2004

From: 
Story type: Near Death Experience
Location: Vancouver, BC
Source: Form Submission
Date submitted: Sat Aug  6 16:00:48 2011

August 31, 2004

I had gone into the hospital for day-surgery, actually a procedure to my heart to slow it down. The procedure was called an Atrial Ablation. All seemed to have gone ok until my time of discharge. As my son and I gathered up my belongings I began to feel an unbearable pressure in my chest. Then came the nausea and dizziness. Within minutes of the pain I had collapsed onto the floor. I was to find out later that I was experiencing a Cardiac Tamponade. A hole had been punched in my heart during the procedure and the blood was spilling out into the pericardium, a sheath of tissue surrounding my heart. The resulting pressure this applied to my heart caused it to stop beating.

A code blue was called. I remember floating above my body as it was being rushed down the hallway on a gurney. I could see my son running alongside me and could hear someone shouting urgently "stay with us, stay with us!" I witnessed all as the medical staff cut off my pant legs and began inserting tubes for IV's, I remember thinking "that should be hurting" Then came the other medical equipment as they checked my blood pressure and forced air into my lungs. All the while I Was in a corner of the room watching. At some point I became aware of a brilliant light shining tunnel-like above me. I could hear what sounded like the murmurs of 1000 voices. I was peaceful and ready to join them . Then I heard one of the doctors say "whose turn is it to notify her next of kin - the son is waiting outside". And I felt such a rush of love for my son, the next moment I recalled was returning to my body and giving an anguished scream - a needle had been inserted into my chest to draw off the excess blood and the pain was unbearable.

I recovered nicely and went home days later.