God's Wisdom In A Nutshell

This post has plenty of medical terms, I hope I don’t bore the non-medical people out there!

In an earlier post I promised that I would share an account of a patient I took care of that had a near death experience. It happened more than 20 years ago.   I’m not using her name, the hospital where I worked, or the names of the Dr.’s involved- therefore she remains anonymous.  The reason I want to share this story with you, is to provide  inspiration, comfort and hope that yes, there is a life after death- and it is beautiful if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior.

Okay, some background information.

I have been a nurse anesthetist for 24 years.  I started out my career in the general operating rooms taking care of a variety of surgical patients, anything  from neuro (brain), pediatrics, orthopedics, general surgery and ENT.  This particular patient was going for a thyroidectomy on the day I met her.

When I introduced myself to my patient in the preoperative area, I noticed that she was sad.  As I was starting her I.V. she relayed to me that she was depressed and that she didn’t want to live.  Now, as a medical professional, we are taught that if someone tells you that they don’t want to live, there is a strong chance that they won’t!  The will to live is that strong.  I immediately tried to convince her that she was a healthy lady and that this surgery is routine- I tried to reassure her that she had nothing to worry about.  I then decided to ask her about her depression.  She told me that she had just given birth to twins not too long ago and they recently died of sudden infant death syndrome.  She was now left with all of the reminders of her twins- the cribs, clothes, toys etc and no babies to love.

Needless to say,  I was devastated to hear this.  I told her that she had every right to cancel her surgery as she heals from this traumatic circumstance.  I mentioned that her thyroidectomy could wait – it wasn’t urgent surgery in her case. Surgery is tough enough to heal from without the added stress of a devastating circumstance and it would be best if she waited until she has gone through some self healing, grieving and bonding with her remaining family.  She declined my suggestion.

The anesthetic started off with the knowledge that she might be slightly difficult to intubate (placing a breathing tube in her trachea) due to her neck anatomy.  The anesthesiologist and I were prepared to accommodate that situation.  After she was put to sleep the prediction was correct- placing the breathing tube took several attempts, but there was no sequalea.

At the end of the surgery the patient was brought to full consciousness before the breathing tube was removed and the patient communicated to me that she was comfortable and without pain.  I began to roll her into the recovery room.  Upon entering the recovery room she grabbed her neck and stated that she was having a hard time breathing, that her neck felt big and tight and it was “choking’ her.  Upon examination of her neck I noticed that it appeared she was bleeding from her surgical site under the skin and it was in fact cutting off her breathing.  I quickly called for help from my partner anesthesiologist and we began to attempt to place the breathing tube back into her trachea to protect her oxygen supply.  Since placing the breathing tube was a difficult maneuver when things were stable, it was even more tenuous with encroachment in her neck.  It took several attempts and a call to an ENT surgeon to be at bedside to perform an emergency tracheostomy in case we were unsuccessful at placing her breathing tube.  As we worked on placing the breathing tube, her oxygen level dropped significantly, to the point the reading was below the  capability of the machine to analyze it. The patent never cardiac arrested but her heart rate dropped quickly.  I vividly remember my prayer. “Lord if you don’t help us this lady will die right before my eyes, please help!”  Not long after my prayer- the patients breathing tube was successfully placed and she stabilized.

I took the patient to the operating room to have her thyroid artery cauterized to stop the bleeding under her skin.  I then left her with the breathing tube in place and transferred her to the intensive care unit where she would be sedated and remain on a ventilator (breathing machine) until the surgeon was sure that no further bleeding was occurring.

In the morning I went to visit her.  Her neck bleeding had stopped and she was breathing on her own and stable. I asked her if she remembered anything about the incident.  She said that she had, and this is what she said…

“I was floating behind you and I was watching everything that you were doing to me.  I saw you stuffing things in my mouth, It looked like you were suffocating me.”  “I also saw Dr. X, he wasn’t my surgeon, why was he there?”

I explained to her that what she remembered was somewhat correct; we were trying to help her not suffocate her, by placing the breathing tube in through her mouth  I also assured her that we did in fact call Dr. X to be at the bedside in case an emergency tracheostomy needed to take place to give her adequate oxygen.  I then asked her if she saw anything else.  She told me that she saw her mother who had passed away several years ago.  She mentioned that her mother looked absolutely beautiful and that she was holding the twins who had died. Her mother was saying to her  “go back, we don’t need you now.” My patient said that she was so at peace that she didn’t want to come back.

I concluded my conversation with her by telling her that she accurately described everything that was happening to her when she was losing oxygen.  I also told her that she had experienced a near death experience and to never let anyone tell her that she imagined it, because everything she recalled clinically, was accurate.   I concluded my conversation by conveying that she was lucky to have had this experience and the knowledge of her mom holding and taking care of  her two babies.  She can feel confident now that her children are cared for in heaven and she can concentrate on being a mom to her children here on earth.  Lastly I told her that God keeps us on earth because we still have a job to do .  I wished her well and hoped that she would get some grieving support due to the death of her twins.

This experience for me was humbling. I am so glad that I was a part of this woman’s ordeal. Her experience has given me joy, knowing that I too, will see loved family members again.

If you are reading this, you are still on earth and God still has a job for you to do.  Pick up the Bible, learn about our amazing Father in heaven and then as you draw closer to Him through a constant relationship through His word, He will reveal your mission in this world.

We truly have nothing to fear if we are Christians, the only fear we should have is a healthy fear of the Lord. Following your own feelings and desires is NOT the way to eternal life- it is the way to suffering.  Following what the Lord teaches leads to peace, happiness, contentment and the assurance of eternal life with the Lord in heaven.