thrilled to hear that it changed at least one persons life and that they might see how serious PID can be and get treated immediatley. Dont make the same mistakes I did and dont ignore the warning signs.

I’m so happy to be alive and I hope I can reach out to girls everywhere and let them know to ALWAYS use protection (even if it is your boyfriend and you love him) unless both of you have been tested and are in a monogamous relationship. Be strong, be brave, and always take care of YOU.