[Serious] Redditors who have been clinically dead and then revived/resuscitated: What did dying feel like? Did you see anything whilst passed on?

What did dying feel like?

I want to participate in this thread because I came very close to actual death. If my answer is inadequate then by all means have them remove it.

Two years ago I was struggling with alcoholism. I was drinking those 1.7 liter 10$ to 15$ bottles of vodka. The really large ones. I usually always had three in my room, and would drink one all by myself well within a 24 hour period. I'd start on my second one before 24 hours was even up.

I did this for about four months before I stopped eating. Eventually I stopped drinking water.

My feet, legs, thighs, groin, and lower abdomen became completely numb, and I lost my ability to walk.

After three days of not being able to keep water down no matter how hard I tried I was rushed to the E.R.

By the time I got into the E.R I was suffering severe auditory, and visual hallucinations. By the time I was moved to I.C.U I lost consciousness.

I went into a dream like state where I was awake but NOT LUCID. Then I fell into something similar to a coma for 5 days while in the I.C.U.

I was suffering from the following:

  1. Severe malnutrition (I stopped eating 2.5 weeks prior to hospitalization.)

  2. Severe dehydration (I stopped drinking water nearly 4 whole days prior to hospitlization.)

  3. Lactic Acidosis sent me into shock and caused me to lose my ability to walk, or even stand up. (I had to crawl army style to call 911)

  4. I went into septic shock (shock due to sepsis) and shock a second time. Septic shock already has a very low survival rate.

  5. My kidneys shut down.

  6. My liver shut down.

  7. I developed heart failure (congestive)

  8. My alcoholism became alcohol withdraw

Note: For those who are unaware, alcohol withdraw is one of the only withdraws from a substance that can, and has killed before.

During the five or so days I was in an odd dream like state. It felt very much like being high but I was in a state akin to that of psychosis. I was told that I had less than a 10% chance to live, and would be dead by early morning the second day after being admitted to I.C.U.

Time went by very fast. Along with it were some of the most oddly calming, and non-scary hallucinations I've ever experienced. I saw a lot of people who died in my past. No one talked to me, but I saw them.

The doctors told me they had absolutely NO IDEA how I survived. I was only one of maybe 4 people they had ever seen somehow come back to life in a metaphorical sense. I should have been dead.

As my doctor put it "You're a fucking miracle"

TL;DR: Experienced realistic auditory, visual hallucinations, saw dead friends/relatives, went into a coma like state for a few days while all of my vital organs shut down. Somehow my organs did a complete 180.

My liver has major scaring. I have stage three liver fibrosis. My kidneys are 100% fine today, and I'm managing my heart.

I've been sober for two years.

/r/AskReddit Thread