I'm trying to unwind after the most harrowing experience of my life. I've debated posting this because it's decidedly personal, but many of you who read here are personal friends. And I've thought about this a great deal. I think it's important to share if just for what I have to say at the end.

Monday night, I awoke to a thump and the dog shaking her collar. I got up and found my wife lying on the bedroom floor. She said she was dizzy and needed help to the bathroom. When I got her in there, she started convulsing, her eyes glassed over, there were some awful gasping noises I cannot describe. The she was vomiting blood everywhere as I was trying to hold her steady.

I managed to get 911 on the phone while doing CPR and keeping her airway clear. At first I thought I had lost her. CPR roused her. She was shivering. I wrapped her in a blanket and held her, urging her to hang on until paramedics arrived. The were fast and got her to emergency.

She seemed to recover somewhat. They moved her to ICU. They gave her 3 units of blood and ran some tests. On Tuesday she seemed to be a bit better. Then in the middle of the night she spiraled down again. 3 more units of blood and tests to try and find internal bleeding. Nuclear medicine imaging found a rupture in her small intestine. 2 more units of blood to get her stable so they could go in with a scope to try to repair. They hoped, but if scope didn't work they were going to do major surgery tonight to repair.

The scope got it. Fixed internal bleeding completely.Almost immediately all her vitals came back to normal. When I left the hospital she was awake, lucid, drinking water and eating jello. Skin color back to normal and doctor said if ICU needed the bed they've move her to a regular room tonight.

I had been home 15 minutes when I got a phone call. It was her, asking where in the hospital room her glasses were. She was up sitting in a chair and wanted her glasses.

It's likely she'll move to a regular room during the night. Doctor says a day or two in regular room to make sure she's ok and she can come home. Says she'll bounce back almost immediately. Bounce back from what I thought was certain death on Monday night. I honestly thought she was gone at one point.

I can't begin to describe the terror that rips through your gut at a time like that. It's something I hope I never experience again. I hope nobody I know every has to experience that. I hope none of you who are total strangers but stumble across this ever have to experience that.

I've been running on fumes and emotion for 48 hours. I'm unwinding now. I'm going to take a very hot shower, say another prayer of thanks, and get some sleep. Already the shock is starting to fade, but in the dark and quiet hours, the wee hours when I pad about the house alone, for as long as I live, this will haunt my dreams and remain one of my greatest fears. It's something I will never forget

I'm sharing this here because life is a precious thing. I appreciate again how very fragile it can be. I know this changes me as I see things through a different perspective again.

Whether you know me personally or not, and whether this badly written tale of my recent experience touches you in some way or not, I urge you, every one of you who ever reads this, to get in a class. Learn CPR. Learn how to give mouth-to-mouth. Learn the basics. In the most frightening and desparate of times, you may need them. Take care of yourselves, your family, and your friends.

For those of you who through whatever way kept sending thoughts and prayers of hope and encouragement, I can only say thank you my friends. I'm going to crash in bed now and allow equilibrium to begin to creep back.


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