Never Say, “He’s Down!”

I just returned home from the hospital after my open heart surgery when an episode happened which I thought would take not only me but my husband right back to the hospital again.

It was a very hot day in June of 2003 when my husband was out mowing the lawn. He waited to mow right before we left for Pennsylvania to visit our family. He wanted to make sure the lawn would be freshly cut so it wouldn’t get too bad until we returned. So he mowed in the heat of the day, came in and ate and went back outside to finish the lawn.

When he came in, he disappeared in the shower for awhile and I didn’t think a thing of it. He then yelled my name and I knew something was terribly wrong, so I went upstairs immediately. When I entered the bedroom, I was shocked at what I saw. He didn’t even look like himself; he was swollen, red as a beet and breathing erratically.   He was one giant hive from head to toe. He was in anaphylactic shock!

I quickly ran downstairs to get the phone and dialed 911, I then heard a very loud crash from upstairs. Holding the phone still in my hand I ran back up to where the sound came from and finding him lying on the floor with his head against the bathtub.  He had no pulse and wasn’t breathing. 

Totally freaking out, I dropped the phone and turned the water on full blast, I started throwing water in his face, screaming his name and slapping his face all at the same time, while still trying to yell into the phone for help.  I kept screaming to him, “Don’t you do this to me Jim, don’t you dare,” as I slapped him again and again.

I also kept yelling "help me, he’s down, he’s down," into the phone. Jim managed to open his eyes for a moment and gave me the weirdest expression I have ever seen. It was as though he didn’t know me!

Hearing someone at the door, I had to leave him for a minute for it probably was the help I so badly needed. It was a police officer, “Where are the paramedics?” I nervously asked. He said, “They can’t come in until I check things out first, so wait here.” 

“WHAT!” I said, he needs help now, he wasn’t breathing and he’s down on the floor.” 

"I know mam but when anyone says someone’s down, they cannot enter until a police officer investigates the situation."

 “Oh My God, I’m going to lose it right here. Take both of us…”

Seconds later the paramedics entered and it took over an hour to stabilize him enough to move him. His heart stopped several times. The paramedics were very good friends of ours and our daughters and have been here many times, usually for me. But this was the first time for my husband. 

People started coming in taking over for the police officer who wouldn’t leave me. He kept trying to keep me calm because of my health problems which the paramedics told him about. My daughter arrived and she just held me…both in tears and both dismayed.  

It was then our friend Tom, a paramedic came to us. He was smiling, “Jim finally opened his eyes and he’s stable. Jim even uttered a few words, he said, “My wife was beating the hell out of me, thank God you finally came!”  Tom laughed…

“He’s going to be okay Bonnie…but you my friend…are going to have some explaining to do!”