Syncope

I had a new experience the other day.  It is called a syncope episode.  Basically, it means that I blacked out.  My wife and I were out shopping with friends.  I started to feel a little sick to my stomach and sat down on a bench.  Then I passed out.  My head tipped back, my eyes and mouth remained open, my arms and legs went out straight, my face turned gray,  and I was unresponsive for what seemed a long time, but was probably less than a minute.  My wife and friends thought that I had died on the spot.

I didn’t die.  I had a very pleasant dream about a shopping experience with friends.  Then there was an unknown lady yelling in my face.  I sat up, shook my head and the world came back into focus.  I was cold, clammy, and sweating profusely.    911 had been called, the police and EMT checked me out and declared that I was stable enough for personal transport.  I spent the night at the hospital.  My vitals, blood work and EKG’s were all normal so they sent me home, telling me that I could resume normal activities, but that I should follow-up with my personal physician.

Normal will not be quite what it used to be.  Syncope can be caused by a variety of things.   Since they do not know what caused it, how do I know that it is better?

I thank God for today.

This experience has vividly reminded me of how important it is to appreciate what we have in this moment, because in the blink of an eye, this life could be over.