How My Life Changed

Hey everyone,

My name is Adam Elliott and this is my story. I was 26 years old and I was just a normal adult trying to make it in this crazy world. I was working two jobs and one of my favorite pastime is playing poker, but my life would change in December of 2008.

I was working at a bar/restaurant called Big Daddy's. They have four locations in the Metro Area. I was doing everything I could to make ends meet. I was cooking, bar backing, working the door; anything I could do to make my bosses happy. I remember that I was working a long shift on a Monday night and I started to get a tickle in my throat and I remember thinking to myself, "Oh man, I'm getting sick." Well, that was the beginning of a whole process that I have been dealing with since December.

I ended up working my whole shift and then when I went home I knew the next morning that I was sick. I knew something didn't fell right and like every one that doesn't have insurance, I thought about going to the ER. Well, I waited a while and with the help of my brother, who I'm really close with, I went to the hospital.

When I got to the hospital for the first time, I waited I think for 7 hours before I saw the doctors and nurses. I had a fever and my throat was killing me. They told me they would run some test for strep and other test, but I should be fine with some rest and some medicine. So I left the hospital feeling a little better and got the medicine.

I went to sleep that night with my new medicine and a bill at the hospital I couldn't pay and all that I could hear in my mind is the doctor and nurses saying to me that if I felt worse to come back......

The next morning I woke up and I felt terrible. I took my temp and it was at 104.2. Wow! I will never forget that, so I called one of my great friends to take me back to the hospital again.....

When we got there it was the same story as before, long wait and no doctors......Then when I finally got in to see the intake nurse she almost turned green when see saw my temp.....But the only thing they did that time is got my fever down and told me to go home and rest....Well, at that point, I had been in the ER twice now and I knew that I had to go to work that night because I needed the money and didn't have any time to take off work.....So I went to work.....

The next two days I was off work and I slept.....and it was the best sleep that I have ever had in my life because I was so sick....I got up to try and get something to eat because I was sooo hungry, but I couldn't with the sore throat that I had.....but I tried anyways.....

Then I feel asleep on my couch, slept for about an hour and woke up sicker than ever and called my brother one last time that I remember before my journey with Lemierres started.....I told him, "Brad, I tried to stand up to go to the bathroom and I almost fainted. What should I do?" His response was funny to me at the time, but it really was the best thing that I could hear. He said, "Get your butt to the hospital now!!!!!" But I was thinking to myself that I had already been there twice. What was the poin?. But I called another friend and he came and took me to the hospital.

That is the last thing that I remember before my long journey began back in December 2008. I will update my story so the word can get out about this terrible disease!