Sue E NDE

EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTION:

I was shot in the abdomen with a 22. I remember lying down on my bed and asking someone to put my feet on top of the laundry basket in the room so I wouldn't go into shock. I remember talking to the EMTs in route and then there is a blank area in my memory. I heard them saying I had no blood pressure or pulse. I couldn't open my eyes to see but heard all the conversation r/t my injury and condition. I could feel them poking me and starting IVs but there was no pain. Not even the kidney pain. Prior to this time I had a severe pain in my left kidney area that felt like I was lying on a broken coke bottle and it was sticking into me. I heard them asking for my mother to come sign the operative permit. I tried to talk to them... to tell them I could sign it myself.. but no one could hear me. The next thing I remember I was looking down at myself. It was like I was on the ceiling. I could see them still sticking needles in me to start even more IVs. I saw there were at least 4 bottles of fluids hanging and going wide open. I remember them asking for blood and hanging that. I could not feel any of this and did not have the severe pain in my kidney area. My mother came in the room and I remember thinking how beautiful she was, and how well dressed, but how awful the camel wool dress she was wearing looked on her. I have such a clear memory of the shoes, purse, dress she was wearing. I was devastated at how upset she looked and it was as if I could feel how she felt. How this was going to ruin her life (I am her only child and how was this broken hearted woman going to raise my son (I had a 6 mo old baby, and it was my husband who had shot me) I knew I had to get better to raise my son and be there for my mother. The next thing I remember I was looking at mother from the stretcher... or rather I woke up and saw her as I was lying on the stretcher and the pain was back.  Shortly after that they took me to x-ray for an IVP. They injected the dye into my arm and I blacked out. The next thing I was aware of I was still in x-ray but had an endotracheal tube (used) on my chest. They told me I had a respiratory arrest when the dye was injected. I went to surgery from there and was told later that I was given 16 units of blood.

Was the kind of experience difficult to express in words? Yes     I was calmly looking down on myself part of the time and part of the time I seemed to be invisible to everyone. I heard people talking

At the time of this experience, was there an associated life threatening event?          Yes     They said I had no blood pressure or pulse as the EMTs rolled me into the ER. I had a gunshot wound which had ruptured my left kidney and severed my left renal artery and vein so I had massive blood loss.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness?    when I was looking down at myself and my mother came in the room

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal every day consciousness and alertness?    Normal consciousness and alertness

            when I was looking down at myself and my mother came in the room

Did your vision differ in any way from your normal, everyday vision (in any aspect, such as clarity, field of vision, colors, brightness, depth perception degree of solidness/transparency of objects, etc.)?  No      

Did your hearing differ in any way from your normal, everyday hearing (in any aspect, such as clarity, ability to recognize source of sound, pitch, loudness, etc.)?
            No      

Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?     Yes

What emotions did you feel during the experience?            calm until my mother came in the room, then severe distress that I needed to get better. Grateful the pain was gone

Did you pass into or through a tunnel or enclosure?          No      

Did you see a light?           No       The room was extremely bright and there was a very bright light shining on me.... but I was in the trauma room of the ER and the bright exam light was shining on me so that made sense to me.

Did you meet or see any other beings?           No      

Did you experience a review of past events in your life?    No      

Did you observe or hear anything regarding people or events during your experience that could be verified later?          Yes     My doctor verified that I was pulse less and without blood pressure in the ER and that they did call for my mother to come sign my op permit.

Did you see or visit any beautiful or otherwise distinctive locations, levels or dimensions?           No           

Did you have any sense of altered space or time?   Uncertain      there was no sense of time

Did you have a sense of knowing special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?     Uncertain            That I couldn't leave my son or my mother.. especially my mother. Seeing my mother is what made me want to go back to my body and not die.

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? No      

Did you become aware of future events?       No           

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience you did not have prior to the experience?     No      

Have you shared this experience with others?         Yes     I shared it with my mother a few years afterwards. I also shared it with my husband (a new husband) Both believed me. My mother was very moved. My husband encouraged me to enter my experience here.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience?    No      

How did you view the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened:            Experience was probably not real         I figured I was in shock because of the massive blood loss. I had never heard of near death or anything like that. Certainly nothing they taught us in nursing school in the 60's.

Were there one or several parts of the experience especially meaningful or significant to you?            Seeing my mother come in the room and knowing I had to not die.

How do you currently view the reality of your experience:            Experience was definitely real    I have read that I am not the only person this has happened to. I am more open to the unexplainable at my current age. My memory of the events have never faded, intensified or changed in any way over the years.

Have your relationships changed specifically as a result of your experience?           Yes     I believe my mother coming into the room saved my life. I think I would have died otherwise. I was an only child and was always close to my mother but we were even closer after that.