I almost died from a Pneumonia...

... In January 2009, I almost died from a pneumonia. It all started out with a cold. From a cold it then became bronchitis. About a week later I had a pneumonia, with a fever, and could not breathe.

... I called my hematologist in NYC and she said come to the hospital right away. When I got in the car to drive to NYC, I started feeling worse and asked my wife to take me to the closest hospital. The closest hospital was Nyack Hospital. I couldn't breathe and my fever was getting worse.

... I was admitted to Nyack Hospital and was given my own room. The doctors/nurses at Nyack Hospital were told that I had Leukemia. They then realized I had a very poor immune system and this could be fatal.

... The doctors began taking X-rays and giving me medicine for my fever. My fever continued to climb. My fever had went up to 104 at night time. I felt so weak and dizzy. High fevers are much worse for adults than they are for kids. Also, a high fever with a pneumonia in both lungs was very dangerous for me. As i have said in the past, many cancer patients end up dying from a pneumonia.

...I remember waking up at about 3am and couldn't breathe. I did not have my wife or mom with me at the hospital that night. I was alone. I was choking because I had so much mucus/flem stuck in my throat. I began yelling for help and pushing the emergency button next to my bed. No one answered. I got out of bed and fell to the floor. I actually crawled on my hands and knees into the hallway screaming for help. Finally, a nurse came and helped me get up and put me in a chair.

... My lungs/chest/throat were so full of fluids, flem and mucus, I could hardly breathe. The nurse brought up a machine and had me breathe in and out of it. I eventually was able to spit out chunks of mucus/flem. (sorry for the details) I'm talking big green chunks.(sorry again). My fever remained high that evening.

... The next day my fever went down a little. I continued to fight this pneumonia for 11 days in the hospital. I once again knew this pneumonia can kill me, so I just prayed, stayed positive, and hoped for the best. What else could I do ? No doctors or nurses can guarantee I wouldn't die from this pneumonia in both lungs. I knew many have died in the past from a pneumonia that were battling cancer. Once again my life was in God's hands. I couldn't think of a better pair of hands to be in. :-)

... I was discharged 11 days later and was put on bed rest for about a month. I was very happy and thankful I had survived such a bad pneumonia. God has a plan for my life. As I have said before: I don't know what my future holds.... but I know who holds my future...
Can I get an Amen ??? :-)

... See you at my next post.
... The picture above is of Nyack Hospital.