Near Death- Part II
First off Part I was totally unrelated, occurred in December and well should not be repeated here.
Yesterday I was supposed to watch the Mets game (only if I knew it was on at 1pm) or even do Anik’s suggestion (not a good one) and I declined both to go to the beach at Young Island…. and not to only go there but swim there.
What should take about 10-15 minutes (or less), I took about 20 minutes to swim from St. Vincents to Young Island. While trying to listen to Stash, to swim against the current towards the beach, I was unable to, at the end of the swim I was exhausted (I’m not the best of swimmer). So as I continually tried to fight the current, I stood up on a rock for a while to catch my breath. After I well rested I got back to swimming towards the main part of the beach, but realizing the water was so swallow I kept getting cut up by rocks and reef. So in order to catch my breath and find the right waters to travel in, I stepped onto a sea urchin (both feet). This pain was considerable, I dont think anything has ever hurt so bad. I wasnt really bleeding but it felt as if something was in my feet. I worker of Young Island heard my bellow told me to get out of there, then Anik in a speed boat said there a lot of sea urchins there, but it was a warning that was 5 minutes too late.
A sailboat came and got me since I couldnt swim to the beach. So I got up to the swim-up bar, the bartender poor VSR (Very Strong Rum- 84.5% Alcohol) incase of an infection and for the pain and I had some tylenol. After about 10-15 minutes sitting out on the swim-up bar I started feeling nausea, tingling in hands, feet, headache, lightheadedness then I started having shortness of breath (air was not going in) and eventually tingling, fatigue, weakness and paralysis all over my body. Luckily this didnt last too long, my friends got me back to St.Vincents and tried to find the Clinic for me. Intially in the car I was leaning onto the door, trying to get my breathing back to normal (my breaths were short and very shallow) and still feelings of fatigue, tingling, etc. At that point we were about to park to go into the clinic, and I was able sit upright and breath normally. Chris and Arjun who were in the car were marveled that I miracilously was well. So for a precautionary measure I wen to the school Clinic and the doctor (who happens to my teacher) checked me out, took out a few needles and said I’m fine and I just gotta soak my feet in vinegar to allow the needles to dissolve.
As a result I have about 20 needles in each of my feet that only causes pain when I walk. All the needles couldnt be removed because fragments can break off and cause an infection on my foot. I soaked my feet in vinegar, but still a good amount of needles are still in there. Right now Im just not very mobile.
Today, I was curious I wanted to know how or why I got that anaphlyactic reaction. As some of you might not know anaphlyaxis is a reaction that your body makes to particular agents (ex. a person who is allergic to peanuts, eats a peanut, can not breath, gets hives, etc., those children or adults who have such a severe allergy need an epinephrine pen in an attempt to reverse the reaction because a complication of the airway can lead to sudden death). There is no known etiology (or at least my small amount of research found), so most likely I had an allergic reaction or there is a toxin the sea urchin that caused this. If you look at this link at emedicine I had most of the symptoms except for shock, respiratory paralysis and death.
But I deserved this. I hurt someone close to me and I shouldnt have. I did not mean to do what I did. I was hurt, angry and uninhibited at the time, but it was inexcusable, and for that I am sorry and in your debt.
