My husband had surgical removal of tonsils and radical neck dissection to remove multiple lymph nodes on Nov. 3, 2017. About 6 weeks later, he developed sepsis. Right from the start, it seemed he was not recovering well. Pale, cold, having the shivers (due to coming off oxy we thought) & lack of energy. Taking Tylenol around the clock apparently masked his fever. Woke up Christmas Eve day drenched in sweat took him to the ED- good thing.Husband had 3 episodes of big-time coughing and bleeding episodes 9-10 days post op, with a couple of 1 cup sized clots he pulled off the back of his throat. ENT was not concerned this was going to lead to anemia but I figured that was why he was pale and felt cold. Wasnt eating especially well, (to be expected- right?) and I was pushing red meat and so forth. So Tylenol masked fever, pale and cold from anemia, or so we thought. The ED was filled with people with influenza, yuck! Anyway, 4 days in the hospital with IV abx and two blood transfusions, multiple scans, and ultrasounds looking for an abscess, nothing found. The microbe cultured from the blood was found to be strep anginosus. ENT said this is an oral germ that is typically linked with dental abscesses. No abscess found though, no readily apparent source of infection. There seemed to be an alternate explanation for all his 'infection' symptoms and he could have been infected from the date of surgery, or from the bleeding post-op. Both were opportunities for the germ to enter the blood stream. This was a horrible setback, but reflecting now, luckily he didnt catch the flu from anyone in the hospital, recent PET scan and CT both clear, and going back to work in a few days we are finally feeling better about his recovery. Scary. Anyone else out there with a post op infection?

When my husband was getting his treatment — chemo and radiation —we were told that he should not be taking Tylenol, as it would mask a fever — a key indicator of an infection. I was told to take him to the ER if he developed a fever. I know your husband’s case is different. I am just sharing my experience.