I'm so glad that you bumped this up Ghost. It's a great story. In fact 2 great stories about one of my favorite subjects. Now I have never actually died and didn't experience anything this in depth or profound BUT.....I did come very close once. I was about 8 yrs. old and it was definitely an experience that changed my life.
I was at the swimming pool and like the little girl in this video I was playing around in the shallow end of the pool. I did not know how to swim yet but I was pretty good at dog paddling around so I was maybe a little bit too comfortable. But as the little girl in the vid said I too do not know why I got out of the shallow end of the pool and wondered around towards the deep end. I guess I was in lala land and not even thinking about what I was doing and for no reason I could think of I just jumped right in the deep end of the pool. I quickly sunk to the bottom and began fighting for a way back to the top. I panicked and was terrified!!!! I couldn't breathe! I had time to think "this is going to be horrible!" I had always been scared to death of not being able to breathe. At night sometimes I have always .... as long as I can remember... I have slept with a bottle of Neo Synephrine nose spray.... or Dristan when I have to..... because sometimes I have trouble with allergies stopping up my sinuses and it gives me nightmares not to be able to breathe. I dream that I am going to suffocate. So anyway.... the point is that I was facing one of my worst fears...... I couldn't breathe and it was only going to get worse. I was panicked big time! I could hold my breath no longer and I dreaded the next second. I felt as though I was going to explode. or implode or whatever but there was nothing I could do. I let go and the water flooded my lungs. I gulped it down. In fact it wasn't like gulping at all . It was nothing like I expected. The water flooded my lungs in one fell swoop. That was it. There was no gulping or jerking .... it was a very smooth motion. And then it was still. I was floating. My eyes were open. I wasn't breathing. I was peaceful. There was no fear. No frantic flayling about. I was as calm as I'd ever been. It did not hurt and it did not bother me that I wasn't breathing. I was fine. I don't know how long I was down there but it felt like a long time. I remember everthing vividly to this day. I remember my thoughts and my senses and I remember just floating and listening to the calm around. Then suddenly a lifeguard snatched me back into reality and swooped me onto the side of the pool were she began pumping the water out of my lungs. I even remember thinking what a small amount of water that was. I had felt like gallons had rushed into my lungs all at one time but this tiny bit of water came spurting out of my mouth and then I kind of had a headache for a few seconds but then I was back to playing with my friends as if nothing had happened. I thanked the lady for saving me and she brushed it off as if it were nothing so I acted like it was nothing also. But actually ... to me... it was life changing for me. I was fearless after that. I had felt what it was like not to breathe. I was no longer afraid of drowning. I had already experienced it for the most part and it was easy. Very peaceful. If I had my choice this is the way that I would choose to go.
Now I used to also be afraid of burning to death. You know like if you didn't die of smoke inhalation but actually burned to death .... but I had an employee once at the Trucking Co. who was in an explosion on top of a fuel tanker. He lived but was burned over 90% of his body .... 3rd degree burns of course. He was completely engulfed in a blaze! He claims that as soon as the fire engulfed him all of his nerve endings were destroyed and there was no pain. He even breathed the fire into his lungs and he said there was no pain. The pain began several minutes later when it was obvious that he wasn't dead. He said that if he had died he doesn't think there would have been any pain but living through it was hell. Thank God for Demerol and that other strong pain stuff. I forget what it's called...... Morphine ... that's it. He said that he lived on the stuff for a long time but it was still painfull even then. But I still wonder how could it not be the worst to burn to death or to die from a volcanic eruption and the lava overtakes you. I hope I'm not getting too graphic here. Ghost1 knows that he can edit me if I have gotten too morbid for you guys but even so I don't want to leave him with the responsibility of cleaning up my language when I should have more class than that so I'm going to stop here and hope that I haven't offended anyone yet. You guys hit me with your opinions so that I will know better next time .... OK
Ghost I enjoyed this post immensely.... thanx for bumping it up.
