Writer James Reynolds shook off any nerves ahead of a gall bladder operation. But things soon took a frightening turn after he was left unable to breathe
A writer has opened up about their terrifying near-death experience following an operation – including the moment he feared the end was near.
According to a poll conducted by Perfect Choice Funeral Plans, a sizeable 31 per cent of Brits have had near-death experiences. These eerie experiences were found to most commonly occur after being involved in a “near miss road collision”, which was voted just ahead of “following surgery”.
Those who come back from this mysterious brink have reported everything from walking along a tunnel towards a bright light to being reunited with a deceased loved one. Some may even see memories flash before their eyes in an instant, often prompting significant life changes.
For senior foreign news reporter James Reynolds, the experience was quite different to what some may imagine.
In an article penned for the MailOnline, James recalled how, when he went to get his bladder removed, he’d “brushed off” any nerves beforehand. However, things soon took a frightening turn.
While recovering from the op, James was administered fentanyl – a type of pain relief medicine used before, during or after surgery. It was then that he “drifted off into catatonia”, struggling to focus on a clock on the wall as medical staff rushed to help him. James remembered how a nurse told him “James, you need to breathe. You’re not breathing”, however, terrifyingly, he found himself unable to follow this instruction or respond.
James wrote: “I knew it was not an ordinary request. In a haze of anaesthetic and fentanyl, I thought I had done something wrong. ‘Oh, yes,’ I thought. ‘I should do that. Sorry’. But I couldn’t. Had I forgotten how? I could not move. I could not respond. There was still the residual feeling of being told off, like a child, motivating me to try.
“My thoughts turned to my mother and my father and then to nothing. I could only spectate as my world went white. My life did not flash before my eyes. I did not see God. There was just white. ‘Oh well,’ I thought. ‘I guess that’s that’.”
It was a frantic scene as medics desperately attempted to revive James, but the “powerless” patient was in an altogether different reality. James remembered: “There was no discomfort, no urgency on my part. The white of the room became steadily more vivid, like turning up the exposure on a photograph. My thoughts cleared.
“Gasp. A had been fitted with a respirator to deliver oxygen. The cold of some foreign liquid ran through the cannula and into my veins. I was coming back.”
Thankfully, staff were able to stabilise James, and he was given a second fentanyl injection, after which he again required a respirator. This time around, he felt weaker, with his memory less clear, but was fortunately pain-free.
Expressing gratitude to the staff who pulled him from the jaws of death, James concluded: “The feeling of not being in control has stayed with me. Again, for my doctors it was another day in the office. But for me, I accept that it was unusual. ‘Near-death’ is a relative term and I might never know the true risk.
“I do know that in those important moments, important as they felt, those around me did all that was required to make sure I was okay. They operated smoothly and professionally to help me through when I could not help myself. And for that, I am grateful.”
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