Louise S NDE

Experience Description

I suffered a miscarriage after being pregnant for just three months. I had been to the hospital for a check-up afterwards and was told that there were still parts left inside my womb that would come out naturally and not to worry.

Three days later, I noticed that I was bleeding and when I stood up it ran down my legs. I thought this was normal after the miscarriage and told myself to not worry too much. I waited a couple of minutes and checked to see if the blood flow had stopped but it had not. Now I was starting to panic. My husband was out at work and I was alone in the house. Being a registered nurse, I knew I had to do something quickly. I remembered that the maternity hospital, where I had received my check-up, had given me a card with their telephone number on it. I was to phone them if I had any problems. I called the number, trying to remain calm. The nurse who answered told me to go and unlock my front door, to telephone a relative and let them know that I had to be rushed into hospital and then to lie down on the sofa in the living room. She said she would call for an ambulance and the paramedics would let themselves in and take me to hospital. I did as instructed; left the front door slightly ajar. I phoned my mother-in-law to tell her that I had to go into hospital then lay down.

Around ten minutes went by, and I was still lying on the sofa waiting. My mother-in-law arrived and started crying and wailing which made me cry. Prior to her arrival, I had been trying to stay calm. Then the paramedics came in and got me in to the ambulance. They took my blood pressure, which had dropped, and started the drive to hospital. My husband had arrived just after them and followed the ambulance in his car.

It took about ten minutes to get to the nearest emergency hospital. I was put in a cubicle, given IV fluids, and told that they were going to get me transferred to a specialist ward in the hospital. My husband and I waited and waited. Time was going by and I had started to become frantic, as I knew that I was losing too much blood. The nurses had covered me up with blankets, and I could see blood seeping through them. Eventually, someone came, took me to a specialist ward, and left me in a small room with my husband. Again, we waited and waited. I started to feel light-headed and agitated.

Eventually, a young female doctor and a nurse came and asked me many questions. They took my blood pressure and gave me more IV fluids. They went to take my clothes off. I warned them that there would be a lot of blood and suggested they put aprons and gloves on, which they did after giving me a strange look. As they took off my clothes, they went pale and gave each other a 'look' as if to say, ‘Get a doctor, now!’

They put my clothes in the rubbish bin as they were covered with clotted blood.

Then I started to feel light-headed and sick. I was going to vomit, so I told the nurses. The next thing I knew there were about four doctors around me all putting more IV lines into me and putting up more IV fluids. One doctor started to examine me to find where the blood was coming from and the pain was excruciating. I think I screamed at one point and started to thrash around, as I could not bear the pain. Then I vomited and started sweating and shaking, I could not stop shaking.

Suddenly I felt a crushing pain in my chest, like a vice, squeezing the breath out of me, I shouted out to the doctors that something was happening, that I felt I was going to pass-out and I remember one of the doctors telling me not to worry, that I could not pass out because I was lying down.

The pain was too, too much, I remember thinking that I could not take it anymore. I ‘decided’ that I did not want feel it anymore and that was when it happened.

The next thing I knew I closed my eyes and felt my spirit lift out of my body. It just slipped out like a snail coming out of its shell. I felt very light and floated in the air. The pain had suddenly stopped, the stress that I had been feeling ceased and I felt very relaxed and at ease with the world. I had no worries any more. I felt at peace but aware of my surroundings at the same time. I knew that I was out of my body and I was floating just above it, near the ceiling of the room, I was aware of the doctors and nurses panicking over my lifeless body. I 'looked down' and could 'see' my still body, it looked a very blue color.

I felt so comfortable and serene, floating above my body, no worries, no pain, I felt wonderful. I remember thinking, ‘Wow, this is GREAT!!’ ‘What a feeling!’ I felt myself floating upwards and away from the scene below, still feeling amazing, but I wanted to go further, as I was enjoying the freedom from fear, pain, worry, stress, so much so that I wanted to stay in that wonderful state forever. I did not see anything else; I just floated upwards and away.

Then I heard a woman’s voice say that if I went any further I would not be able to go back and I had to make a decision - To go further or to go back?

The feeling was so wonderful that I did not want to go back; I wanted to go further. Then I heard one of the nurses below asking me about my two daughters, she was shouting ‘Tell me your daughters names!? ‘Tell me your daughters names!?’ I stopped.

I suddenly thought about my two daughters, my eldest was 20 years old and my youngest was 2 years old. I couldn't leave them without a mother. I couldn't leave them to go through their lives on their own!

I thought ‘I will have to go back’. The woman's voice told me that it would not be easy if I went back. I could not leave my girls alone.

So my decision to go back was accepted. The voice said no more and I started to think about getting back to my blue colored, lifeless body lying below, surrounded by the medical staff.

It was not easy getting back in to my body. I had to concentrate very, very hard before I managed to slip back in.

I remember feeling the cold of my poor body. Then I felt the pain again. The pain. I opened my eyes and took a breath, much to the relief of the medical staff standing around me. Then I answered the nurse's question that I had heard her asking when I was floating above. ’My daughters names are Laura and Sophie’ I said. The medical staff and nurses standing around looked amazed, their mouths hanging open in shock. How did I know what I had been asked?

I looked at the poor young doctor who I had told to put on an apron before and she was shaking like a leaf with shock! ’I'm sorry.’ I said to her.

I was then swiftly taken down to theatre for an operation to stop the bleeding. While I was wheeled there, one of the doctors said that my body had turned blue and they thought that they had lost me for good. He asked what had happened to me and how I had managed to remember anything. How did I know what the nurse had asked me? I told him that I was floating away from the room and could still hear them. He just looked confused.

I had the operation and recovered within a couple of days.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 6th February 2008

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Heamorrhage days after suffering a miscarriage. 'Life threatening event, but not clinical death' I had suffered a miscarriage three days earlier and then suffered a hemorrhage. I had lost most of my blood by the time I reached the hospital ward.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Wonderful

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes I clearly left my body and existed outside it

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness? Normal consciousness and alertness As above.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? While I was floating in the room, close to the ceiling.

Were your thoughts speeded up? Incredibly fast

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning

Were your senses more vivid than usual? Incredibly more vivid

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. As I 'saw' the medical staff below me, the clarity was not as vivid as using real eyes.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I did not hear any background noise. I only heard what the medical staff and nurses were saying.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? Yes, and the facts have been checked out

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Uncertain I was not aware of seeing a tunnel or anything else.

Did you see any beings in your experience? I actually saw them

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes I did hear a woman's voice talking to me but did not see her.

Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? A light clearly of mystical or other-worldly origin

Did you see an unearthly light? No

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? No

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Elation.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Incredible peace or pleasantness

Did you have a feeling of joy? Happiness

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? I felt united or one with the world

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe

Did scenes from your past come back to you? My past flashed before me, out of my control

Did scenes from the future come to you? Scenes from the world's future

The experience included: Boundary

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Yes I was told that if I went further that I would not be able to return.

Did you come to a border or point of no return? I came to a barrier that I was not permitted to cross; or was sent back against my will

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Moderate none

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I am now more aware of life, knowing that death is not the end.

What is your religion now? Moderate spiritual

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I am now more aware of life, knowing that death is not the end.

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? I encountered a definite being, or a voice clearly of mystical or unearthly origin

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? I actually saw them

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? No

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes I knew what had happened to me and was in shock for a long time afterwards. I found it difficult to tell people in case they thought I was crazy.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? No

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I told my mother a couple of weeks later. She looked amazed. I informed her that death was not the end. She seemed happy at this as my father had died a couple of years earlier.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Yes I had read about them in magazines.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real I knew it had been real.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real I still believe it to have been real.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? No

Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience? I do not tell anyone about it as they might think I am crazy. Only my mother believed me.