Nathan A NDE

Experience Description

I went into the hospital in the first week of October 2019. I experienced chest pain and shortness of breath.

A few days prior, I had gone to an urgent care center complaining of chest discomfort. I was initially diagnosed which community-acquired pneumonia and was prescribed a 5 day course of medication to treat it. I was told that by day 2 or 3 I should start to feel much better. By day 3, my symptoms became so distressing that I decided to go to the emergency room. Upon entering the emergency room, I described my symptoms of chest pain and shortness of breath. After the initial intake exam showed excessive tachycardia with sub-optimal blood oxygen levels, I was prioritized and rushed to an emergency room for examination.

Initially, the emergency room staff thought I had a cardiac episode and so multiple tests were done to check my heart for signs of distress/failure. They performed an EKG and an echocardiogram. They ruled out arrhythmia (besides abnormal tachycardia) and any structural abnormalities or blockages in my heart. Next, they decided to do a chest CT scan with IV contrast to look for the source of chest pain and to check the lungs due to shortness of breath with low blood oxygen levels. Soon after that, I was immediately transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU). The CT scans showed what could only be compared to a CT image of the early patients with 'COVID lung' in the early times of the COVID pandemic. I was sedated with pain medication to keep me relaxed and reduce discomfort.

For the first 2 or 3 days, I remember my old roommate’s ex-girlfriend coming to visit and sit with me. We would talk, but I can’t remember about what. After that, my blood oxygen levels decreased significantly, I was put on high-flow, supplemental oxygen and given more medication. During this time, doctors ran tests for bacterial infections. I was placed on large amounts of antibiotics, but my lungs didn’t respond to that. I was taken into a surgical area and put under anesthesia to have a bronchial procedure done to examen the lung cells. I was tested for known viral infections, but the results came back negative.

My condition worsened to the point that the hospital called my parents to come so they could make medical decisions for me. I was no longer able to make my own decisions or even really communicate. On October 17th, the doctors sat down with my parents and said that I would have to be transferred to a hospital with a higher level of care because they did not know what they were dealing with and had never seen my condition before. They said that if I stayed there, I would die. On October 18th, after consultation with major hospital systems around the country, I was accept to a hospital with advanced ICU care capabilities. I was supposed to be flown via a helicopter, but due to a tropical storm I had to be transported via ambulance. The last thing I remember from the hospital was looking up at my dad and saying, 'Don’t let me die.'

I lost consciousness and later was put into an induced coma during the transport. Upon arriving at the hospital, I experienced my first cardiac arrest and was revived by the code-blue team after multiple rounds of compressions.

I remained in a coma until October 24th. I experienced a tunnel of swirling, bright lights pulling me inside. I went head first, but I didn’t feel a sensation of falling. The vividly displayed lights were colors which I’ve never before. The colors were contrasted heavily by the total blackness that was left in the rest of the void of the tunnel. I also felt/heard a humming or vibration sensation, which I was aware of was coming from my chest. I remember thinking that this was coming from the doctors working with some kind of suction device to clean out my lungs. This procedure made me uncomfortable with the constant buzzing and vibration that felt coming from my chest. I had a sensation of relief knowing that my lungs were finally being cleaned out. The lights of this tunnel were somehow comforting in a way that I can’t explain.

I woke up in a different hospital that was 3 hours from home. I woke up again after two days. As I became more aware of my surroundings, I was more able to communicate. I learned that my lungs had cleared almost completely. The imaging showing my lungs cleared was one day before I was going to be put on a lung bypass machine (ECMO) and put on a lung transplant list. I was finally able to ask the doctors what procedures they had done. They informed me that they never did any procedure inside of my lungs because was too invasive to my lungs. This confused me because I attributed the buzzing in my chest to the doctors cleaning out my lungs.

As I was recovering, I experienced two more cardiac arrests. These arrests were different because I didn’t have any experiences during these times. Those were just like being put under anesthesia where you go to sleep. Then I felt like I woke up a second later with no memories or dreams.

As time has gone by, I still think about that swirling tunnel of vivid lights and the buzzing in my chest. The more I think about it, the more I feel it was as if something from inside that tunnel was what was clearing out my lungs somehow. It’s like I was transported to another world to be healed in a way normal medicine couldn’t possibly do.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: 10/19/2019

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Illness While under general anesthesia CPR given Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function) Acute respiratory failure with hypoxia which led to oxygen desaturation for prolonged periods. I had multiple episodes of cardiac arrest at different times

How do you consider the content of your experience? Entirely pleasant

Did you feel separated from your body? Uncertain Not sure about the lung healing sensation No

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness? Less consciousness and alertness than normal I had the realization that I wasn’t in the “real” world and therefore not conscious and I was so fixated on the sensations I felt coming from my chest and on the vivid lights that my alertness I would consider to be dulled by these distractions/fixations.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? When I felt the buzzing in my chest and knew that it was my lungs being healed somehow

Were your thoughts speeded up? Faster than usual

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning No perception of time

Were your senses More vivid than usual? More vivid than usual

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. It’s nothing like I’ve ever seen in my everyday life

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I don’t think I heard anything

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? No

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Yes Vivid swirling lights that I’ve never seen in real life

Did you see any beings in your experience? No

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? No

Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? No

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes I can’t

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? Some unfamiliar and strange place The tunnel of lights

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Comfort

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Relief or calmness

Did you have a feeling of joy? No

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? No

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? No

Did scenes from your past come back to you? No

Did scenes from the future come to you? No

Did you come to a border or point of no return? No

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Christian- Other Christian Went to church regularly as a kid until high school and on Christmas Eve services, but hadn’t been in a few years.

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

What is your religion now? Christian- Other Christian Christian but not actively attending church or religiously engaged

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was entirely not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? No

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? No

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? No

Did you encounter or become aware of any beings who previously lived on earth who are described by name in religions (for example: Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, etc.)? No

During your experience, did you gain information about premortal existence? No

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? No

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? No

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Uncertain Not sure why I was healed

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? No

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? Uncertain I felt the presence of something, but I can’t explain it

Did you gain information about how to live our lives? No

During your experience, did you gain information about life's difficulties, challenges and hardships? No

During your experience, did you gain information about love? No

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Large changes in my life. I’m convinced there are other dimensions

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes More isolated

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes I just can’t explain the sensation of my lungs being healed by some source. I was also aware that my lungs were why I was on the edge of death. I also can’t explain the vivid colors/lights in the tunnel and why I wasn’t scared.

How accurately do you remember the experience in comparison to other life events that occurred around the time of the experience? I remember the experience more accurately than other life events that occurred around the time of the experience

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? No

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

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

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real. It’s my experience and I can’t forget it and the details are never unclear and don’t change

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 wish I could go back and stay there longer

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? This was great, thank you.