Terrified of sepsis after surgery need support

[MarieLily]

Hello! I am back again with another thread and I am so very scared I cannot function.

5 days ago I developed a painful lump on my tailbone and it turned out to be a pilonidal sinus. Today a surgeon did and incision and opened it to drain and cleaned it up and the pain is 99% gone. I was sent home with instructions how to manage it and such for the next days and after.

I am scared however that I will or have developed sepsis. I was feeling very cold these past few days on and off (sometimes very hot) and now when I returned home I suddenly had ice cold feet and hands. Before we entered the doctors office I was shivering but due to the pandemic they took my temperature before entering and didn't say it's abnormal. My father (who is a surgeon too) and the doctor said I don't have sepsis and found my fear ridiculous. I am just scared because I never had anything like this done before and don't know if it's anxiety or something serious. I also have to add that my anxiety was super high these past 5 days, I was pacing around for hours without rest, had poor sleep quality and cried from everything.

I don't know how to calm down these next few days until I convince myself that the wound will heal

 

[MarieLily]

I got a low grade fever now I am freaking out

 

[FinneousRex]

Could be your anxiety causing a fever. Also, sepsis is very serious and if your father. Who is a surgeon. Thought you had it, I think he would intervene if he thought your concerns were legitimate. Also, why assume sepsis? There are so many things that you could catch from a hospital... very treatable things. Especially right now with this pandemic going on. Call your doctor and tell them about your low grade fever. Also have your dad look at the infection site if you’re that concerned. You can tell by looking at something if the wound is infected a lot of the time.

 

[MarieLily]

Could be your anxiety causing a fever. Also, sepsis is very serious and if your father. Who is a surgeon. Thought you had it, I think he would intervene if he thought your concerns were legitimate. Also, why assume sepsis? There are so many things that you could catch from a hospital... very treatable things. Especially right now with this pandemic going on. Call your doctor and tell them about your low grade fever. Also have your dad look at the infection site if you’re that concerned. You can tell by looking at something if the wound is infected a lot of the time.

Sepsis is one of my top 5 big fears. My temperature dropped last night after an hour without medication and was down until this morning. I don't feel too terrible right now and my wound doesn't hurt at all. I told my dad and he said there's no base to call the doctor if I don't have a persistant high fever.

I called my therapist and bunch of other support folk who said that my sudden temperature spike is anxiety as well as me sweating through the whole night all caused by the situation. I was very anxious for days before and when I returned home I felt this feeling of detachment and blur and I remember what I did but feel like I was on autopilot like I was watching in third person.

Two years ago I had slight fever for 3 weeks straight that I did plenty of tests for and it turned out to be anxiety induced (also PMS though it hasn't happened before or since) and if I don't skip my period due to stress I should get it in 2 days so there is that.

My father lost a patient to sepsis few weeks ago so he has seen a lot of cases.

I am home with my mom who is a nurse, have contact with my dad and I guess if it was sepsis it would be getting progressively worse? Like I have been pacing and talking to people for 6 hours straight now with almost no sleep I guess if it was sepsis I wouldn't be able to do any of this?

 

[Adel]

Hello I am also very terrified of sepsis. I check every even a small wound and when I cut myself I can’t sleep whole night. I am also nervously walking around the house and sometimes I feel very hot and then very cold and I’ve got a headache. I think you should sleep because I feel so bad and have back pain when i don’t sleep. I think if you really had sepsis do you would just lay there in fever and pain. When I am scared I go gardening. Or you can see some interesting film and when you don’t think about it you will feel way better. you know sepsis symptoms can be your anxiety symptoms. Sorry for bad English.