I was clinically dead due to total AV heart block

[Alan McDougall]

Hi I have been Christian for over forty years now. I was told by Theologins that after we die we go into a state of "Soul Sleep" waiting the resurrection, my experience lst August 2011 seems to invalidate that belief. I would be pleased by any thoughts on the matter by the forum?

Alan McDougall died numerous times due to heart block/and came back

On the 18th August 2011 I died numerous times on the resuscitation table due to third stage Total “AV” Heart Block.

I had taken nap on that Thursday night and a dear friend of mine phoned late at night, a thing he had never done before. I woke up with heart going through crazy frightening life threatening palpitations, almost stopping, I was deathly white sweating and unable to breath.

My wife kept calm, and immediately phoned for an ambulance and they got to my home in seven minuted flat. When the para-medics reached my place my heart had stopped and they began CPR on me to save my life during the race to the the local Sunninghill Hospital which luckily for me is less than a half kilometre from my home. In less than five minutes we reached the Hospital and I got immediate urgent medical attention to save my fading life.

I went through the whole drama of my heart stopping, flat lining over and over again, with adrenaline, atropine injected directly into my heart and shock paddles and chest depressions, used over and over again in a desperate effort to get my heart to beat again on its own.

If I had any doubts about life after death I have none now, each time my heart stopped my soul or consciousness left my body and went into other dimensions of existence.

I only remembered a little of what went on in those three hours of life and death struggle but lately have begun to remember more and more about the strange otherworldly realms I saw over the period of three hours. Each time they got my heart to beat I came back.

I never went through a tunnel like some people have.

I was immediately elsewhere and saw numerous people that all seemed to have gathered to welcome me into the afterlife, some of my beloved passed over loved ones were there. It seemed like a welcome home party or supper of some sort with people sitting on tables in a beautiful garden setting. Then each time the doctors got my heart to beat I was drawn back to this earthly world.

Another time I saw a tree with a lot of books lying around it. Reading what was on the covers I saw that I somehow intuitively knew contained all the knowledge and mysteries of existence. There was one very large book and forty nine smaller books around this tree, that I think might be my tree of knowledge. I have been insatiably curious about every subject one can think of during my somewhat protracted life and maybe this was a reward of some sort.

The very large book seem to consolidate what was in all the smaller books but when I tried to lift it was too heavy for me to carry and I decided to return later for it

I then was taken in the spirit and saw a beautiful pulsating orb of golden light that I took for the Lord Jesus as it emanated perfect peace and love. I was continually being resuscitated and going back into heart bock by the medical team.

After a really protracted time the doctors got my heart to beat again and installed a temporary pacemaker to maintain my pulse between 65/110 beats per/minute instead of the 5 to zero it had been beating/not beating most of the time on the resuscitation table.

Later I was told by the doctor that I had been “really really dead”

The doctor said if I had arrived hospital even five minutes later it would have been impossible to revive me. I am 71 years of age now and would not have minded if I had died then , but I suppose there must be some things left for me to do, because a whole lot of favourable coincidences made it possible for me to survive

Note if my friend did not phone me at the exact moment he did, I would never have woken up and died in my sleep

I now have a permanent pacemaker in my chest which should last ten years and despite the great shock I am felling very alive and well

Note; the medical term for what happened to me is Complete AV heart block

Love

Alan McDougall

[RBerman]

Thank you for sharing. I am glad you are still/again alive.

[Chrawnus]

Thanks for sharing your story. Coincidentally, I happen to have Third-degree AV block as well (though I'm only 21 years old and not 71 ). I've never had an experience similar to yours though, but that might just have been because they discovered my condition in time. The worst that happened to me was simply that I passed out one morning on the kitchen floor and had body spasms for about a minute or so.

Just a quick question if you don't mind. Do you know if you were born with this condition (as I probably was), or was it something you "aquired" later in life?

[RBerman]

For what it's worth, Complete AV block itself would not normally be something to cause death. In a healthy heart, the electrical signal from the atria causes the ventricles (which pump the blood) to beat at 60-100 beats per minute. When that signal is blocked, the ventricles still beat on their own at a lower rate, usually around 40 bpm. That would cause decreased exercise tolerance, and potentially episodes of syncope, during which one would probably have visual hallucinations such as room spinning, blurry vision, or bright lights.

[Carrikature]

I don't understand why everyone has amen'd the opening post.

[Chrawnus]

For what it's worth, Complete AV block itself would not normally be something to cause death. In a healthy heart, the electrical signal from the atria causes the ventricles (which pump the blood) to beat at 60-100 beats per minute. When that signal is blocked, the ventricles still beat on their own at a lower rate, usually around 40 bpm. That would cause decreased exercise tolerance, and potentially episodes of syncope, during which one would probably have visual hallucinations such as room spinning, blurry vision, or bright lights.

You're probably right. I've never bothered to do any (serious) research into my condition, so I wouldn't know for certain. Though I do recall a boy maybe slightly older than me, who died suddenly in his sleep, and the doctors believed (or so I was told) it might have been due to Complete AV block (or that plus some other factor).

And besides, the reason I passed out was (probably) due to lack of oxygen to the brain (since my heart had skipped several beats) so, while it might not be normal, I don't think it's unheard of that people have died with Complete AV block being the main cause.

[Chrawnus]

I don't understand why everyone has amen'd the opening post.

Everyone?



I amen'd it because I'm interested in NDE accounts. That doesn't mean I endorse everything written in the account, or take it as gospel truth.

[Carrikature]

Everyone?

I amen'd it because I'm interested in NDE accounts. That doesn't mean I endorse everything written in the account, or take it as gospel truth.

Four people have amen'd as of this posting. I have always understood amens to imply agreement with (most of) the post. Hence, I don't understand why people are agreeing with it. If people are amen'ing for other reasons, that's fine.

[Cerebrum123]

Four people have amen'd as of this posting. I have always understood amens to imply agreement with (most of) the post. Hence, I don't understand why people are agreeing with it. If people are amen'ing for other reasons, that's fine.

With me, sometimes I use the amen function for only a part of the post, and on this one, it was because I thought it was a brave thing to do, to share his experience.

[RBerman]

Four people have amen'd as of this posting. I have always understood amens to imply agreement with (most of) the post. Hence, I don't understand why people are agreeing with it. If people are amen'ing for other reasons, that's fine.

I understand the "Amen" feature to indicate someone who has made a positive contribution to the thread. I have Amen'ed people that I disagreed with in part or full.

[Carrikature]

With me, sometimes I use the amen function for only a part of the post, and on this one, it was because I thought it was a brave thing to do, to share his experience.

Fair enough. I've gotten called out for that more than once, so I tend to avoid it whenever possible.

[princesa]

I don't understand why everyone has amen'd the opening post.

hi Carr, i was the first amener, it was a combination of things for me. You mentioned you were 'called out' on amening before? How did that work, I can't imagine someone telling me what to amen

[Alan McDougall]

Thanks for sharing your story. Coincidentally, I happen to have Third-degree AV block as well (though I'm only 21 years old and not 71 ). I've never had an experience similar to yours though, but that might just have been because they discovered my condition in time. The worst that happened to me was simply that I passed out one morning on the kitchen floor and had body spasms for about a minute or so.

Just a quick question if you don't mind. Do you know if you were born with this condition (as I probably was), or was it something you "aquired" later in life?

The only symptoms I had that might have been related to my heart block, was palpipitions for which I took a beta-blocker. Certain drugs can cause heart block, such as anti-depressant of the tricyclic type and beta-blocker themselves if taken to the extreme

I never suffered from it but both my father and his brother had it but in late life like me. It might be heredity I am not sure about that.

Did you get a pacemaker; today they are really great devices and last over ten years with no problems. Even though you are very young don’t worry if your heart is otherwise healthy you can live a full life some people have had pacemakers for over fifty years and some of them were very primitive when compared to the very advanced ones now used.

There are nine year old that live happily with their pacemaker. I am not even aware of mine and only go once a year to have it checked and adjusted if necessary

There is also ninety year old living with pacemakers!!

You can live right up to a hundred with a peacemaker if you are healthy

God Bless

Alan

[Alan McDougall]

You're probably right. I've never bothered to do any (serious) research into my condition, so I wouldn't know for certain. Though I do recall a boy maybe slightly older than me, who died suddenly in his sleep, and the doctors believed (or so I was told) it might have been due to Complete AV block (or that plus some other factor).

And besides, the reason I passed out was (probably) due to lack of oxygen to the brain (since my heart had skipped several beats) so, while it might not be normal, I don't think it's unheard of that people have died with Complete AV block being the main cause.

Of course Total AV heart block does not always result in death, I am alive not dead due to lucky circumstances

http://emedicine.medscape.com/articl...ew#aw2aab6b2b5


Prognosis


Patients with complete heart block are frequently hemodynamically unstable, and as a result, they may experience syncope, hypotension, cardiovascular collapse, or death. Other patients can be relatively asymptomatic and have minimal symptoms other than dizziness, weakness, or malaise.

Third-degree AV block may be an underlying condition in patients who present with sudden cardiac death. The cause of death may often be tachyarrhythmias precipitated by the secondary changes in ventricular repolarization (QT prolongation) secondary to the abrupt changes in rate.

Some patients may develop polymorphic ventricular tachycardia when significant bradycardia is present. This is related to prolongation of repolarization with extremely slow rates. This mechanism is also mostly responsible for death in these patients.

When treated with permanent pacing, the prognosis is excellent. The complications related to pacemaker insertion are rare (< 1%). Ventricular arrhythmias from atropine or catecholamines may occur. Common complications include those related to line and/or transvenous pacemaker placement. These complications include arterial injury, hemothorax, pneumothorax, or cardiac tamponade.

[Livelystone]

• Edited by a Moderator •