One month down, five to go

A lot of people still ask me what happened to me on November 2^nd of this year.  I am not 100% sure and do not want to know.  Losing a month of your life is scary.

I had been feeling sick weeks leading up to my collapse, but thought I could just take it easy, slow down on the drinking and drugs, and I would get healthy again.  However, I was worse than I suspected.

Some medical history.  I suffer from Acute Intermittent Porphyria (AIP).  This is one of the hereditary hepatic porphyrias. Its inheritance is autosomal dominant. The deficient enzyme is porphobilinogen deaminase (PBGD), also known as hydroxymethylbilane synthase.

I also have Hemochromatosis.  Hemochromatosis (HHC) is a leading cause of iron overload disease. People with Hemochromatosis absorb extra amounts of iron from the daily diet. The human body cannot rid itself of extra iron. Over time, these excesses build up in major organs such as the heart, liver, pancreas, joints and pituitary. If the extra iron is not removed, these organs can become diseased. Untreated hemochromatosis can be fatal.

At some point on November 2^nd, I collapsed or became unresponsive.  This is what has been told to me, as I do not recall any of this.  I was taken to St. Joseph's hospital in Tampa via ambulance where my mother was told the next 24 hours were critical and that I may not make it through this period.  My internal organs were failing.

Obviously, I survived the 24 hour period, but stayed comatose for the next three weeks.  During my coma, the doctors suspected that I had a stroke, but after more test, ruled that out. 

After I had awakened, my mother and doctor explained to me what had happened, enough just to let me know without overloading me.  I had a period that I was mad, as in insane.  There is so much confusion that comes when coming out of a coma.  I was totally paranoid and actually attacked one of my doctors.  They told me that I have six months to live because my kidneys and liver were so damaged.

Six months to live?  I’ll show them, I am not going to just sit back and let them be right.