Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Hump Day Poll: That Time I Almost Died


Not a super fun topic but...

Have you ever almost died?

When I was 15, I was at my dad's for the summer.  We were on the beach near San Luis Obispo and my step brother and I were out swimming having a good ol' time.  All of a sudden I got smacked by a wave and pulled under and tossed around pretty good.  I came up for air only to get hit by the next one and pulled under in the set.  My brother got separated from me and every time I came up to scream for help, I would get hit by another wave and pulled further back and out into the ocean.  I finally got out of it and saw my dad with my brother who "got knocked down by a wave" but they seemed completely oblivious to what I'd just been through despite the two of us being out there together.  That's when I went off asking where he (Dad) was, that I got pulled under 6 waves and basically thought I was dead.  My brother said he 'thought I was kidding.'  (???)  That was a fun ride home.  

To this day, I get panic attacks if we see a movie that has any kind of almost drowning scene or swimming in underwater caves.  Takes me right back to being completely helpless from the rip current.

Have you ever almost died?

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6 comments:

  1. Drowning is one of the scariest ways to go in my opinion so I can understand being panicked. Choking is along the same lines for me, which leads me to the time I almost died:

    When I was 4 years old we had these advent calendar things that Mom either made or bought for each kid and I had mine in my room. It had round candies on it (I bet you know where this is going if you're reading this) and you were to take one off and eat it each day as you count toward Christmas. Well I wanted the next days cause it was my favorite flavor, so I took it. Then I started choking and all I knew to do was run to where my Mom and my Aunt were sitting in the kitchen. My Mom was able to put her finger down my throat and I remember to this day the feeling of not being able to breathe while also having a fingernail scrape the inside of my throat. Thankfully she was able to get the candy out and promptly removed the advent calendar from my room. My Aunt sat there frozen the entire time and was likely more freaked out by it than I was.

    You would have thought that event would have prevented me from ever wanting to sneak food again - but alas, my will to sneak food was far greater!

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    1. That story is awful and I'm surprised your aunt sat there. If it's the one I think it was, I for some reason picture her knowing the Heimlich. So glad you were able to run down there in time to get her attention!

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  2. I'm deeply afraid of uncontrolled fire. I've been in a house fire and a car fire and still think about those events to this day. When I see the news stories about the wildfires I get sick thinking of people and animals being trapped. Hearing fire trucks causes a similar reaction.

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    1. Oh my goodness, I can't imagine being in that situation once much less twice. I'm so glad you were okay (physically) in both instances!

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  3. I felt panic just reading about your near drowning. I had it happen to me as a kid, in Lake Ontario, huge waves and undertow, I was only like knee deep in the water, but I could not get back up from under, with the strong current pulling me out...it was terrifying. I don't like deep water, nor swimming in the ocean, I stay by the shore, and when I have nightmares, they involve dark angry water, and big waves...

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    1. I hate that you can relate to that. Lakes are NO JOKE. We were in a very bad undertow in Lake Michigan on our board/kayak that almost sucked us out and tossed us around pretty good. I never underestimated a lake again! I love the movie The Shallows but any time she's in the water, my heart rate shoots up.

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