The ER Saga Conclusion...

I love my wife.

If there is one thing that I got from this experience it is that statement is true on even a deeper level. They say that it is the challenges that are brought a marriage that either destroy it or serve as mortar and brick to used to build it up. I know that for me the latter has been proven to be true.

I hope, Lord willing, I never put my wife in the position she was in on Wednesday. Through the help of good friends we made it to the ER and she put a brave face throughout. But as I lay on the gurney within the relative safety of the hospital she lay her head on my chest and I could feel her shiver as she quietly sobbed. I know it will be a moment and image I will have in my heart for a very long time.

The Lord is good. He has sustained us. Once again understand that He does not remove the challenge but He gives you the tools and the means to make it through to the other side. In my wife's life I can see concrete evidence that He has consistently awarded her faith in Him. It is crazy how many of her direct prayers have been answered.

And to those friends and family who offered their prayers, words of encouragment, visited, and did so much to help us through this: we appreciate you! We honour you! We love you!

The Saga Continues!

The ER Saga Chapter 2

On the Wednesday morning Tess was able to use the washroom and leave a signficant deposit. While this too has been known to cause stress to the digestive system, it was a good sign that things were getting better. I made the decision to go into work with the knowledge that my immediate supervisor had given me permission to take Tess in for her ultrasound when it came time for her appointment. What I didn't realize was that I left without eating any sort of breakfast. This would prove to be a fateful decision.

I started feeling weak when my supervisor was driving me back to Canmore where was I stationed for the day after a run of a car back to Banff earlier (we run a really tight fleet out here). I recognized the first signs of *bonking and I knew I needed to eat something sugary or drink something with sugar to jumpstart my motor. I kicked myself in the ass metaphorically because I had neglected to eat earlier.

Things appeared to settle down after I drank a little and bit into a candy bar. But as I drove back to get Tess for her appointment I started to get a headache at the base of my neck and vertigo kicked in. I forced myself to concentrate as best I could and somehow made it to the front door of our condo and flopped onto our living room couch.

"I feel dizzy"

Those were the only words I told Tess. She describes my appearance as being very pale and she could feel my pulse quickening. I had never *bonked this hard before. The vertigo finally got to me and I vomited all I had ingested earlier into the kitchen sink.

Tess made several phone calls to her friends and fortunantly Kuya Romeo was able to drive me to the Banff Mineral Springs Hospital where I was checked into the ER. I was suited up in a hospital gown and lay on a gurney with my wife beside me holding my hand. The irony being that her stomach ache had dissipated and it was now me who appeared to be in need of medical attention.

I was extremely frustrated with the situation and I knew that this was putting an untold amount of stress on Tess. The last thing I wanted to do. As I lay there I determined that this would never happen again and whatever it was I would fight it. I don't know how powerful mind is over matter but as soon as I thought those thoughts and prayed my symptons started to dissipate.

In fact when the doctor finally came in to see me and conducted her checkup she said I was in good health and was willing to send me home for bed rest after half an hour more of observation. During that time period Ate Lynn came to visit and both she and Tess when out to hunt me up some food. I ate. I felt all the more better.

We walked home...

*Bonking or otherwise known as "hitting the wall" is a reference derived from endurance sports most notably cycling. This condition occurs when stores of glycogen in the liver and muscles have been depleted. The indivdual suffering from this well experience an extreme loss of energy, sharp fatigue, and often vertigo. Slight cases can be remedied through ingesting food or drink containing carbohydrates.

The ER Saga Chapter 1

Here we are celebrating Daiki's Birthday Party the evening of which Tess started to fill a dull pain in her tummy. She thought it was because she ate too much...

At approximately 9 pm on Monday night I found myself rushing Tess to the ER at the Banff Mineral Springs because she was experiencing severe abdominal pains on her left side. Test were conducted on her urine, blood, and an X-ray was taken of the affected area. She was given medication for the pain and put on IV.

The X-ray revealed a build up occuring in her large intestine which was assumed to the primary cause of her pain. However traces of blood in her urine led to concerns that she may have other more serious medical issues based on a history of Kidney issues. We were told that an ultrasound had been scheduled for Tuesday at Hospital in Canmore and she was released to come home.

Much to our frustration we find out in the morning that we had been given false information and the ultrasound had actually been scheduled for the next day. But I had already signed off on the day from work so we decided to stay in and rest. This proved very difficult to do because Tess was still in much pain even though she had taken medication for it and she was still constipated.

I was so focused on my wife's well-being that I had not taken stock of where I was physically. This would come into play in Wednesday events...