Facing Death Again
B efore this week there was already history behind what was happening.
In 2024 I was given corticosteroids for an ear infection that turned into a throat infection. While I was working my vision suddenly became blurry and my kidneys started aching. Not long after that I lost my sight.
Corticosteroids were the cause.
I was blind for three months.
During that time I began drinking an elixir mixture and doing light cardio on a stationary cycle. Slowly my vision returned.
Later that year my mother passed away on December 7, 2024.
Her loss changed the rhythm of life for my father and me. Grief became part of the atmosphere of our home.
One of the people who helped us through that grief was my mother’s close friend Leilani. She stayed present with my father and me during that time.
Then in January of 2026, Leilani passed away as well.
Two losses close together reshaped a lot inside me.
Not long before the events of this week I had been sick again and was prescribed dexamethasone. Because of what happened in 2024, I only took three days of the medication instead of the full seven. I was afraid of repeating what had happened before.
Friday — March 6, 2026
I woke up after a strange night. I had been waking up every hour to urinate.
Breakfast that morning was bacon and eggs.
That same day my book Grief First Aid Kit was released in paperback.
Later that morning I helped Steph get new tires. After that I went home.
I scheduled a doctor’s appointment for Monday at 10:00 a.m. I also scheduled a counseling consultation for Tuesday at noon.
Later I ordered chicken tikka masala from Lotus. Steph called and I went over to her place with my food.
While we were talking I mentioned the symptoms I had been having. Steph casually said I might want to check my blood sugar.
That same day I also wrote the first entry of my five-part blog series The Four Horsemen in Revelation.
Saturday — March 7, 2026
I woke up and ate some rice pudding.
Then I checked my blood glucose.
361.
For a while I thought the problem was purely mental.
The anxiety. The fog. The strange sense that something inside me was off. I chalked it up to grief and stress after losing my mother and Leilani recently passing.
But the body keeps its own records.
Numbers that high can raise concern for dangerous metabolic conditions such as Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) or Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic State (HHS).
Concerned about what the numbers might mean, I went to Any Lab Test Now and arrived about thirty minutes before they closed. I ordered an A1C test to see where my average glucose had been over the past few months. They told me the results would come in either later that night or the next day.
I started drinking water immediately. I avoided carbohydrates. I ate protein and vegetables. I took my metformin.
Then I watched the numbers begin to fall.
361 → 324 → 306 → 250
At 5:13 p.m. I checked again.
244.
Hydration matters because water helps the kidneys remove excess glucose through the urine.
This process is known as osmotic diuresis.
high blood glucose
↓
glucose spills into urine
↓
water follows the glucose
↓
frequent urination
Later that night I also became concerned about ketones and tried to test them, but the strips I had were expired. The result could not be trusted.
So I ordered a new pack of ketone strips from Amazon so I could get an accurate reading.
I created a shopping list and meal plan and ordered groceries from H-E-B for Sunday pickup.
During this process I realized something important. Many of the fluids I had been drinking recently were not just water. They included sodas, juices, and other sugary drinks.
Foods I focused on:
eggs
cheese
cream cheese + peppers
chicken
fish
salads
avocado
nuts
Foods I began avoiding:
rice
bread
pasta
potatoes
sweets
juice
watermelon
During that time I also returned to the elixir mixture that had helped me before.
Elixir mixture:
water
apples
lemon juice
garlic
olive oil
turmeric
cinnamon
black pepper
cayenne
I substituted apple for apple cider vinegar. This is temporary, due to the sugar content of the apple. I will continue this, at least until I get my blood glucose levels stabilized.
I was also experiencing heavy brain fog and confusion. At the time I believed I might be dissociating.
Later that day I went to help Steph assemble furniture.
After that I went home.
At 3:09 a.m. I checked again.
255.
Sunday — March 8, 2026
Later that morning my dad picked up the groceries I had ordered.
Because of daylight savings time I had not accounted for the clock change and by the time I woke up it was too late to make it to church. I was planning on the late service.
The A1C results came in.
11.9.
That confirmed something serious was happening.
I spoke with one of my best friends, Chris, who is diabetic. I told him about the findings, the 361 reading, and the A1C result. I was upset and scared and needed his insight.
He told me he had once fallen into the trap of thinking he was doing better, only for his A1C to climb again.
I told him it wasn’t the same — mine was drastically higher.
He said the Carlos he knew was fearless. When faced with adversity I was always a problem solver, someone who jumped on problems immediately.
I told him I didn’t think I was that Carlos anymore.
He told me that Carlos was still inside of me.
Later I went to Steph’s again to help assemble more furniture.
Then I returned home.
Monday — March 9, 2026
I woke up and went to my doctor’s appointment.
I informed the doctor about my glucose readings and A1C.
At that moment my glucose reading was 199.
The doctor placed me back on metformin.
I had gone to the appointment fasting. After returning home I ate cucumbers, celery with cream cheese, and boiled eggs.
That same day two things arrived: the proof copies of Grief First Aid Kit and the new ketone strips I had ordered.
Later I went back to Steph’s to help with more furniture assembly.
While I was there something was clearly wrong.
I was dizzy.
I was confused.
The brain fog was heavy.
At one point I could not stand.
Around 9:30 p.m. I went home.
Once home I began reaching out to people because I had a strong sense something bad might be happening to me.
I felt terrible physically and mentally.
There was a sense of impending doom, but I pushed it aside and began asking for prayer. I began reaching out for those I knew would care enough to send prayers for me. The people I care about and who care about me.
Early Tuesday — March 10, 2026
At 12:41 a.m. Ron responded.
We talked about fear and death.
He reminded me that death is a transition. That my mother went to sleep and will wake up on the other side with God.
We talked about rebuking Satan and how removing the fear of death leaves only the fear of God.
He sent scriptures.
He mentioned that I was similar to the apostle Peter and reminded me that we are all human.
We talked about David standing against Goliath and how David uses a term to signify that Goliath is outside the covenant of Israel, emphasizing that the battle is spiritual, not just physical (1 Samuel 17:26).
Eventually I went to bed, but something still felt wrong.
Around 5:00 a.m. I woke up and decided to test my ketones using the new strips.
The result was not in a healthy range.
Large ketones — 16.0.
Based on that result, I was advised to seek emergency care immediately.
I woke my dad and he drove me to an emergency room in Portland.
Patients in the waiting area were complaining about the service, so we decided to leave and go to Spohn Shoreline in Corpus Christi.
We made it to Spohn Shoreline and submitted labs. Eventually I was placed in an area to be treated.
At that point the fear of diabetic ketoacidosis — and death — was very real.
While this was happening, I began praying and praying hard. I began reaching out to people in the church and out, those who I felt close to and those who I knew had faith.
I reached out to my friend Joseph.
Joseph told me that his son had recently been diagnosed with diabetes after blacking out before doctors discovered the condition. He also told me many people in his family had struggled with diabetes and later passed away from other complications.
Even so, he encouraged me that what I was experiencing could still be treated.
I reached out to Mary, my mother’s lifelong best friend, to tell her how much she meant to my father and me.
She told me she had experienced a similar diabetic scare before.
I also reached out to Angela, Antonio, Brian, Cari, Hunter, Raymond, Robert, Ron, and Wyatt asking for prayer.
My reason for wanting to stay was simple.
My dad.
Monkey.
And the people I love.
My father stayed by my side.
At the hospital they started IV fluids.
They ran labs and monitored me.
While waiting I prayed.
I prayed repeatedly.
I also accepted that the outcome could be ICU — or even death.
Eventually the physician entered the room.
She had a positive demeanor.
She said two words that changed everything.
No ICU.
She explained that I was not in DKA.
Discharged
I went home and slept.
When I woke up, which was around 4:30 p.m., I was disoriented. But alive.
I checked my glucose.
166.
Later I helped a stray cat I had taken in the day before with mange. I had originally planned to call animal control per the veterinarian's recommendation, but I decided to try to give the cat a fighting chance. Lime sulfur dips.
If I was not here, who would have helped the cat?
I resumed conversations with people who had been praying for me and let them know I was still alive.
Later I went to Steph’s again and began to feel a little more normal.
We made a diabetic-friendly broccoli beef meal and I spent some time relaxing in the hammock.
I went home around 11 p.m.
The following day was filled with uncertainty. There was still dizziness and disorientation, but there was also growth—just not all at once. It came gradually throughout the day.
I found new empathy. Patience. Forgiveness. Acceptance of death—my own. A deeper fear of God. And a renewed appreciation for the body of Christ.
While texting with Cari about everything that had happened and what I felt I had learned through the experience—how externally I felt like I was falling apart, yet internally growing closer to God—she sent me a verse that summed it up perfectly.
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”
— 2 Corinthians 4:16
One thought stayed with me.
I guess I’m still here for a reason.
For God.
My job isn’t done.
It’s not over until He says it is.
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