"I Couldn't Breathe": 86 Stories From People Who Survived The Worst Illnesses Imaginable

Well, I had a miscarriage that led to a very serious infection. I fainted in my locked home. My mom showed up and called 911. By the time I woke up I was in the hospital for 9 days…in the mother and baby unit. It was so very sad.

I had cellulitis and it wasn’t until I hit a 102 temp where I begged my husband to go to the urgent care. They wanted to take me by ambulance to the local hospital and was there for a week.

Got today in the Hospital and tomorror they gonna cut a part of my foot off because of an infection

Its 2am already and i cant sleep because iam so stressed.

Covid. I found out I tested positive a day or two before Christmas Eve before vaccines. Got served Christmas dinner in quarantine in bedroom. Had a raging fever I swear was k*****g me. Couldn’t breathe while coughing 24/7. Which stopped me from sleeping. Somehow found expired buckleys and that stopped me from coughing. Got sleep but sweated from fever enough to throw out bed after I got better. my lungs were ruined for over two years before having a ‘semi-normal’ life. I couldn’t drink anything remotely cool without cool/cold without having a coughing fit, everything had to be hot to avoid that. Due to my raging fever, my stomach fauna was f’d up. Majority of foods gave me the runs until two full years of eating probiotic food and pills. Even to this day, years later. my lungs during the first year stopped me from walking faster than a jog. Certain exercise and/or exertions take me down for a day physically.

Hum. I’d guess when I had scarlet fever. I was 6, though, so-my memory is pretty foggy now. I do recall being in the hospital for-probably a few days or a week at the most.

Besides that, I went through a mess for years after I broke my leg. I wound up with osteomyelitis. Ugh. I still have problems with my leg.

Nearly d**d after catching an infection post Appendix removal surgery. Was in a bad way for a few days (which were mostly spent in some weird twilight consciousness where time was just slipping by).

13 years old and remember seeing my mum crying when she saw me lying there.

I got better. Obviously.

Cancer. Stage 3C. 50/50 chance of survival. But I survived.

Edit: Thank you for all the awards everyone! It really touches my heart that you are all so kind 💙.

My young children brought something home from daycare. Vomiting and diarrhea for hours. Never experienced anything like that before. Most of the times I’ve been sick recently, was due to my kids bringing home germs/colds from daycare.

Norovirus, which now sounds mild compared to everyone else's responses. Started with Grandma, then Mom got it and asked me to take her to the ER for fluids and meds. By the time we left the hospital I had it. I passed out hugging the toilet amongst other indignities. Mom was nice enough to share her Phenergren with me and I almost literally slept the entire next day(s) - I only woke up to use the bathroom and take my next dose.

Now at work anytime someone tells me they're dealing with a stomach bug/are nauseous, they're immediately asked to leave my office. I'm not messing with that again.

I have two answers.
First: one time I got a staph infection or cellulitis or something on my knee. It was pretty bad and didn’t respond to antibiotics well for a while. There was some concern it might turn into a septic joint or worse, but eventually it cleared up.

Second: one night, I randomly got violently ill. Like I felt like I needed to s**t and vomit at the same time, but way worse than I’ve ever felt. I also became dizzy and I got a sound of rushing water or like heavy static in my ears, loud, so I couldn’t hear my wife talking to me. It felt like an hour of absolute hell, I just knelt in a quasi fetal position on the floor by the toilet. But then it passed and my wife (who sat with me) told me it only lasted about 2-3 minutes. It was scary and horrible, but then I felt completely fine afterwards.

Pancreatitis from a GLP-1. I threw up so much I was afraid I was going to d*e.

When my gallbladder was rupturing.

When I had COVID pneumonia. Ended up suffering for about a week at home before going to the ER. Roommate found me passed out on the bathroom floor.

Staph infection in my elbow. Week in the hospital. Then another week sick at home from the pain med withdrawal. Fun stuff.

Nearly lost my life to anorexia at 16 and was hospitalized for 6 months. I had a feeding tube and got refeeding syndrome early on in recovery. Fast forward, I was in SVT in my late twenties and was cardioverted a few times. I felt like I was d**ng in both situations but in very different ways, it’s hard to explain.

I was hospitalized for diverticulitis for about a week. They had me on delaudid shortly after arriving.

My wife and 6 year old were at the hospital but had to leave at the end of visiting hours. My 6 year old was mad at my wife because my wife (her mom) was leaving me alone when I was sick.

Sepsis from a kidney stone that caused a horrible infection. Doctor said had I waited another hour, or two, I wouldn’t have made it. Was in the hospital for almost two weeks and went home with a PICC line and a nurse coming daily to administer antibiotics for almost a month. Really scared me and opened my eyes to infections, septicemia, and how fast it can turn d**dly. I’m lucky to still be here.

H1N1, 2009, was bedridden for a week with a high fever.

COVID-19 was child's play by comparison.

I had sepsis earlier this year and spent a week in the hospital. I just looked at my bill and realized I’d been in the icu for that week. So that.

Woke up one morning and didn’t feel right. Figured it would get better. Two weeks later was in the icu with diabetic keto acidosis. Turned forty and got juvenile diabetes. W*F?