Life is Fragile
*Note: Here is the true story about what happened to me over the weekend, and the blog post I promised.
Life is fragile. One moment you are out socializing with friends, and the next your health is in dire straits on the brink.
Along the way, the lines between your normal life activities and an unforeseen much darker reality become blurred.
For those harrowing 5 hours in the ER last night, this is where I lived
Dedication
Dedication is doing what no one else would be doing if they were where you were doing it.
Last night dedication was my friend, and will always remind me just how closely we live near the edge at any moment and how fragile life truly is.
We can never forget this.
There has been relative little activity from me on Wealthy Affiliate the last 2 days. You may have noticed.
Well, on Saturday we were out enjoying the night with friends when I was suddenly greeted with an unexpected scare.
My vision became blurry, there was pressure near the base of my neck, and I was feeling discomfort in my esophagus, and it was simultaneously radiating to my chest.
But other than the neck pressure, this was nothing I hadn't experienced before.
Checked into the Hospital
By 2:30 am, I had checked into NYU Langone Hospital after having dizziness and chest discomfort by making a routine emergency walk-in visit which I thought would only lead to a precautionary checkup.
"Nothing to worry", I thought to myself. "Astute medical evaluation will soon reveal that acid reflux due to my GERD symptoms is the only cause, as had been revealed on at least 15 other occasions during the past when such emergency visits were necessary."
However, this visit was like no other.
Following an immediate electrocardiogram (EKG), 6 nurses and 3 PA' s began hastily hooking me up to electrical wiring and heart monitors like I was the Frankenstein monster himself and started sticking me every which way with IV' s in places I can't mention.
I said," Can you use a butterfly needle please?
The PA replied, "No absolutely not, my friend. You are going to be staying here for a while. We will be carefully watching you."
What I hadn't realized was that my heart rate was rapidly falling - and quickly fell into the very dangerous 33 - 40 bmp zone by the time I reached the ER.
More concerning, the EKG showed an unnatural arrhythmia of the heart. I was approaching seriously uncharted territory.
Inexplicable. There is no medical explanation.
I'd always been heart healthy, very active, don't have a family history of heart disease, don't smoke, and only drink sparingly. Also I was seen by a cardiologist and passed a stress test only 3 months ago with flying colors.
In between the din of background noise, I could hear there was quickly talk amongst the hospital staff that I may need a pacemaker.
For five hours I remained on pins and needles while frequently staring at the heart monitor.
All the while, the monitor’s heart rate reading was showing 33-38 bpm’s and I was feeling quite light-headed and woozy.
From the corner of my eye, I could see 3 of the PA’s carefully watching me with very concerned and ashen looks on their faces.
Very disconcerting and frankly I was now concerned for my life.
Was this Karma?
So how did I pass this time?
How did I distract myself from the inevitable?
Well, while lying in the ER, I started by answering comments on my phone on Wealthy Affiliate.
Then a miracle happened.
It was now 7:45 am.
By the time I finished answering some more comments, within 2-3 minutes my heart monitor reading climbed into the low 60's. Although I first passed this off as an anomaly, I continued answering some more comments.
Another hour passed, and my heart rate held steady in the 60s. I was then told I would be admitted overnight for precautionary observation.
Thank God, from that moment on my heart rate stabilized over a period of 24 hours to a sinus rhythm and back to a normal rate between 58-68 bpm.
So I ended up staying overnight in this NYU Langone hospital room, and wrote this blog post. The next afternoon at 1:00 pm, I was released.
Strange and Inexplicable
When pressed, none of the special doctors in the ER or the cardiology unit I implored could answer how this could have happened, how my heart rate climbed from the low 30s to the high 60s without any medical intervention in a matter of only a few minutes.
Here is proof. Take a close look at the heart monitor on the near left and on the top left. The bottom monitor reads a heart rate of 37, and the top reads 38.
You can see here I already started answering comments on Wealthy Affiliate.
Now here is the NEW heart rate after answering my first wave of comments. The monitor reads a heart rate of 70.
This photo was taken around 5 minutes after I completed the first wave of Wealthy Affiliate comments.
And my heart rate maintained at this 60-70 level.
There simply is no medical explanation. Strange and inexplicable.
NOW "The Twilight Zone!"
Never mind that, this next event will blow your mind - and what I am about to tell you next is something that totally freaked me out - this is truly from "The Twilight Zone."
Even more inexplicably creepy, take a look at the next "Date of Maintenance" sticker on the bottom of my bed in the ER reading date "Jan 18."
January 18 is my birthday.
Creating Good Karma
I can only relate this all to creating good karma.
This should remind us all that life is fragile, and as long as we are breathing and awake we should keep helping others.
Good things come to those that focus on doing good deeds unto others without expectation of a reward, and eerily at times such good deeds DO manifest themselves in auspicious blessings that can be lifesaving.
And life changing.
Whatever happened, whatever the reason, I feel truly blessed and grateful to be alive and well by way of a Higher Order, and to tell this remarkable tale to my Wealthy Affiliate friends.
I hope my close call brush with the afterlife offers a valuable lesson in creating good karma or at least further intriguing debates.
Please feel free to share your comments.
Cheers,
Kaju
Recent Comments
87
Wow, what an amazing story, Kaju. I am sorry I am in the middle of an 11 day trip around Asia with my boss and way behind on my email. Really glad to hear that you are now doing well and it looks like you have all of your WA network to thank ;-)
Take care,
Wayne
Absolutely Wayne, thank you buddy. Our wonderful WA NETWORK saved me! I'm doing much better now.
Hope you are having a fantastic trip - in fact I know you are!
Kaju., I missed that with a kind of hectic time recently. . Hope you are better now(No, hope you are OK) Our body can give us prompts , or signals when we start using it recklessly. Sometimes these are such frightening prompts. I really hope you are OK. Will pray for you .:)
Thank you so much Vera, the heart rate drop was totally bizarre!
I'm feeling a lot better now, and I appreciate your thoughtful prayers.
Kaju
I am afraid , 'bizarre' is a weak word for what you went through, Kaju. That should have been way too scary. It's a good thing you happened to be at the hospital at the moment. Take better care of yourself.
But I still hope(No, I know that- sick people don't look that good in the pictures and don't write such influential posts ...) that you are OK:))
Thank you Vera, actually it felt "bizarre" cause when my heart rate was fell to 33, I was groggy but it didn't feel like I was on the brink.
Perhaps "surreal" would be a better word, because it felt like a dream - after 5 hours during one moment I was on the cusp, and then suddenly one moment later after I making some movement my heart rate climbed back to normal.
That's the bizarre part, but all tooooo scary!
Happy to see and hear that you're still alive. You must have the strong hart of a bull. This could have ended very badly. I hope you're taking a few days off and treating yourself good.
Wish you full recovery!
Don't do that again, Kaju, my heart will not stand it! :)
Thank you so much my good friend, your well wishes are SO greatly appreciated. This was a completely bizarre event as its rare to go from a heart rate in the 30s to the 60's in minutes. I've never had a low heart rate, and then for it to last 5 hours continuous?
Eric, I must be blessed by a Higher Orr and the WA community - I thought it was only the usual acid reflux and went to the ER. Imagine if I blew it off!
My observation here is that if you believe in karma, this is a great example. Thank God I had my smart phone with me, and by the 3rd hour when I began answering comments, my heart rate started climbing to the normal 60-70 rate.
Members all have their own beliefs and will rationalize it anyway they like, but to me I am convinced it was good returning karma working.
I was trying to decide how to approach this comment, and read the other comments. What I wanted to say is much like Ebeliuk's comment. The only thing I would add is that the experience clearly tells you that if there is something you consider important for you to do, something that you have not begun, you had better get on with it, now. Now is the only time you have.
I am glad you have it!
Zuell
I appreciate the "tough love" in your comment, Ozuell.
Yes, I believe the universe was telling me something, that I need to make some changes in the way that I take care of my health.
Ultimately,I strongly believe it was the good return karma from the collective WA community that brought me back in the right direction.
Good afternoon Kaju,
That was a close brush indeed but it is obvious it was not your time yet. I bet your better half had the shock of her life.
Good to have you back again here at WA. Hope to get some nice posts again not like this frightening one, it makes one realize one should appreciate every day we are granted.
With a get well hug, Taetske
We all were shocked when they started hooking me up Taetske, I thought this was just acid reflux. NEVER have I ever had a slow heart rate. No explanation.
Don't worry, I will definitely be writing nice posts again, I don't want to ever be in this place again! But I firmly believe it was good karma to the community, and good return karma from the WA community that made the difference.
Thank you for that Get Well hug, I will try to take better care of my health, and I appreciate your continual warmest support.
Hi Kaju,
Thanks for sharing your powerful story. I have come to more and more believe in the power of good karma. A few years ago, for example, I saw an exclusive on TV that I thought was too good to be true. Upon more research I found out the story was indeed true.
It goes something like this:
An up and coming doctor took a liking to a troubled but smart kid. This doctor mentored this "rebel without a cause" and gave him a cause to strive for--become an accomplished man and rise above his negative circumstance.
To make a long story short, the rebel went on to medical school and became a doctor.
Here is why I believe in good karma. It turns out that the mentor liked hiking. One day, on such a hike, his foot got caught in something and he took a bad fall, braking his leg.
He was in the middle of nowhere and didn't know what the hell he was going to do. Well, it turns out that a stranger who was also an avid hiker found him. That stranger was a doctor. The same kid who many years back was just a rebel angry at the world.
So I wish you continued good health and I want you to know that I believe good karma is very real.
Thabo, I love your stories, However, this one with the "The Mentor and the Doctor" is the most powerful one of all.
You believe as I believe, and after this weekend's ordeal, I believe more than ever. I can feel a strong positive energy from you my friend, and yours was indeed part of the collective energy of the WA community which brought me back to safety this weekend.
I wrote this question before this post while in the hospital. Please place a short inspiring comment on it. Do you truly believe in karma? Thank you for your enormous power in your words and thoughts.
We all should read the incredible story of "The Mentor and the Doctor" and understand that miracles can happen for those are willing to give with an open heart.
This is a positive and life changing experience for you Kaju and I'm so glad you came back to positive territory. I had a similar experience close to the edge 5 years ago!
One benefit of WA is that the activity here can act like a goad to revitalize you and keep you on the go!
Keep up on your medications and follow the DR's orders. Stay well my friend!
Mike, I truly believe the powerful positive energy of the WA community brought me back into positive territory. Lucky I had my cell phone and a WiFi connection. Within minutes of answering comments, and inexplicably the HR went from a low 37 to a normal 62 and remained there
This rarely ever happens according to the special doctors in the ER unit. They have no viable explanation. Prior to this event, there was already talk of giving me a pacemaker. Shocking.
So yes, this was an act of good karma from the WA community, and I Thank You and everyone for keeping me here. Keeping up with the medications, so I guess you guys may be stuck with me!
I'm very glad you made it through your ordeal 5 years ago my friend and we are all blessed to have you here at WA.
When you come back I find that there is an extraordinary drive to live life after being so close to the edge. I believe that you and I are not the only ones who have pushed up Ambassador Peak on such power. It is really quite extraordinary!
Kaju
The most important thing is that you're back and with us, hale & hearty (literally). Thank goodness it seems you have your set of guardian angels keeping their eye on you. Most men carelessly shrug off the odd dizzy spell or twinge - somehow you didn't and all finally turned out OK. Keep well my friend - we all need you here inspiring us on our WA journeys!
Kind regards
Richard
Thank you for your immense kindness and thoughtfulness Richard. We all need each other here, and I believe WA through wonderful return karma brought about a small miracle 3 minutes after I started posting comments on my phone in the ER.
I was also fortunate a loved one was with me by my side - and my beloved community here at Wealthy Affiliate.
Kaju
We all hope TODAY positive progress continues still on the right track. So we pray you are and remain well and fighting fit
Richard
Thank you Richard, I will draw strength from that, and kindly appreciate your sentiment.
I hope you're ok and firing on all cylinders now my friend. It's a scary experience. Some may say there's a logical reason for what happened, others may choose to look at it on a spiritual level.
I believe this was a very clear sign from the universe telling you, even though it is not your time to go just yet, it is time for certain life changes. What they are, you may find out in due cause, if you don't already know. It may be a minor adjustment or something bigger.
You may have been given smaller less subtle signs in the past that you may have not acknowledged or recognised. This time the sign was so strong that it forced you to sit up and notice.
I'm not sure how this fits in with karma, but maybe you are being watched over and looked after, call it the universe, your ancestors or your spirit guides, if you want to look at things on a spiritual level. Or, it could just be your body forcing you to slow down and take things easy. Whatever the case, take heed of the signs and figure out what it is you need to do in order for this not to happen again, because if you don't figure it out, you will be sent another sign. Remember this - whatever happens on a subconscious level, eventually manifests on a physical level, and sometimes karma has nothing to do with it. You may just need to retune yourself within (spiritually), and without (physically), in order to be at one with the universe again.
Rose, thank you for your comprehensive assessment and sage advice. I do believe in the spiritual, and I am taking heed. First, I have seen this as a sign I need to take care of my health better, physical and spiritual. However, I always thought I was pretty healthy, but obviously there are areas I need to improve now.
What happened, the radical change in HR was inexplicable. For this reason, and the timing of me going online to help people, and the sudden change makes me believe this is attributable to karma. But karma is supervised by a greater force, and I need to be tuned into that.
I appreciate you looking out and caring for me in both spirit and mind.
I see what you mean about the karma connection to WA, while you were recovering. Definitely a strong connection there.
Yes Rose, and it all happened 2 minutes AFTER I started commenting on my phone from the ER!
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I just now saw this. I'm glad that you survived the ordeal. I like how you choose to help people on WA instead of feeling scared and sorry for yourself. I'm glad that you were blessed with good karma in exchange for thinking of others.
Stay healthy and be careful in the future.
Sondra, you epitomize "better late than never!" It's just what I needed. Thank you so much for your very kind words.
I always try to turn a close call into helpful reminder of how fragile life can be, a negative into a positive lesson. Yes HE blessed me and the WA community pulled me through, thanks to good karma in my belief. Taking better care of myself these days.
Very appreciative and thank you again for stopping by.
You are very welcome!
P.s. I'm glad you survived. That was a very close call.
Thinking back on it, it sure was. Than You Sondra:)