I almost Died....

Keith, Wow, I am so glad you were able to breathe your way to the phone! (i've been there---having to keep yourself from passing out-- although my experience wasn't as drastic). Take all those antibiotics till the last drop, pill, dose whatever!!!!! Kill that bacteria dead.....gone! Get well soon and keep up the good work! Kirsten

Keith, I am very thankful to you for posting this. I for one am so touched by your sharing this that I got some tears going on. I'm even MORE thankful you are still here to tell us about it. It seems as if it takes something like this to get us to pay attention to what's really important in our lives. If we don't take care of "US" we won't be here to take care of those who mean the most in our lives. You said: "Apparently, the combination of stress with the gastritus, the soon to be ex, the girlfriend, finances, taking classes towards my Masters degree, work, and alcohol really triggered my ulcer to take off like a bat out of hell! It still seems surreal that I "almost died" and would've left SO MANY loved ones behind, not to mention my 5 yr old boy and 2 yr old girl, and I didn't even realize what was happening to me all day Saturday." Uh, I'd say duh sweetie you had SO many things going on and time to focus on YOU. It's SO important that we listen to our bodies and they DO talk (trust me I've been there and don't plan on going back at least I hope not). Here's the thing...you DIDN'T die and you ARE here and those 2 gorgeous kids NEED their Daddy and YOUR life IS so important. It isn't luck it's the work of God. His hands were all over this! Take care of YOU and keep us posted! Thanks again for sharing this. I am still crying but my tears of are happiness and joy that I get to see your face for a LOOOOONNNNNGGGGGG time to come! Kat

Keith, I can't tell you how your story affected me! It makes my little whiney complaints just seem so - well whiney!! It also points out that it's good not to ignore things and think they're normal. I need to pay more attention to that! I am so thankful Keith, that your on the road to good health, and that you shared this with all of us. My prayers are with you Keith, for a good and complete recovery, bringing you back as strong as ever! Also, I have mixed feelings about you being alone when this happened, I feel bad that you were alone and had to struggle by yourself, but I am glad that this didn't happen in front of your little ones. That would have been something that they would have a hard time forgetting, especially your son at his age. Love to you Keith, donna

I'm glad the littleones weren't there to see it either. Thanks and I'm gonna take better care of myself so I can walk my little girl down the isle on day. Keith

Keith, There's nothing more to say but Thank GOD you got to the phone. It's hard to even imagine losing you. It's one of my worse fears. I'm a stay at home mom with my 2 yr old and sometimes get dizzy. I don't have many friends in the area, just people from here mainly and no one would know anything had happened to me until my husband came home from work around 11pm. I don't even think anyone would notice my 2 yr old screaming her head off even with our windows open. People just ignore some sounds. Hugs and high five to the Big Guy for watching over your shoulder. Tonya PS, I replied earlier, but was so upset that I deleted it instead of hitting submit.

Keith, I am so thankful for your posting. I'm even more thankful for the angel watching out for you. There are more people here who care about you than you can know. Please, please take care of you. hugs, Kathie

Hey Keith, That is some story. It scared the stuff out of me! I am so glad you are okay and that God was looking out for you and your kids. It is also a wakeup call for those of us who may experience the same thing. I just thought gastritis was, well, like heartburn; take pills for a while, no big deal! Wow. Was I wrong. Thanks for educating us and perhaps saving someone else's life by sharing your experience. Hope to see you in June, Karen

Keith, So glad you are here and that you are here to tell your story. We all need to listen to our bodies and err on the side of caution always. Be well! Hugs, Kathy

Keith, I too am very very thankful that you are alive and able to sit there and tell us about your troubles. I hope you continue to get well and stay well and that your ulcer problems are behind you. And now, for the rest of us, repeat after me: Lessons learned from Keith 1) Never self diagnose. If you start to feel better, make sure the prescribing doc knows you stopped taking the medication. 2) If it bothers you, call the doc. If you don't get a satisfactory answer, keep calling till you hear something that a) makes sense and b) makes you feel better. 3) If there is blood ANYWHERE but particularly in the stool or urine, run do not walk to the nearest emergency room. If it turns out to be nothing, well, wonderful. Most likely it will be something, and the sooner it is addressed, the better. 4) Remember (RNY patients) our insides are vastly different from normal (non-gastric bypass) peeps. Do not take health advice from these people. They mean well but have no idea where we are coming from. For pre-ops, if you cannot live with these lessons learned, rethink your decision to have surgery. It's not for the faint-hearted. Again, thank you to Keith for being brave and telling the truth about what not to do after having this surgery. Good luck to all, Carole

Keith, Your story really affected me, Sweetie...I couldn't imagine losing you...You just need to focus on Keith right now. Have they got you on medications and stuff? You need to let things calm down around you, Hon. That is what scares me about living alone...having something like that happen. Well, I am so thankful that you are fine and you will be in my thoughts and prayers. Keep us updated. Hugs, Betsy