Septic Sauce

[Cecile Lilien]

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Go deeper, however (please excuse the pun), and you notice septic tanks are a complex system of mechanical, chemical, and biological components working together to keep the environment safe and also protect you from illnesses.

It all started as a lovely dinner at a Thai restaurant on a Friday night, February 2008. I ordered my favorite, spicy, hot Volcano Shrimp. A thick, red lava sauce covered my delectable entre. That evening was soon to erupt into a flow of trauma I will never forget.

Less than 24 hours later, by Saturday night, my daughter drove four hours, down from Orlando. She sensed I was in grim condition. She called the ER; then dialed 911. By the time I returned to the hospital, I was in a coma on the threshold of death.

Immediately, a cardiac catheterization test revealed my diagnosis; the findings indicated the simple kidney stone developed into septic shock. So severe, that my heart was affected. I was admitted to ICU in grave condition. My prognosis was not good.

Sepsis was directing my blood to the most important organs and away from my arms and legs. Sepsis caused micro-clotting of my left hand and left foot, stopping essential circulation. Everything was out of balance.

On Monday, the urologist surgically inserted a ureter stent to open the blocked channel and to drain the infection. In ICU, nurses hovered, monitors measured, a respirator breathed for me and IVs dripped. I was not aware of anything. I was literally out cold.

My family, friends and even my former husband prayed for my survival. They observed as my fingers and toes turned from blue to black. I was starting to physically die. Medication cocktails were injected and prayers were invoked to keep me alive.

Eventually, I was moved to a step-down unit; then, on to rehab for a few weeks. When I returned home, I needed a caregiver for two months. I regained my strength and ability to walk again. I readied myself for the dreaded amputation.

When I awoke from hand surgery, I was actually relieved. The skilled doctor only amputated one knuckle and nail and he chemically debrided the dead tissue from two other fingers. Once the decay was removed, there remained one shorter finger and two thinner digits, trimmed almost down to the bone. I was left with limited range of motion. My thumb recovered to almost normal and my pinky was still pink.

When I recovered enough to begin daily living on my own, I started a quest to understand this deadly, quick killer. As I searched the internet, pecking the keyboard with my right hand and left pointer, I discovered the Sepsis Alliance website and immediately contacted the founder, Dr. Carl Flatley.

Septic shock was a term that we had never heard and as the nurse explained to us what septic shock means, we sat in stunned silence, hearing her words, but not really understanding the magnitude of what this diagnosis meant or that our son was now in a fight for his life.

Carson spent six days in the PICU, where they gave him four antibiotics through an I.V. in his tiny arm. We consulted with an infectious disease doctor and a surgeon who explained that if these antibiotics did not work, exploratory surgery would need to be done. Fortunately, the IV antibiotics worked and on day 6 he was discharged back to the pediatric floor and discharged one day later.

We are eternally grateful to the staff at William Beaumont Hospital for recognizing the signs and taking swift action to save Carson. He is extremely fortunate that he did not suffer any lasting effects or residual problems related to his battle with sepsis.

Your septic system should give you no trouble if appropriately managed, but you must be very careful about what you put down your drains. You can save on expensive septic tank repairs by knowing what you should or should not put down your tank.

This goes for your garbage disposal too. For example, a common question when it comes to the garbage disposal is, Will coffee grounds hurt a septic system? Are coffee grounds bad for a septic system? Individuals often ask these coffee grounds septic tank questions.

Your septic system is a crucial element of your home. While it often goes unnoticed, it's working 24/7 to dispose of your home's waste. Because many homeowners don't notice the septic tank that often, they frequently fail or forget to schedule routine septic tank maintenance.

When it comes time to sell your property and home, a septic tank inspection could show issues indicating your system didn't receive proper maintenance for years. This could cause you to lose a potential sale.

Improper septic tank maintenance can cause significant health problems if you have wastewater that's not been adequately treated draining into your well, yard and surface water. A severely neglected septic tank can even lead to backwash flowing into your house, introducing bacteria into it.

Over 4 billion gallons of wastewater are dispersed each day below the surface of the ground. Contaminated groundwater, through untreated or poorly treated household wastewater, can pose a threat to the environment. A malfunctioning septic system can release viruses, bacteria and toxic chemicals to local waterways and into the ground, streams, lakes, rivers and more, which can harm local ecosystems and kill wildlife.

It's less expensive to maintain your septic tank with routine cleanings than it is to replace it. Your service technician can inspect your tank to ensure it's adequately cleaned and look for signs of structural damage like leaks, cracks and other problems.

Your septic system separates floatable matter, such as grease and oils, from solids and digests organic matter from the wastewater. A soil-based system discharges the liquid, called effluent, from your septic tank into various perforated pipes found buried in chambers, a leach field or other specific units made to release the effluent slowly into the soil.

What you put in your septic tank will affect its ability to do its job considerably. For instance, coffee grounds and septic systems don't mix. By educating everybody in your home about what's acceptable and what's not for your septic tank, you can save yourself a lot of headaches and money, prolong the life of your septic system and protect the health of your property, family and the environment.

If you have plans to add on an addition to your home that will add over 15 percent to the floor area of your home, will increase the number of plumbing fixtures or increase the number of bedrooms, you might need to enlarge your septic system.

It may surprise you, but grease and oil can spoil a septic system by clogging up the drain field and polluting the surrounding soil. Polluted soil cannot absorb and process liquids from your system. You could have to replace your septic tank system if you incur serious issues.

Run dishwashers and washing machines only with full loads. Alternatively, choose the right washing machine load size. You'll waste both energy and water if you wash small laundry loads with large quantities of water.

While Epsom salt doesn't cause damage to your septic tank, this doesn't necessarily mean you should go flushing it into your tank. Many individuals think flushing Epsom salt in their septic tanks will break down waste.

You might be asking yourself, "Are coffee grounds good for your septic system?" or "Are coffee grounds in septic tank OK?" Although ground coffee beans will eventually break down when composted in the ground, they don't dissolve in the septic system, even if you're using an enzyme-rich septic tank activator.

So, are coffee grounds bad for septic tanks? Coffee grounds' texture is hard. Every time you pour these grounds down your garbage disposal, they sit in the septic tank like gravel, and you'll eventually need to pump them out of the tank since they don't decompose easily.

Non-decomposed solids that don't break down will end up falling to the bottom of the septic tank and turn into a semi-solid sludge layer. A professional will need to pump this layer and haul it away. Even one pot of coffee each day will add up to pounds of grounds over time that will remain sitting at the bottom of your septic tank.

As a garbage disposal alternative, consider creating a compost pile out of your expired produce in your backyard. The decomposed vegetables and fruits can fertilize and feed the soil, serving a better purpose than if they were in your septic tank or a landfill.

Your septic tank, when maintained correctly, provides an effective way of managing the wastewater your household generates. For septic systems to function properly, they must be regularly pumped. Many individuals aren't sure when this action is necessary.

If you see large pools of water around your septic system's drain field, this could indicate overflowing, particularly if it hasn't rained. When it reaches capacity, your tank's solid waste can clog the field piping system's drain field and force liquid to the surface. Your tank needs to be professionally pumped if you see this.

As the septic tank begins filling up, odor-causing gasses can start emanating from your drains, toilets, drain field or outdoor septic tank area. If you start noticing strange odors outside or inside your home, it could mean your septic tank is full and needs draining.

A full septic tank can result in a foul sewage backup in your toilets, sinks and tubs. If you allow this problem to escalate further, the sewage can begin flooding your floors and render your house completely uninhabitable and unsafe.

If you want the plumbing in your home to work correctly, septic tank maintenance is a must. A forgotten septic system can lead to major blockages, backups and even wastewater overflowing. You'll want to invest in routine septic system service to avoid these types of issues.

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