My Second Chance

Yesterday was an incredible day. November isn't just the month I remember to give thanks, but yesterday is going to be a memorable beginning to our "Thanksgiving Season".

I realize that according to my blog counter my audience is minimal, approximate 80-100 hits a day when I post a blog and about 10-20 random hits throughout the weeks I don't post. OK..so I know that isn't that much, but a comment on my Facebook page in relation to the events of yesterday made me think it could possible help someone else if I described my experience. Someone had said that she wondered what might happen if a person was stung by a bee/wasp and went into anaphylactic shock or experienced anaphylactic symptoms and they didn't have an epi-pen. Well, I'm gonna share just what your experience could be like. Also, I talked with a friend on the phone last night who sadly, when she was younger watched her grandfather get stung by a bee, and die. They lived a bit away from the hospital and the ambulance didn't get there in time. This really could be very serious.

I want to preface all of this by giving glory to God. For as long as I can remember, I have had an irrational fear of bees. I even went for therapy - no kidding. You have to know, I couldn't even look at the page in my Charlie Brown Encyclopedia when I was 6 years old because there was a bee hive on the "B" page. I eventually ripped that page right out of my book. Not much has changed since then. I quit therapy after she told me I was going to have to encounter a bee eventually to get over this fear - I told her she needed therapy if she thought that would ever happen.(Well, I didn't actually speak that out loud, I just never rescheduled my appointments) I know I shouldn't have been fearful. I know perfect love casts out all fear. I know that the Lord doesn't give us a spirit of fear. OH I have heard it from so many people...just get over it. Well, today I'm not so sure it was a fear or just a little sensitivity to what my spirit man has known all these 44 years of my life. Thank you Lord! So...I never messed with bees. I never swatted them away, ok...sometimes I acted in some irrational ways (not from God I'm sure), but I did try to be brave for my kids. (I emphasize try!) OK...now...my experience:

There I was, sitting with friends at the park as our children played. Two diet sodas sitting behind us might have been the attraction to the local bees or (in my opinion based on my insentient reading up on it...I think it was a wasp). At any rate, after I felt a little tickle on my neck which I originally brushed off thinking it was just my hair, I felt it again (not hearing any buzzing) I honestly didn't think it was anything, until this burning, kind of numbing sensation was going up the side of my neck and down my shoulder. I got up and said, I think something bit me. I saw an ant on the ground and stepped on it and thought well, maybe it was that ant. Then as the pain was getting worse, I walked over to the side of the table and spotted a large yellow (bee/wasp) circling the diet coke. I don't think it registered until my friend said, "Wow, you have this rash going all the way up your neck and it looks like it is spreading." The pain was spreading to my ear and my head and I was having difficulty swallowing.

This all happened so fast. I fell to my knees, and tried to drink water. I could only get a tiny bit down and the rest started to pour out of my mouth. I was embarrassed. All my friends were surrounding me and I was dribbling water from my mouth. Nice Lisa! I started not being able to breathe and this is when I started to panic. By the way, you shouldn't panic it only makes things worse. If any of my readers figure out how to do this while your throat and lungs are expanding and you are not able to breath...please post a comment and let me know. :)

Here is where I'm so thankful that I have friends who do not listen to me. It's a theme in my life..but yesterday it came in handy. I was given benedryl three times..I thought to myself, OK, as soon as this benedryl kicks in you will be fine. Because I'm allergic to mosquitoes I know that benedryl works. My allergy to mosquitoes is usually just swelling in the sight, but at times when I've been bitten several times, I might have a little bit of a hard time swallowing. Very mild and benedryl does the trick. When my friends were insisting that we call 911 I was adamantly against it. I didn't want to make a fuss. Seriously, was sure I would be able to breathe at some point once that "fast acting melt in your mouth" benedryl kicked in.

Now, I'm sure I was a sight. Inside, I was terrified. I couldn't breath, I couldn't swallow and my boys where probably watching at this point. My 10 year old is already going through this phase of "Mom you're not going to die right?" All of this is going through my mind. My one friend was an ER Nurse and her daughter just happened to have gone through this a few weeks ago. She recognized the symptoms. Against my wishes, another friend called 911. I told them all..."JUST PRAY FIRST"! They did, but apparently while I was trying to grasp for air and she was praying over me...she signaled to my other friend to CALL 911. (SO THANKFUL I WAS NOT ALONE!)

Besides this rash/hive that was spreading up my neck and down my chest, I was struggling to take a breath, I felt like I was going to vomit and I surely felt like I was going to pass out. They convinced me that it was necessary for the ambulance to come, so I let them walk me back to the picnic tables. I remember going in and out like I was falling asleep or something. I couldn't keep my head up. That is when my nurse friend brought out her epi-pen. So much was going through my mind. Remember, I've never been stung before so I didn't realize what was going on in my body. My chest felt so tight, like an elephant was sitting on it, at one point I thought I might be having a heart attack. (I've never had one of those either). whew! :) So when she came at me with that epi-pen I freaked out. She said the only symptom would be rapid heart beat. NO WAY. I was NOT going to let my heart beat any faster...I was sure I was going to die. She was not happy with me and I know she secretly hoped I was going to just pass out already. (she told me so)...so she could have her chance to try and save my life the best way she knew how.

The paramedics arrived and gave me some sort of breathing treatment and oxygen and proceeded to put me in the ambulance. My blood pressure was 210/128 and my oxygen levels were way low. It was clearly an emergency. The paramedic said that he had heard that I would prefer not going to the hospital, he said he had no choice that this was more serious and I needed to go. While he was trying to put IVs in me...he was having a hard time finding a vein. He looks at me...face to face...as he was sitting on my legs and says this..."today is a day of second chances...you're friends were right to call...you could have very well died!"

Well, I didn't. In fact within the two hours of medication taking affect, I was able to breathe freely. My blood pressure went down to 115/77 (normal for me) and my Oxygen was 96. So all was good! My chest, even this morning hurts a bit, like a bruised feeling. I have my epi-pens (which by the way...are VERY EXPENSIVE! Ouch! But VERY NECESSARY. I'm going to trust God with the finances as I don't have insurance. But trusting God is easy after all the stones we have piled up over the years...it is easy to see just how many second chances God truly gives His children!

Wanted to end this long post with a picture that my friend sent to me. After they whisked me away she snapped a picture of the 35 or so children just gathering all over the pavilion in the park to pray for me out loud - all on their own - without adult prompting or supervision. My children told me all about it. Prayers of faith rising up from children's hearts. I know that made the Lord so proud. Every single one of those Moms and Dads I'm sure are also proud that their children are doers of the Word! To quote my son Shane's post of Facebook..."This was one of the most scary days of my life and the happiest days of my life. Scared that my Mom might die and happy because God healed her! I love that God does that!" Building a generation of prayer warriors and men/women of faith! Thank you Lord for starting this season of Thanksgiving with a reminder that you are a God of second chances!