The closest thing I've seen to a miracle happened only last month.
My elder sister had severe stomach pains causing her to vomit and go into a seizure.
While she was in that state, she inhaled vomit onto her lungs.
At the hospital she went into cardiac arrest and stopped breathing.
They resuscitated her, but she remained unconscious and was unable to breath unaided.
The doctors were about to put her on life support when she regained consciousness, but her condition was life threatening so they put her into an induced coma.
We were told that due to inhaling vomit onto the lungs the bacteria would cause an instant infection and along with the acid from her vomit she had suffered burns to the lungs.
We were then told that her chances of survival were none unless they operated to find the root cause. Namely, the pain which caused the vomiting and the subsequent seizure.
If there was a blockage, or a burst ulcer, finding the problem was vital to her already slim chances of survival. They gave her a 20% chance. Odds of 5 to 1 against.
They warned us however, that if the operation (which involved opening her up and physically checking her bowels) found nothing, then the added insult would probably give her less chance of surviving than the one she had if nothing was done.
Which as I've already pointed out earlier, were pretty much none to begin with.
After a quick family discussion we gave authorisation for the operation...they found nothing.
But, when they opened her up and removed her bowels for inspection they realised they were distended from the oxygen pumped into her by the paramedics.
The oxygen had to go somewhere because her lungs weren't responding at the time.
Removal of the bowels freed up space in the diaphragm and eased her breathing somewhat.
Consequently they made the decision not to close her back up, but to leave the incision open, covered with a plastic sheet, until they returned to normal.
The next 48 hours were crucial!
Things can't get any worse, right?
Wrong!
3 days later my father was admitted to the same hospital with breathing problems.
Now, my father had been ill for a long time. Some members here will know that he suffered from dementia, along with several other illnesses.
Dad had developed pneumonia and it wasn't looking good.
As my dad deteriorated, miraculously, my sister began to respond to the intensive care treatment.
The day my sister came off the ventilator was the day that my fathers breathing became shallow.
The day my sister was taken out of her induced coma was the day my father slipped into one.
It was as if Dad was slowly swapping places with my sister!
Sadly, my father died on St. George's day. Believe me, it was a blessing considering the quality of life he had over the previous 18 months.
My sister attended the funeral.
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