I have posted a couple times and have come here for support and i got it. I have posted about my drinking as well as my husbands. Well, now I have quit for good. No cravings, just quit! It?s only been 6 days but I have no desire to drink again. I don?t get the witching hour anymore. Would you like to know how I did it?
Well, last Tues I got home from work and within 5 mins my husband has a grand maul seizure (due to alcohol). He bit the crap out of his tongue and had blood coming out his nose and mouth. He was totally grey and stiff as a board. The kids 14, 16, and 17, including 2 friends were all witness. I yelled at my youngest to get to a friend?s house as he is the most sensitive and frightened by anyone being hurt. I thought he was dying right then.
He is a binge drinker and goes on binges a lot. He used to do it once a year then slowly but surely it occurs more frequently. Now it?s about every 3 weeks. Goes to work for 2 weeks, binges 3, goes to work 2 weeks, binges three. You get the picture. Well he was trying to get sober to get back to work. After his seizure, he was able to walk to the ambulance. That was on Tuesday. Now he is in ICU on life support. To help with the withdrawls they give you a medicine that mimics alcohol (to prevent another seizure) and then, hopefully, wean you off of that - small amounts at a time. However, withdrawls + medicine = dillusions, hallucinations and overall combativeness = high level sedation = respirator, feeding tube, catheter, central IV, etc?.
They have tried to lighten up on sedation and remove the air from the respirator (not the tube itself), however, he has not been able to tolerate much of that (20 mins) so we try again tomorrow. Now, from what they tell me, this is pretty typical for this type of procedure. They deal with it all the time. At what point this happens? The ?point? is different for everyone. What day will it be for you? Tomorrow, a year from tomorrow? Actually if and when it happens to you, is not up to you ? or is it?
There is a chance he will recover but, will need physical therapy, re-hab and whatever else they deem necessary. They are doing things to him that if he were conscious he would never ever allow. Including, but not limited to, needles, feeding tubes, sticking a tube down the respirator to pull fluid from the lungs, general bathing and cleaning, etc? Oops I almost forgot, he is constantly restrained to the bed to prevent any tampering with the endless tubes and apparatus. That is not much of a worry though because he is rarely awake and by awake I mean parted eyelids. I try to look in his eyes and I am certain he sees me because his eyes and his eyebrows crinkle when he is upset. He is upset I won?t take all this out of him; he is upset because he can?t tell us that he is hot or is he cold? Is he choking or just upset?? He is upset that his family surrounds him. He must be thinking he is dying. Or would it better if we weren?t there and then he would be upset that we didn?t care.
Most of us have been here before for a loved one dying of old age, cancer, etc.. This same scenario has been played out a million times. At least for you and me, this scene is preventable. At least as far as drinking goes.
The day of my husband?s seizure was his lucky day! It was his lucky day because he lived through it. He has a CHANCE. Not everyone does. His ?Chance? according to the Dr. involves some end stage organ damage. Brain, Liver, Heart, Muscle Wasting, and Bone Marrow.
You guys are amazing here at MWO, I have depended on you for guidance and support whether you knew it or not. Your stories and advice have helped me; I hope this story helps someone here and their family.
Please, if you are uncomfortable with the symptoms of withdrawl you are experiencing, please seek medical attention immediately. Don?t drive! Gat a friend to take you, a taxi or an ambulance, this is serious business. If my husband had tried to drive to work that night, he would have had an accident and killed himself and/or others.
Sorry about the long post. Please give it your best shot, good luck!!
Comment