When did your world go quiet?

[PalominoOrGreyOrChestnutOrBay]

inspired by a tiktok trend recently, just thought it might be an interesting thread. I’m a regular poster not a journalist or anything like that (MNHQ can verify!).

When did your world go quiet? Basically, what was a time you got a fright and time seemed to stop or go quiet?

mine was I was on my horse and he decided to rear up, over concrete ground, and I felt him wobble back. As soon as I felt that first tilt backwards everything sort of went quiet and it was like an out of body experience (not a good one!). I couldn’t hear anyone around. I just remember the last thing I thought was along the lines of this is it im about to die and it was like everything was in slow motion. Luckily it was all ok but that split second was easily the scariest moment of my life and my world completely stopped.

So, when did your world go quiet?

There are so many unbelievably strong women on this thread.
@PaisleyP @NeverDropYourMooncup - absolutely horrific but thank you for sharing.

and so many mothers with children suffering - if there was ever a thread that sums up what women are capable of surviving, it’s this one.

thank you all xxxx

When my teenage child was diagnosed with cancer. I remember shouting, ‘No, no, no!’
Absolutely panic-stricken.
My child died 18 months later.

I got crushed at a festival 10 years ago.

suffocated, went dizzy and blacked out.
everything felt silent and I knew I was going to die. The crowd were on top of me and I was right at the bottom of this pile.

I was petrified, and fighting for breath.

I woke up over the barrier with security.
I still think about that day frequently. I panicked now whenever my breathing is restricted, wether it’s something covering my face.

it was truly awful. And I wish could thank the people who got me out.

When my brother was in a hospice dying from bowel cancer, he said goodbye to me after a visit and we both just looked at each other as I left the room. I'll never forget his expression and how he held my gaze. We weren't very close during our teenage years or as adults but I know he was saying a final goodbye that day.

I remember when the doctor told us about how she had to convince him that he only had a couple of weeks left, she looked quite choked up. She said it was always worse with the younger patients who don't ever really accept their own mortality as well.

Smelling smoke and opening the kitchen door to see the hall (and the way out of the house) a wall of flames. Don't actually remember running through them, but do remember the world standing still as I stood in the street in my nightie watching the house burn down. and then the weird embaressment I felt at all. my neighbours coming out to watch too. It was like being guest of honour at a very weird street party. I jut kept telling people that I didn't even have any knickers on. Got taken away in an ambulance soon after.

@RosesAndHellebores I accidentally added a stupid emoji, I've asked MN To remove my post, I'm so sorry xx

Sorry this is triggering.
But when the doctor told me my daughter had died.
Silent.

I had a migraine after a flight to Mumbai. We only had a day there and after a while I felt able to leave the airport. We got a taxi. I started to vomit and as I didn’t want to mess up the car I held it in my mouth while trying to find a bag. Somehow my nose became blocked and I couldn’t breath. I was only saved my opening the car door in traffic and vomiting. It was so scary and the thing was my friend was next to me but had no idea what was happening.

What an awful experience. I'm so sorry. I hope you're all well and happy now.

First one was when I was determined to bring my new TV cabinet up my curved staircase by myself. It's heavy wood and longer than me. I lost my footing and the whole thing nearly toppled over down the stairs. I would have fallen backwards down the stairs with the cabinet crushing me. I was alone too. No idea how I recovered that one. Everything was just so slow.

Second when my son who was 2 at the time let go of my hand and ran out infront of the bus after getting off. I had already seen a car come round the corner about to over take the bus. The whole world literally stopped like everything was frozen. I've never felt fear like it. He then just popped his head round and ran back to me giggling 😥

I was 13 yrs, and riding along the road with my friend, I could hear a sound approaching, that of a big heavy wagon I thought. We approached a junction. I shouted to my friend. ( who was still learning to ride the bike) “ Stop Liz, apply your hand Break!” To my dismay, she put her her foot down on the road, to slow the bike! “ No Liz apply the break on your handlebars!” She was out of control, and roundered the corner, she joined the wagon mid stream at the side, she fell to the ground, the wagon went over her head. I watched all of this in slow motion, The wagon had passed, she lay on her side, eyes closed, I saw her head was spli

Nearly drowning with my ex husband on our honeymoon.

I was crossing this bridge in Canada in March when a gust of wind pushed me from one side of the road to the other, stopping just short of the railing. I could see the water below and remember thinking how cold it was going to be and that my mother would never know what happened to me because I was in a foreign country. Time stopped. I don't remember anything after that until I was off the bridge, out of the car, on my knees shaking all over.

Twice in my life so far.

The first was when I was 16 or 17. It was the year that Pope John Paul II visited the UK. I went to a convent school so we were all bang up for it. Camped out overnight near Westminster Cathedral to see him arrive. We went for a walk through St James Park and we were chatting and laughing then suddenly everyone else started screeching and running away. I had no idea what was going on but I ran after them. I could hear something behind us, and then I felt something on my shoulder, like really big claws. At that point, I lost all ability to run, to move, to breathe to do anything. I thought I was going to die. It turned out it was my then boyfriend who I was sure I'd seen in front with everyone else. He was holding a branch and chasing us. In my defence The Omen had been on the TV a couple of nights earlier, I was an idiot and well, I was an idiot. But then so was he. It did alarm me to find out that when it came to it I would freeze in terror which doesn't bode well for any future being murdered events.

The second was scarier. I had a brain haemorrhage although at the time I had no idea that's what was going on or what was wrong with me. I'd been in A&E for some hours, no idea how long because I was not really with it at all. I'd been having seizures on and off for hours. Again, I wasn't aware of this. I'd had a headache for over a week, a really bad one, and it suddenly just got worse and worse and worse. It's the one huge thing I remember from that day. I sort of curled up, unable to bear the pain, unable to see or hear the friends around me or the medics. I just thought "I'm going to die, no one can be in this much pain and not die." and "I want to die." I have no idea how long that went on for. I know that I was given morphine and eventually the pain receded a little but for however long I was curled up my world was quiet and still and I was contemplating death and not even scared of it. It seemed as if it would be a blessed release.

I hope that’s what it’s like when it eventually happens

@GloriousGlory no it was Norfolk. I thought she was with Dad. Dad thought she was with me so we weren't aware she was missing until I came back and asked where she was. I'd been gone nearly half an hour. She was playing in the sand out of eye sight from where we were sat, completely oblivious she wasn't with either of us. I still feel sick about it and will never forget my DHs face when realisation sunk in

When I crashed and my car rolled over. I can remember every second so vividly, almost silent and in slow motion.

@LovelyIssues it wasn't Holkham beach was it? Beautiful beach for children but very long and I can see how a little one would easily get lost running away.

@GloriousGlory I was pleased for your acknowledgement. I didn't read to the end of your post because 24 year old dd was grumpy I was looking at my phone when she had come down to watch All Creatures together.

Thank you.

With love to everyone who has not yet got their happy ending. Mine came; I count my blessings every day.

Eventually, I promise, the pain eases and step by step one comes to terms with it. Your terms, my terms; all will be a little different. Platitudes don't help, silence sometimes does, being busy sometimes does, being fucking angry sometimes does.

The only example I can recall is during a phone call where I heard that somebody I was very close to had died unexpectedly and suddenly (young). You can hear your blood pounding in your ears and a kind of rushing sensation. I shiver uncontrollably as well.

However I've also gone into this state during driving tests - which is supremely unhelpful because you can't properly interact with the world around you.

At the dentist too, less of an issue since you only have to lie there. When I come out of it I feel absolutely drained and exhausted like I've been concentrating for hours, like in an exam. Actually come to think of it, anybody get something close to this in exams too? I think for me it's a form of hyperfocus.

I've experienced something like it in childbirth as well but not the fear that people describe (I'm sorry for such terrible experiences) but a kind of meditation sort of out of body experience. I don't feel like I left my body as such but I definitely left "time", each one of them I couldn't have told you whether ten minutes had passed or several hours. I had to work it out later by cross referencing other things that had happened before or after (each time the "unknowable" time was about 2-3 hours).

It must be something physiological, something that taps into a previous brain state perhaps like when we were less evolved and worked more on instinct than rational thought.

My 18mth son had started with a cols and slight fever. He was sat on my knee when all of a sudden he started to fit. Everything went dark and quiet for me I could barely move a muscle I was near paralysed through fear. I managed to ring 999 they asked my name which I gave them but couldn't remember my sons name they sent an ambulance immediately. It turns out he had a febrile convulsion . I've never been so frightened in my life as I was that day.

I am sorry for your loss - I had the same happen last week with my DH

The first time was her first febrile convulsion when I didn’t know what it was but heard myself saying “my baby’s not breathing” - it’s like I was floating above the situation wondering who that poor woman was.

Next one DD was about 18m and we’d been admitted via ambulance for a febrile convulsion. Again. That particular night we’d been in and out discharged then back again etc.

She had a convulsion right in front of the doctor - I was so calm because I knew it was coming. She’d pointed to the air and said “rahrah” convinced she could see the dog (her name for him because of his bark) so I knew it was coming. She convulsed and the doctor was so calm it made me calm and it’s like again I was floating above the situation - she was “you’ve got this mum you’re leading on this” I was so calm because the world felt so still and which it really isn’t in an A&E in Rochdale on a Saturday night. Trust me. The daft lass in handcuffs being escorted out who witnessed it before they shut the curtains was a bit upset though - I do wish I could have found a way to tell her she was ok because it’s a very distressing sight if you don’t know what it is.

pales in comparison to the stories from some brave ladies on here to you all.

I've also had it when XP (DS1's dad) was being violent and volatile, hitting walls etc. He never hit me but he probably would have if we'd stayed together.

I'd forgotten that until this thread.