worst day of my life

the scariest day of my life is finally winding down to a close.

it started when the toilet in our apartment wouldn't flush, so i took the top off the tank and found a piece had snapped off. i tried to pull the little ball thing up and the top came off something and a literal geyser errupted. the flow of water was hitting the ceiling and puddling on the floor and everywhere else; seeping into the carpet in the hallway. i paniced when i couldn't get the valve to turn to shut off the water because it had been painted over. so i ran up and down the stairs of the complex, looking for someone to help, but no one was home. after every one of our bath towels and 2 blankets on the floor, it still wasn't getting it all. i finally got it turned off after kicking it. i looked like i had been running for 10 minutes in a down pour.

prior to the geyser finally stopping, i had called matt in near hysterics, asking him to call the office to send someone over to shut off the water. he apparently ran out of class and rushed home to help. i called after i got it shut off and told him it was no longer an emergency, but he was already on his way. i'm sure he would have come home anyways to check things out and make sure i was ok.

when he got here, i was about halfway done cleaning up the mess. he looked around, acting a bit strange. then he looked like he was getting nauseous and started breathing heavy. i thought he was going to be sick or maybe pass out. after a few seconds, he spun around and started attacking something that wasn't there...as if bugs were swarming him. then he fell, crashing his head into the DVD rack, and started seizing. his arms were straight out in front of him and his body was stiff. his mouth started foaming, his tongue swelled up, and his eyes rolled back in his head. his color went from beat red to pale blue in about a minute. immediately after he first fell down, i called 911 and sat on the floor next to him. i was near hysterics by this time, but overall i was surprised how i handled it.

i turned him on his side like i know you're supposed to do when he started choking on vomit and he was mumbling incoherently and flailing around. i was terrified he'd choke to death and die right there in front of me. after the 911 lady hung up, i called my mom and she calmed me down while i held matt's hands and tried to steady his breathing. he was weezing and rolling around on the floor, so i was just trying to make sure he was able to breath and keep him in one place until the paramedics arrived.

a first responder and a police officer got there first and tried to get him alert. when he came around a bit, he was slurring his words and couldn't answer questions like when his birthday was and what day it was. i gave them all the medical info i knew and then called his parents to see what hospital he should be taken to and what else they might need to know. he was in the bathroom vomiting for a good 10 minutes while the paramedics got his vitals and hooked him up to a IV. they couldn't get the stretcher up the stairs of the apartment, so they carried him down on one of our dining room chairs.

my mom, dad, ken, bridgett, and matt's parents all came to the hospital. by the time we got back to see him, he was doing much better. i can't express how relieved i was when i walked into that hospital room and he said, "come here" and gave me a kiss. i had felt so guilty about causing him to get all worked up and i just wanted to see him and know he was ok.

they're not sure what caused it yet. they said it could have been stress induced or it could have to do with his past medical issues. he has a cavernous angioma that was found in 2004 after he had his 1st (and only other) seizure. they did brain surgery, but apparently didn't get all of it. so now he's back on anti-seizure meds and has to go see his old doctor to get tests run again. he can't drive for a while, so i'm taking him to work and school tomorrow. his stupid job can't do without him another day.

i can't explain how terrified i was. i look back and it's as if it happened to someone else. i'm so glad he's ok.