Day 17: Days of our Lives

Good health is always something Dean has pretty much had on his side. When we met he was a cyclist, slender athletic type build, broad shoulders and ever so attractive. I would say he has weathered the 25 years pretty well. Still slender figure, athletic build and only the odd grey hair on his head, which our daughters probably created but are ever too quick to pull them out!

Because Dean never really complained of being ill it did concern me that after a solo trip to Sydney in which I left him at home to hold down the reigns this man looked pale and lethargic on my return. While I was away he told me that he had a few times been sick in the bathroom. The very next day he decided he would recuperate by taking the day off work and spending the day at home doing light duties around the home. Not one to just sit still Deano insisted on hanging out the washing. When he came back inside he looked as if he was going to faint. I watched him as he lay on the bed his heart seemed to be almost jumping out of his chest. It was then I said, "Honey I think you need to see a Doctor" 

The next morning we saw our local Doctor who arranged for some scans of Dean's tummy. As I was driving home the situation intensified. Dean started to projectile vomit all over the car. But this was not vomit, it was blood! Blood clots showered the windscreen. Dean lost all consciousness. It was all like a slow motion movie clip, his face lost all muscle tone as his body convulsed forward in his seat. Quickly calling an ambulance I hailed down a passer by who assisted with our daughter in the back seat. I was just about ready to give him mouth to mouth resuscitation as his breathing was almost non-existent.  As I lowered my lips to his...almost having a gag reflex myself as his lips were covered with blood, Dean came too. Whispering my name his eyes had some movement The ambulance came with 5 minutes of me calling triple zero. They had me on the phone the entire wait time so they knew his status. When they arrived they placed him in the ambulance with his feet elevated. 
This really was a tremendous shock to me. Dean without knowing it had a stomach  ulcer that was positioned right over a vein in his stomach wall. He needed five units of blood to replace the heavy loss that he'd been having for quite a few days. 

It's the strangest things that you take for granted as a sighted person that nearly killed my husband. My blind man didn't notice that he was losing blood as he went to the toilet. He has no idea that when had been sick a few days earlier it was also blood. Lucky for him this is a bacterial infection that was very treatable. With a small operation to stop the bleed this man was back out of hospital five days later. The doctors let us know that he could've died during this experience. Life is so precious and I feel blessed that Deano is here today with us. After all what would we do without him. He is our rock!

Tell somone you love them today because tomorrow is not promised.