frightening experiences
By ljcapps
@ljcapps (1925)
United States
August 8, 2007 1:35am CST
What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you? Was it a car wreck, walking in on a burglary in progress, or something a little more personal.
For me it was very much a personal experience. This all started about three days ago now. I went to work like I normally do, was there about two hours with a steadily increasing tightness in my chest, I asked my team leader for a break so I could "walk it off". On my way to the restroom I ended up having a racking cough that persisted for about two minutes. When I got to the restroom I cleared my throat and found what I call a large amount of blood in the mucus. Not knowing what to do I notified my team leader of the situation, and he sent me to the on-site doctors office. After running an EKG on me, that showed normal healthy results, he was left puzzled on what could be wrong so he referred me to the local emergency room for further testing.
Shortly before midnight there was another EKG run on me(same results) and a chest x-ray. The people at this particular hospital are worth less than a screen door on a submarine. Not finding anything on the x-ray, they gave me a prescription for some rather potent pain relievers and told me that if it doesn't improve in the next three to four days to see my regular physician(I don't have one).
Yesterday started rather normal. I got up and made a special breakfast for my son(it was his first day of pre-school). My wife and I dropped him off at school then had to run to Wal-Mart for a few things. While we were shopping I had another "attack", I guess you could call it.but this time I was left gasping for every breath I took. This time there was massive amounts of pain involved with every gasp I could get. My wife and I rushed home(she drove) with the pain getting worse and worse. I started a pot of coffee and drank a cup to try to help relax my lungs. It worked, a little. Then I took as hot a shower as I could stand hoping for similar results. By the time I got out of the shower my wife had called her mother, she is a nurse, to get advice on what to do. At this point even if I had a regular doctor that I visited he/she would have sent me back to the E.R. So this time we went to the hospital here in our home town. After more tests, another x-ray and blood tests this time, this doctor noticed a high white blood cell count. That indicated an infection. I now have antibiotics to go with a new prescription of pain relievers. They seem to be working at least a little. I can breathe without agonizing pain. But during that attack at wal-mart I was the most scared I have ever been. I couldn't breathe but I knew, like all living things, I needed to. My life started flashing before my eyes and I was afraid I wasn't going to make it. Obviously I have made it through that but the experience has left me shaken and has finally given me that last kick in the butt to put forth a serious effort to quit smoking.
So what was your most frightening experience?
2 people like this
3 responses
@mfpsassy (2827)
• United States
8 Aug 07
My now 14 year old daughter had what they call a near drowning when she was 18 months old. I was also pregnant with her sister at the time. My dad got her breathing again. At the hospital they told us she would probably have brain damage. We took her home two days later with no ill effects and six months later her sister was born on her birthday.
And then 3 years ago both girls had to have thier apendixes removed 2 weeks and 1 day apart.
All of that tends to remind you how precious your kids are.
@maildumpster (3815)
• United States
13 Sep 07
I've actually had three and they all involved my kids.
I was pregnant with my first when I had a car accident.
My second was just a week old when she and I were in a roll over car accident.
My third was born 11 weeks early. We didn't know that he was going to live until they started talking about going home which didn't start till he was 6 weeks old.
@sororravn (448)
• United States
10 Aug 07
WOW! That would have scared me as well. As far as my most frightening expeirence, it would have to be giving birth to my second child. I can look back on it now and laugh but at the time, I was scared out of my mind! We were staying in Dallas with some friends of ours and were in a new part of town that we did not know very well. I went about my normal daily activities that day and went into labor about 7pm. It was not that bad as far as pain is concerned so I did not know that I had even gone into labor. I went to bed that night and kept having to get up to go to the bathroom. I realized that I was about to have Isis and woke up my husband. He got our friends up to give us directions to the nearest hospital. Turns out, the freeway was closed! On the way, we ran about 3 or 4 red lights, in front of a cop car each time to try to get an escort to the emergency room. Of course, it was about 4am and not a single one stopped us! We ended up getting lost thanks to the freeway being closed and by this time, I can feel her head poking out. My water had already broken and I honestly thought that I was going to have her in the car! Fortunately, the freeway going the other way was still open and I had my husband go that way to where I knew of another hospital. We finally get there and he has to get a lever to raise so that he can park! I hopped out of the car and hollared at the two nurses that we walking into the emergency room that I was about to have the baby! They ran inside and another woman sitting outside ran over to help me walk. The nurse brought out a wheelchair and they helped me into it. I was so scared that I was going to break her neck if I sat in it ptoperly that my but was nearly hanging out of it so that I could lean back. I ended up having her about ten minutes after we got to the hospital. and everything turned out ok.
