An Almost Near-Death Experience

My husband arrived from a cross country trip on Sunday with what we thought was the flu so I stocked the medicine cabinet with over-the-counter remedies, cough drops, Vick's vapor rub, and Airborne figuring I had a few days of nursing him back to health. Until this morning when Manny woke up and said he really needed to go to the doctor. If you know our family, you know we avoid doctors and hospitals as much as possible so this had to be serious.

We drove to the local doc-in-the-box where they took him into an exam room while I feasted at the magazine buffet. After  watching several other patients come and go, the doctor called me into the exam room. With a sobering and authoritative tone he explained that after considering his symptoms and viewing the x-ray of his throat, he believed that my husband had epiglottitis which basically means he can drop dead at any moment because of airway obstruction due to inflammation of the flap thingy that opens at the top of the trachea.  I felt the blood drain from my head. I mean, I know that any of us could die at any moment but suddenly MY HUSBAND COULD DIE AT ANY MOMENT!?! The gravity of the doctor's statement found its way into my gut and planted itself there as I fought off visions of widowhood.

The doctor said that we needed to call the ambulance to take him to the emergency room immediately so that they could monitor his breathing and for a moment we hesitated seeing the dollar signs rapidly accumulate and swirl around our heads but clarity came for me in 5 words; potential debt or potential death? Easy choice.

I was reminded of a verse I read this morning "Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them." Psalm 10:17. Acutely aware of our helplessness, we cried out and enlisted the prayers of our incredible home group.

After several hours at the hospital, the ENT Specialist stuck a camera up Manny's nose and down his throat to see the live action. The doctor discovered that Manny's epiglottis was omega shaped as opposed to the typical crescent shape which is why the x-ray looked so ominous. Turns out he just had a bad case of strep throat which caused tonsillitis. Prescriptions were written; we headed home and let out a huge collective sigh.

I don't think I've ever experienced the roller-coaster of emotion in such a short time before and there were a few insightful lessons learned:
-Times of crisis reveal what we believe; they are our opportunity to put God on display.
-Life is short but we can infuse every moment with the hope of eternity.
-We have very little control over circumstances in life but a lot of control when it comes to our reaction to those circumstances.
-We won't know the purposes for which God allows certain happenings in our lives until we see Him face to face. Until then we see glimpses and shadows.
-I have so much to be thankful for!

Thanks for reading and thanks to those of you who were praying! God is gracious and merciful.