Some days are harder than others. And some days become such a test of character and everything we thought we knew up until that point that they may as well have been the longest day of our lives.
"What was the 'longest' day of your life?" was today's burning question from Redditor TitanNova. The online community had stories, let me tell you.
Warning: Possibly sensitive material ahead.
"She had a bad headache..."
When I was little, like 5 or 6 years old, they thought my mom might die.
She had a bad headache so she was no fun playing with me. It got so bad she called up my grandma to come take care of me, and my dad took her to the hospital.
Hours and hours went by, and at some point I got worried so the time had already slowed down, my grandma was noticeably worried.
Then the phone rang, and it was my dad and I saw my grandma's face go white and she started crying. There was no hiding it. She said "They scanned your mom's brain and found something. They were going to do surgery to try to remove it."
I read between the lines, I sat with my nervous as hell grandma for hours waiting for that phone to ring hoping it'd be good news.
I don't know how long it was, but my parents walked in the door - my MOM walked in the door.
Turned out imaging was faulty, they thought they saw something terrible (I don't know if it was a tumour or blood clot or what) but they prepped her, etc. and I'm not sure how far they got before more imaging confirmed it was really nothing. Surprised the false alarm didn't give her a heart attack.
That's what I remember as the longest day of my life. Waiting is the hardest, especially at that age for that kind of terrible possible outcome.
"He made arrangements for an appointment..."
A little over a year ago I started having very strange neurological symptoms. After about a week, I finally went to the doctor. He ordered a CT scan of my head and found a mass behind my eye.
He made arrangements for an appointment at a major hospital for the next day.
The day waiting was by far the longest day of my life. I basically spent it watching the clock. I spent the night tossing and turning, I don't think I slept a wink.
"My dad died last year."
My dad died last year.
I got to the hospital at 8:30am and he had just been intubated because he'd crashed overnight.
An hour later I had to sign the form for withdrawal of care, just going with palliative care.
I spent until 3pm hearing the gasping rattle of his breathing getting slower and weaker.
I swear it felt like I was sitting there for a year. Still have nightmares about that room and that sound.
"I had just enlisted..."
9/11/2001
I had just enlisted a month prior but had not yet gone to basic training as I was still a senior in high school. I knew this would lead to a war I would take part in.
I also met this smoking hot chick and we made-out all afternoon because we were terrified and young. I pretty much fell instantly head over heals and despite the brutal casualties and horror, and knowing full well my life would be changing much faster than anticipated, she was all I could think about.
I've been married to her for a dozen years now.
"I was woken up around 2am..."
I was woken up around 2am by my dog vomiting blood all over me, she had eaten rat poison. I rushed her to the emergency vet and was told she had a 50% chance at surviving.
I had to leave the vet at 7am because I was in the process of getting my EMT certificate and had a 12 hour ride along scheduled to start at 8. Spent the day running my @ss off in the back of an ambulance while being sick with worry for my dog.
That was the longest day of my life, fortunately everything worked out in the end, my dog pulled through (she managed to eat rat poison another time about 2 years later and survived again) and I got my EMT certificate and am now working as a firefighter.
"I was in a car accident..."
Giphy
I was in a car accident on January 26th 2018, the day before my birthday. I was stuck in my car for 45 minutes waiting for Emergency Services to help get me out, took a helicopter to a hospital for some emergency surgery... It was a pretty awful, long day.
"Yesterday."
Yesterday. Had to bury my friend while being seriously ill.
I've been sick all week. Could not sleep at all that night because I could not breathe at all. Went to the doctors for the third time to see if I could get something. They finally actually examine me (previously they just told me this type if flu goes around right now) and it turns out I have pneumonia.
Well, if that wasn't the kick in the teeth I needed cause in the afternoon I had to bury my friend. I will never forget watching her husband carry my friends urn while her 7 year old daughter walked behind him carrying her mothers crutches. It breaks my heart thinking of it. I just can't. She was my biggest inspiration in life and now she is gone.
Later in the evening I took my first dose of antibiotics which made me throw up. A lot. I haven't eaten since sunday.
So I am trying to mourn my friend while basically unable to breathe and throwing up for hours despite being completely empty.
So yeah.. That was a long day. This day has not been much better.
"First day of USMC boot camp."
First day of USMC boot camp. They deliberately induce sleep deprivation as the first step in breaking you down. After about 36 hours of being screamed at and shuffled around you are pretty much a zombie.
"The day I had to put my dog to sleep."
The day I had to put my dog to sleep. It's been 12 years and I still miss him and think about that day every day. Worst and longest day all in one.
"The evening I had a stroke."
The evening I had a stroke. I swore that evening was long as a day, since I was just laying around with a disabled arm and family around me. I took about 10 days to recover and luckily I celebrated my 27th birthday several weeks later.
"The day my grandson passed away..."
The day my grandson passed away from SIDS. It's been only 5 weeks, and it seems like it's been several months!
"March 8, 2012."
March 8, 2012. The day after my oldest child's leukemia diagnosis. when treatment was being planned, transfusions happened, etc. She turns ten this month, so it's all good now, but 2012 in general and that day in particular really sucked.
"...I quickly understood and lived that feeling."
​The day my best friend and roommate of 3.5 years killed himself.
Before then, I didn't understand the "denial" stage of grief. But for the 7 hours between when I found out and when I went to bed, I quickly understood and lived that feeling
"I was working night shift..."
Oh lord it was my sister's wedding. I was working night shift at Wal-Mart stocking at the time and this was in the summer. My family is a bit on the poor side so I spent the entire previous day crafting decorations out of the various ribbons and whatervers they gave me instead of sleeping (I'm the only one in the family with an ounce of artistic talent/the only one reliable enough to get it done). I finish the decorations and go right to work where I picked up the slack of my coworkers who somehow never got fired.
Morning comes and I head right over to the park where the wedding was to be held. I didnt even get to go home to wash. It was a sink bath all the way for this filthy sweaty chick. Once again being the only capable one, I'm in charge of decorating. I also happened to be the maid of honor. In every photo I was in I had this thousand yard stare with glazed eyes. I honestly don't remember much of the wedding so I don't think I did anything too off. To throw salt on that wound I had to work that night as well. I'm getting tired just remembering that nightmare.