62 replies to this topic

[spooksareus]

JeremyScott, on Jan 22 2006, 11:44 PM, said:

In highschool and shortly there after I was known as a wild child. Always going against the rules and doing things that werent exactly right. One Sunday morning, I was on my way to pick up my friend Denise cause we were going to see a movie after church. It had been raining the night before and I was driving a 97 Explorer. I lost control on the overpass of the freeway, went through the guard rail on to the feeder road down below doughnutted, and took out a Discount Tires sign. Amazingly I escaped with only a few minor bumps and bruises. EMT on scene said I was very lucky, cause my car was in a million pieces.

I dont know, but I think that was God's way of saying straighten up and start walking the line. And for the most part I have.

And have you my dear?

[MaryKelly]

My life altering experience was my Mom passing away when I was just 17. I left for school one morning and she suffered a heart attack while I was there. In just a few short hours my life was changed forever. I learned very early on how fragile life truly is and not to take anyone or the time you have with them for granted because tomorrow is not promised to any of us. I've always been mindful of this when it comes to apologies, forgiving and forgetting is just easy for me when in the moment of doing it I remember these things.

[Axman]

I guess it would be my recent motorcycle accident. I flatlined twice and eventually stayed alive. I feel rather lucky.

[spooksareus]

MaryKelly, on Jan 26 2006, 01:31 AM, said:

My life altering experience was my Mom passing away when I was just 17. I left for school one morning and she suffered a heart attack while I was there. In just a few short hours my life was changed forever. I learned very early on how fragile life truly is and not to take anyone or the time you have with them for granted because tomorrow is not promised to any of us. I've always been mindful of this when it comes to apologies, forgiving and forgetting is just easy for me when in the moment of doing it I remember these things.

Axman, on Jan 26 2006, 05:58 AM, said:

I guess it would be my recent motorcycle accident. I flatlined twice and eventually stayed alive. I feel rather lucky.

Were feeling lucky about it to

[Axman]

spooksareus, on Jan 26 2006, 11:04 AM, said:

MaryKelly, on Jan 26 2006, 01:31 AM, said:

My life altering experience was my Mom passing away when I was just 17. I left for school one morning and she suffered a heart attack while I was there. In just a few short hours my life was changed forever. I learned very early on how fragile life truly is and not to take anyone or the time you have with them for granted because tomorrow is not promised to any of us. I've always been mindful of this when it comes to apologies, forgiving and forgetting is just easy for me when in the moment of doing it I remember these things.

Axman, on Jan 26 2006, 05:58 AM, said:

I guess it would be my recent motorcycle accident. I flatlined twice and eventually stayed alive. I feel rather lucky.

Were feeling lucky about it to

I'm glad you enjoy having me around!

[evad_83647]

I think that would alter my life AX. We humans take a lot for granted and sometimes it takes something like this to realize what is really important.

Just curious, did this make you more spiritial?

[MaryKelly]

Thank you for the hug Spooksareus . This certainly is an interesting thread, I'm curious do you think that there are people that just don't ever experience life altering events, that they are somehow destine not too and if so do you think this makes them take life more for granted and those around them? And Axman I'm brand new to the board here, but I'd really be interested to know if you recall anything when you flatlined?

[Axman]

evad_83647, on Jan 26 2006, 03:05 PM, said:

I think that would alter my life AX. We humans take a lot for granted and sometimes it takes something like this to realize what is really important.

Just curious, did this make you more spiritial?

I can't say spiritual but I have become more appreciative towards my family friends ands others who stood by me during my ordeal. Same goes for those whom I know on my favorite websites. Even after the fact, they are right there for me, and I am thankful for everyone.

MaryKelly, on Jan 26 2006, 05:42 PM, said:

And Axman I'm brand new to the board here, but I'd really be interested to know if you recall anything when you flatlined?

I addressed this question in another thread but I'll enlighten.
No oobies, tunnels, lights, or anything. I feel that I was not meant to go at that time.

Edited by Axman, 26 January 2006 - 07:07 PM.

[Phantom8]

I dont know if this counts,

I was on a skiing holiday in Schladming, Austria.

Having finished for the day, my wife, son and I, headed up a steep icy and snow covered ramp to the cable car station to come down. My son had difficulty in walking in his boots and so I carried his skiis and poles as well as my own. The conditions weren't too good as it was misty and fine flakes were falling fast.

It was then that a snow plough driver decided to drive alongside us as we tried to walk the steep slope. I can remember thinking what the heck is he doing with people still on the ramp as it wasn't quite wide enough. One side of the ramp had no railing and had a sheer drop, the other side (my side) was a rock face with nothing much to hold onto as it was relatively flat.

As he drew level with me the treads of the snow plough were inches away and I began to lose my footing.

I could feel that any second I was going to slide inside the treads and get mangled. In the end I dropped the skiis and tried to dig my boots in but they weren't gripping properly.

The roar of the engine, closeness of the treads and loss of grip from my boots had my heart in my mouth and I broke into a sweat. The driver did not seem to want to stop and was distrated by people ahead and on the other side of him. The fact that I knew I could have lost my grip when he was looking the other way didn't help. I and another person in front of me tried to get his attention but with all the noise of the snow plough he seemed oblivious to our problem. Waving and shouting may have caused us both to fall.

Luckily, I managed to hold on until he passed wherby I eventually did lose my grip and fell where he had been seconds earlier. I was helped up by other skiiers who were also forced into a similar position behind me, some from the other side by the sheer drop (which included my wife and son). I was not the only one that made a formal complaint about the driver that day.

[Reddawg]

My experence was a near fatal car crash when I was 16. A friend and I were out running the roads when we decided to start drinking. We got to a place where he new an older guy who would go in and buy us beer. after a while I passed out and he dug the keys out of my pocket to take us home.
According to the State trooper report he estimated we struck the tree between 90 to 95 MPH. I suffered a depressed skull fracture and has severe brain swelling, 12 fractures to my ribs, 2 to my left elbow, 3 in my left shoulder, a collapsed lung, and a bruised heart.
I spent 2 weeks on life support because the brain swelling was so sever it was putting pressure on the part of the brain that tells the body to breath and the heart to beat.
This was what got me into being a Firefightr/Paramedic. Had it not been for those guys doing some of the things they did I would not be here. Unfortunatly my Friend Shaun did not make it. He was dead when we were found. They think we were not discovered for about an hour after the crash. It was an old country road. on Dec. 9, 1990

[spooksareus]

Glad you made it!

[evad_83647]

I think everyone has life altering experiences, some do not recognize it as such though.

A friend of mine and I went to the Steel Bridge in Washington and scaled down the steep cliffs crossed the raging river and climbed back up the other side. It takes 12 second for a rock to hit the water when dropped from the bridge so this was not an easy task.

The next week in the paper was an article about three army rangers who were killed doing the same thing. It wasn't a place for amateurs.

[GiaCat21]

i can't say this has altered me spiritually as i have never been really religious but it has made me more empathetic towards others with invisible illnesses and made me realize that i am surrounded by a lot of people who truly care for me. it has also caused me to realize my dreams...

march 5, 2001 i came down with severe abdominal pain, went to the er THREE times in one week and they said i just had a virus. final time the doctor did a c t and siad that i had really acute appendicidis and was really lucky it didn't burst.
after that i was unable to eat anything, my weight dropped to 80 lbs (gotta remember i am pretty tall...), had really bad gut pain every time i ate i threw up. we went to the er, they would scan me say i was constipated, and send me home. this went on for two months. finally my mom demanded a hida scan (test gallbladded function), i flunked, my gb didn't empty at all. had that out may 10, 2001. was still extremely ill, had an endoscopy that revealed acute gastric ulcers.
i was okay for a little while then feb 2002 i became really sick again. i couldn't stop throwing up (i was about 5'4 and didn't weigh more than 85 lbs.), had severe gut pain again. i was admitted for GI testing for two weeks, they found nothing wrong, so i went to the pain clinic. then i saw a doctor researching CFS and he did a tilt table test and diagnosed me with dysautonomia (more specifically Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, translation i stand up, my bp drops extremely low, as a result my hr shoots up). we saw a specialist who diagnosed me with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, and i was doing okay for like six months. was functional able to go to school.
last year i started passing out every time i stood up, so i became dependant on a wheelchair. six months ago i got to the point where i can no longer sit up without my vitals getting messed up (my bp record is 40/30, heartrate 210, oxygen saturation 59%). i was watching discovery channel when mystery diagnosis came on and this girl had the exact same symptoms as me, turned out she had cranial cervical instability, a retrofluxed ondontoid bone, and chiari malformation. so i had an MRI and we sent those to milwaukee, went up there feb 21 and was diagnosed with chiari malformation (not enough room in my skull so my cerebellum is herniated into my spinal canal), and cervical stenosis (spinal cord compression). so i go in for testing on monday to see if we need to fix my head or wait until i'm done growing to take the pressure off of my spine.

thanks to this illness i am more empathetic to others like me. example there is a family down the street whose daughter has SEVERE bipolar disorder, and is in a group home (probably will be for the rest of her life), so i make it a point on holidays and her b day to put together a goody bag for her. I want to advocate for other ppl who might be really sick like me, but look normal. this has also made me realize my dreams of helping others who might feel that their situation is hopeless. i would like to be a pediatrition or a psychologist.

[GhostCat]

StellaKitty,

You have been through so much. Good luck on Monday with your testing. Hope all goes well, and yes your experiences have really made you an empath. Keep up your dreams of being a pediatrician or a psychologist.
The best doctors are the ones who were patients. My thoughts are with you, keep us informed of your progress.

[GiaCat21]

GhostCat, on Apr 14 2006, 08:11 PM, said:

StellaKitty,

You have been through so much. Good luck on Monday with your testing. Hope all goes well, and yes your experiences have really made you an empath. Keep up your dreams of being a pediatrician or a psychologist.
The best doctors are the ones who were patients. My thoughts are with you, keep us informed of your progress.

Thanks Ghost Cat~
I am really excited... I have been dealing with this since I was in the sixth grade, so I am ready to get my life back to some degree. I realize that I'll never be "normal" and I 'll always be "pass out girl" but it is all a matter of perspective. I actaully am not allowed to talk about the chiari and cervical issues on my support group as it is strictly for youth afflicted with dysautonomia. I know that if we could even out some of my bp hr and O2 swings I would do loads better. I have really appreciated all of the support that I have gotten on this board. You guys have made me feel welcome from post one.
BTW the noises and feelings that I was getting I have been able to link to use of Stadol (narcotic for headaches) my pcp and I havve already talked about switching it if decompression surgery didn't help with my severe headaches. So if I am still using it more than 1x a week we have to switch.

Alexa