To ask if you've ever had a near death experience and what went through your mind?

[Flufferblub]

I have a medical condition that sometimes brings on seizures. I have stopped breathing a couple of times in the past. I felt really unwell in a hospital waiting room one day (best place to be I suppose), and after waiting hours, I got up to speak to the receptionist to tell them I was feeling really unwell. I collapsed in the middle of the waiting room. I was aware, but things around me seemed a little distant. I noticed that I wasn't breathing, and I really thought that I was going to die. My mind was very calm and willing to go along with it. I thought Oh well, that's that. I was 32 at the time.

Any way, the doctors rushed over and got me breathing again. I find it a little bit reassuring how calm I was. But also a little bit scary how little fight I have to survive.

Has any one had any experiences like this they want to share?

TW: DV

I had a row about money with the BF I was living with. He'd spent his half of the rent money on blow and expected me to pay it for him.

He got very aggressive and shouty, grabbed the 5 fivers that I'd put on the mantelpiece, pinned me down on the bed, crumpled the money up and rammed it into my mouth and choked me. I struggled, but it was futile and I stopped. I felt really calm, not scared at all, just thinking "Well, this is how it ends then", but I also remember wondering if he'd leave the £5 notes in my throat afterwards.

Being a naive and stupid 20 year old, I stayed with him for another 2 years after that.

I choked on a pea and thought it was the end, I was going to go out of my house and knock on doors. It was awful. I’m happy to hear some things are more peaceful. I really didn’t want to die, I do remember that.

Sepsis. I was going into septic shock and knew I was going to die, I was surrounded by doctors and nurses trying to find veins and take blood etc and I was thinking 2 things: 1. you need to find a proper doctor (they all seemed very young and panicked) and 2, what a mess my flat was and how someone would have to clean it up.

My mum was in the room (will never forgive myself for the stress this must have caused her) and said a passing consultant heard the commotion and came in and took charge. I'm fine obviously! I did sort out my flat and all my financial papers once I was better so I won't have to worry about that in another NDE. Another thanks to the NHS, even though they tried to send me home twice before realising I had sepsis. Always ask!

"I don't want to die today. It is my Birthday." Everything slowed down & I sorted myself out.

I choked on a piece of meat at a restaurant. Totally blocked my airway, I couldn't breathe at all. It was complete blind panic. Stood up and only my husband realised I was choking. Slapped me on the back hard three times and it flew out but it was horrendous and I've been absolutely terrified of choking ever since.

A number of years ago I had an episode where I became very unwell really quickly. I rember thinking, as I passed out, oh this is it. I was perfectly calm and felt all warm and cosy. I wasn't at all afraid. Infact as I came round I was quite irritated with the people who were helping me. I was also weirdly, still holding onto the Mars Bar I had been about to eat when I passed out. Which is fairly typical, never give up the chocolate.

Thank you to everyone who is sharing experiences in this thread, it's weirdly comforting for me that so many people had peace in their not-final moments after I had a traumatic bereavement last year.

But I'm still going to skip white water rafting 😂

@Meadowfinch I thought I'd be the only gunshot victim on this thread!!!

I always thought I had no crisis or survival instinct but I learned I can be calm and think rationally which saved my life. I recall thinking I can't die on the streets of London and promptly went about calling an ambulance and finding someone to help me.

I also survived an ectopic pregnancy as well that needed an emergency operation 2 days before my wedding.

Flowers for all of us on this thread.

The calmness which we feel, doesn't mean you lack the will to survive. Not at all. The fact that you survived your near death episode, is testament to that

I also had this experience, when I went into septic shock after a ruptured appendix. I felt a wonderful peace, às if I was floating on a warm ocean. I had no fear. My take away from it, was an acceptance that one day I will die, and I'm not afraid of it.

Covid. I felt so peaceful, like I could just fall asleep and slip away and it was all ok.
Then I realised it was Christmas Eve and I have 4 dc that I wasn't willing to leave so forced myself to snap out of it.
But I hope when I'm old and senile and surrounded by my children and grandchildren, that is exactly how I will go.

This is incredible, thank you so much for sharing. Anita Moorjani describes something very similar- so comforting to those of us who have lost someone special.

These stories are fascinating and I’m so glad you are all here to share your experiences with us. Thank you.
What is the name of the podcast that you have been listening to @Cozytoesandtoast00?

Not me but my dad almost died from sepsis.
He said he was vaguely aware of lots of commotion in the hospital all around him and he could feel all his organs starting to fail and was sure he was going to die. He felt amazingly calm and happy and as if absolutely everything was ok. He could see a beautiful bright light and felt drawn towards it. He said he had never felt so calm, peaceful and happy in his life. It was a complete feeling of peace and as if everything was happening exactly as it should be.

Almost drowned.Panicked then remember feeling calm once I realised I was likely going to die.I thought 'So this is how I'm going to die'.I was sort of curious Then someone yanked me out by my arm and dislocated my shoulder which snapped me out of that.

This was on TV really recently, a couple of weeks ago, that scene stuck with me too!

@PPlanBea I was about to type an almost identical post!

I did not expect to find comfort in this thread but I did. I lost my dad and my best friend within 8 months of each other a couple of years ago and the thought that their last moments were as many of you describe has really helped me.

@

Nearly drowned and my life flashed before me, followed by what I wasn't going to get to do before I was rescued

@SerSerenityNowInsanityLater Your post, worded so beautifully, has actually brought tears to my eyes (in a good way 🙂).

Car crash. Everything slowed down and I just thought this is it. I still wake up in cold sweats some nights. It happened 15 years ago

About 15+ years ago I also had a horrific choking incident on a piece of lamb chop that we were having for dinner that day. Very thankfully a family member managed to dislodge it from my throat somehow, but I haven't eaten lamb since because it scared me so much and completely put me off it!

I am terrified of choking alone and often only eat soup if I am by myself. I shouldn’t have opened this thread!

Let’s Talk Near Death.

Thank you for this fascinating thread.

I choked on a piece of steak. It wasn't peaceful and calm at all, tbh. Luckily the manager of the restaurant knew the Heimlich manoeuvre (or abdominal thrusts as it's now called).

Twice. The first was in a car accident. It happened so fast, in a split second, so there wasn’t much time to think anything. One moment my path was clear, the next there was a blur of black in front of the windscreen and then wham. I think my only thought was, Oh shit.

The second was more profound. I’d collapsed and was unresponsive but somehow I was aware of what was going on around me. I alternated between panic and disbelief, thinking I didn’t want to die like this, and calm. I willed myself to open my eyes and fight but I couldn’t. At one point I remember looking up at the stars, even though I couldn’t open my eyes, and thinking how easy it would be to drift into them. The last thing I remember is someone shouting that I wasn’t breathing and a paramedic saying to get the defib. Next thing I knew I was in an ambulance, then it’s all a blank until I woke up in hospital.

Edit: there was another time, although it hadn’t quite progressed to the ‘I’m going to die’ phase. I live alone and started choking. I wondered what the hell I was going to do but whatever I did I had to do it fast. I stuck my fingers down my throat and physically yanked it out, which was not pleasant. I witnessed my mum choking when I was a child, my dad did the Heimlich manoeuvre. It was all really distressing.

@SerenityNowInsanityLater

I have actually clinically died [...]

What a great post! Fascinating and reassuring! Thanks for taking the time to describe it