Whoah. That should have killed me. Am I alive right now?
Close calls are scary. They really put your entire life into perspective, since it could have ended in this moment.
When you're on the other side of one of these, how do you feel? Grateful? Depressed? Scared? All of the above?
u/Kelvin_Inman asked:
What is your "...and I should have died, but didn't." story?
Here are those stories.
Sanguine Savior
Got blood poisoning as a kid the red line was almost to my heart if my aunt hadn't of seen my infected finger and popped it then told my mom to take me to the docs .... doc said less than 24 hours it would have reached my heart. I was 5, my mom is legally blind so she would never have seen it.
Aaaaaand We're Back
At 6 I was in the back seat of my dads trans-am. Turning left, a truck ran a red light and hit us going 80 mph. The back hatch of our car broke all over me and I was ejected out of the car where I landed on my head in the middle of the highway. I was pronounced dead but the emt somehow revived me. Had a grandmal seizure for 45 minutes in the hospital until I eventually went into a coma for 4 days. Woke up and couldn't walk or talk. Broke 3 ribs and my hip. Spent a month in the hospital.
I'm 24 now and you'd never know I went through that. I do have seizures now and short term memory loss but other than that I'm doing well!
Havin' The Shivers
Had a windsurfing accident, was blown 8+ miles out to sea with only the board. Was supposed to be a hard freeze that late November evening. About 45 minutes before dark, I heard the coast guard vessel looking for me. I had already resigned myself to death, as only one other person knew I was out there, and as far as I knew he had gotten himself into the same situation. Its really amazing how calm you get and how the fear of death leaves when you've become sure that its going to happen. Or it could have been the hypothermia...
You Gotta Better Chance Of Being Struck...Hey Wait A Sec
I was struck by lightning when I was 15 while hiking in the mountains between North Carolina and Tennessee. It started hailing afterward, I couldn't move but my friends pulled me under a tree and wrapped me in an aluminum blanket because I was going hypothermic in July. The hail pelted holes in the blanket, the hail above us on the mountain melted and ran down where we were laying, soaking us, and thunder rumbled all around for half an hour or more, threatening. I don't think I'll ever hear thunder and not shudder. Also, I haven't seen the color black ("black's not a color" shut up) since then, believe I am permanently flash-burned. At night or when I close my eyes, I see a million dots of faint colored light like static. Anyway. I survived. It happened 14 years ago.
In The Nick Of Time
I went to the hospital after several days of the worst fatigue I've ever experienced.
I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and a temporary condition called diabetic ketoacidosis, and I was told it was a miracle I brought myself to the hospital because I was mere hours away from a diabetic coma and possibly death.
The River Don't Flow For You
Myself, another guide, and eight 10-year-old campers were stuck in a class 5 rapid for about two minutes. The current underneath was pushing the raft so that it was at nearly a 90 degree angle. I was holding on to as many campers as I could, finally and thankfully we broke out of the rapid.
The other boats had turned around and other staff were already getting ready for a rescue mission.
If our raft had flipped around on to us, there would have been a very high chance we would have gotten stuck circulating in the rapid with the current under the raft, ultimately drowning.
Who Would Have Known?
I'm quite an athletic person, always doing some kind of sport. When I was 20, I started feeling exhausted all the time. My heart would start pounding like crazy when I only so much as stood up and it felt like I had a stone resting on my chest.
Stupid me thought it was a cold, because I was young and fit and couldn't possibly have anything serious.
I ran around like that for three weeks, forcing myself to do sport, even went hiking when I visited my dad. He was shocked because I could barley walk without panting, so he brought me to a doctor. Turned out I had a massive pulmonary embolism (thanks, birth control) the doctor was surprised I was still alive.
This Is Why We DON'T Play Near Train Tracks
I was riding a dirtbike, and attempting to jump a set of railroad tracks. I was running about 45-50 mph, and coming from behind a factory. There was a train coming straight thru at speed, and I didn't see it in time. It knocked me over 100 feet down the line. I came to rest with my right leg and arm up against the rail. Took the train over a mile to get stopped, and I didn't lose any body parts. :) That was over 30 years ago. I have pain that reminds me every day, but I've been blessed, as it hasn't stopped me from doing the things I enjoy.
I'm Stumped
I was skipping school and walking back to my house. My step dad happened to be in the back garage getting some tools for work and would have seen me if I took the usual route home. I knew he would leave soon so I thought i would just hop the neighbors fence so he wouldn't see me go into the house.
As I jumped the fence my shoe lace got caught and i fell face first to the ground. When I looked up there was a tree stump two inches from my face. If i would have fell on it I would have broken my neck and died.
I'm still convinced in a parallel universe I died that day.
Just Call Me Beth March
On the last day of first grade, near the end of the day, our teacher walked us around to tour the second grade rooms and meet the second grade teachers. As a little nerd, I was STOKED. But, I was also running a fever so high that I was drenched in sweat. Just before we were set to check out the classrooms, I finally admitted to my teacher that I wasn't feeling well. She took one look at my sweaty little face and red, rashy arms and shipped me off to the nurse.
I fell asleep on the nurses cot and woke up to my mom helping me out to the car. We went to the pediatrician, who, seeing my fever hit 103 and my dark red full body rash, for some reason told my mom it was the flu and sent us packing.
After a day at home, my fever hit 104 and my mom plunged me into a bathtub full of ice. When that did basically nothing and my fever hit 106, she took me to the hospital.
At the hospital they took me back immediately, a nurse hoisted me up on the counter and stabbed two IVs in, while another nurse told my mom if she had waited another 10 minutes to bring me in I would have likely died.
I spent a week in the hospital pumped to the brim with fluids. So pumped, in fact, that the skin on my ears burst and my face swelled to an unrecognizable blob.
Was it the flu, you ask? It was scarlet fever. Maybe the full body, dark red rash should've piqued the pediatricians interest but I guess not 🙄
Run The Plank
I was a pretty quiet and coward kid so I mostly kept it to myself in every situation but one summer when I was 10, my cousins and sibling were jumping to the sea from the pier and they also cheered me to do the same. It was all fun and games, everyone was having fun and I decided to just jump one last time before leaving. I was pretty hyped by how brave I was.
So, I started to run on the pier for a final epic jump towards the sea while everyone was distracted and well, I slipped. My head hit the pier's edge hard and knocked me out as I slipped into the sea. Apparently my dad noticed that I was gone after awhile, quickly jumped to the water and pulled me out and I remember waking up puking everywhere... I don't know how was it but according to everyone there, I looked like I was already dead.
I survived and here I am!
110 In The Shade
I was driving from North Alabama to Nashville (about 2 hours away if you drive fast), it was almost midnight when I left. About halfway there I fell asleep behind the wheel. I have no clue how long I was out but I woke up right before I slammed into the back of a semi. Was wide awake for the rest of the drive. I really should have died cause falling alseep cause me to speed up to 110ish.
The Ice You Skate Is Gettin' Pretty Thin
I was hit in the head on accident with an aluminum baseball bat. In shockingly sober antics my friends and I were pitching chunks of ice to be shattered by a batter. I set one up on a tee but did not back away far enough and was caught on the backswing. Once my brain felt swollen and I started bleeding I knew immediately what happened and focused on remembering as much as possible and playing little brain teasers in my head because I read somewhere that brain activity during a trauma can protect against permanent damage. I was driven to the hospital and got a CT scan where I was by God's grace pronounced not even concussed. Just a chunk of flesh missing in my forehead. I still however don't like baseball bats now and I hate to watch them swing.
Sporty And Speedy
Head on collision on the freeway. A sporty car that I kept seeing speeding and weaving in and out of traffic ended up hitting my back bumper turning me 180 degrees and getting hit by a v8 dodge right after. My car (v4 sentra) was crushed. I did break and shatter a few body parts but I should be dead or at least not able to walk.
Phantom Vibrate Saved Me
Walking home from the store at 10pm one night, I walked down the iron stairs and was about to step out from behind a cement wall, into the ally, ( short cut I take all the time), when my phone vibrated. I paused mid step to fish it out of my pocket. At the exact second, (didn't even have time to pull my phone out), a car blew by doing 50 or so through the ally, about a foot from me. I felt the wind on my face as it sped by! ( didn't hear a THING!) Had my phone not vibrated I would not be here now.
Oddly when I checked later, (after I could move again!), there were no missed calls or texts.
Well This Time, It Was
Waited about four hours to go the hospital during a massive widow maker heart attack. I've had panic attacks for years and been so embarrassed going to the ER over nothing. I was in a ton of pain starting in my stomach and then into back and up in chest. I thought it was just bad stomach pain that spread and my panic was making it worse. The funny and sad thing about it was I've panicked a million that I was having a heart attack and the one time I wasn't thinking that, it was a heart attack. I just thought at 39 there'd be no way I could be having one.
There is nothing more frustrating than the things we cannot say, but desperately want to.
Sometimes, we might find ourselves in situations where we are positively desperate to speak up, but for whatever reason can't.
Even though we know deep down, that people will be better off, or things might run more smoothly if we said something.
Redditor MCKlassik was curious to hear the things that people would benefit from hearing, but will likely never be told, leading them to ask:
"What is something most people need to hear but no one has the guts to tell people?"
Think twice before having children
"Some people aren't fit to be parents."- Busy_Quail1725
"A baby will not save your failing relationship."
"Some parents do not love their children."- Optimal-Green9561
When they blame their ex for the break up.
"Sometimes, it is you and not them."- Ok_String_6735
Don't let the smile fool you
"Just because someone is smiling does not mean that they are happy."
"Smiling is also a sign of nervousness or discomfort."- redge9987
Don't always let you feelings guide you
"Your feelings are important, but they can also lead you astray."
"Listen to them, but question them as well to see where you might be wrong."- PapiSurane
No one likes a know it all
"Not everyone needs to hear your opinion on everything."
"It's ok to have an unexpressed thought."
"Yes, I am aware of the irony expressing this thought."- Futurenazgul
Enough with the self pity
"Who you are is not who you are doomed to be."- Smart_Walk8237
When they're one egg short of a dozen
"You need to develop critical thinking and reasoning skills."- balaclavaloungeparty
When their scent precedes them.
"You should take a shower."- SatanOnLSD
In some cases, it might be worse not to say something, especially if it might actually help their situation.
But when that isn't the case, it's probably best to suck up our pride, and keep our big mouths shut.
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Films can be challenging in what they're trying to say, and if that challenge is too much to answer, don't feel bad for having to turn something off.
*The following article contains discussion of sexual assault.Reddit user, Elixir_Jx, wanted to know when a movie was just too much when they asked:
"What’s film is so brutal to watch you had to stop watching it?"
What reason would you have for stopping a movie before it finishes? The cinematography making you dizzy? The subject matter is too much for your to consider?
It'll vary, that's for sure.
"Animals Don't Behave Like Men"
"Watership Down."
"Hey, it's a cartoon, and it has bunnies!"
"Oh dear god..."
eddyathome
Let's Climb High
"Not brutal, but I had to stop watching the doc Free Solo bc my blood pressure couldn’t handle the stress. This was early on when I had no knowledge of the climber and outcome."
NoCanadianCoins
"The Alpinist is the spiritual successor to this because it takes all the danger and pushes the envelope a bit more. However you felt about Free Solo, you’ll feel the same way about The Alpinist, except the guy is a bit more charismatic."
RonyTheTiger
Don't Listen To The Internet. It's Bad.
"Batman and Robin(1997)"
skippedad404
"Batsuit nipples and sh-t zippers."
StickSauce
Perhaps it's the gore that forces you to turn it off, because watching someone being disemboweled for the umpteenth time in a film is not what you consider "entertainment."
Seems Like A Breach Of The Hippocratic Oath...
"I saw some French horror film about a nurse who went to some pregnant ladies house, tormented her, tortured her, then proceeded to cut open her belly with scissors to get the baby out."
DioramaDad
"I think that was called Inside. Not really bothered by gore in movies on the whole but that one definitely left me freaked out on the walk home."
Hairy_Brains
You Need To Pick Better "Family" Movies
"The Last House On The Left. The rape scene in that movie was way too brutal for me to get through it. I can still picture scenes of it for some reason, that's how real and violent it felt. Didn't help that it was a movie that my family decided to watch together either. That said, we still tease my mom for picking that movie out as some weird shared trauma bonding experience all these years later. So maybe it wasn't a bad family movie after all????"
lastcallcarrot
You Should See His Joker...
"Requiem for a dream"
_Bendemic_
"Watched it on a date."
"There was not a second."
MagnificentSyndicate
Sound Makes Everything
"While I didn't stop watching, Bone Tomahawk was just..... jaezus"
wolf_of_thorns
"I stopped but then shortly after gathering myself watched that scene. I think the worst of it is the sound. Whoever did the sound engineering for that scene, from the dude letting out this last gasp of pain he has to the splitting part all of it leaves a lasting impression"
The_Crescent
Romantic Revenge With Pretty Dresses
"Midsommar - I think its a psychological horror, I didn't stop watching but it was the most uncomfortable I have ever felt while watching a movie."
"The movie itself is very trippy and honestly disturbing."
Balderino
Whatever your reason for turning it off, trust your gut. If it's not giving you a good feeling, then maybe it's not the film for you.
There's A Message Buried Under All The Blegh
"a serbian film. awful sh-t"
tlep
"I finished it when I was a rebellious 21 year old solely out of spite and wanting to see "the most banned movie" and boy do I wish I'd turned it off."
Wolf-Track
"It was awful to watch. But (if I remember correctly) the film was made as a statement on the Serbian government. To tell the story of people born into a sh*tty system which they cannot escape."
"In that respect it was an incredible film. However I have to say that, I don't necessarily agree with the visual imagery, it was brutal and perhaps could have been toned down abit."
"Though arguably had to be done to get the point across to an audience who otherwise would have ignored it."
Awordforsynonym
A Movie About Kids. What Could Go Wrong?
"Grave of the Fireflies. One of the only movies I've ever stopped watching partway through."
Janube
"Brilliant but one of the darkest movies I've ever seen."
ferox965
A Grim View Of Our World
"Threads. The most terrifying movie I've ever seen about nuclear disaster. tl;dr it's not something you want to survive"
standrightwalkleft
"It's not even a horror movie, it's a docudrama. That's just how horrific the subject matter is."
"A lot of apocalypse movies offer a very romantic view of what things would be like. Threads (and The Road) show a much more realistic view of it. Just humans slowly becoming feral as they struggle to survive in nightmarish hellscape."
"I made it as far as the hospital scene, stopped watching, and decided that if the nukes are ever flying, the best thing to do is to pray to whatever deity you believe in (or not), then step outside and watch the fireworks."
Steam_whale
The Good Guys Will Never Win
"Funny Games"
AVBforPrez
"My husband turned it on and started watching it not knowing it. I’m like “oh this is interesting…He’s so annoying! Just leave her alone…Wait what…I can’t watch, but I can’t turn away…”
Wam_2020
Summaries are there for a reason, people. Let's start reading them before we press play, especially when our families are in the room.
Was there a movie you turned off partway through? Tell us about it in the comments!
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Former Inmates Disclose Which Things People On The Outside Wouldn't Understand About Prison
Being a law-abiding citizen shouldn't be that difficult.
As long as people obey the rules, maintain their morals, and avoid making extremely bad decisions, they will never see the walls inside a prison cell.
Unfortunately, people do often break the law and find themselves in the slammer where their contemplations on life choices come a little too late.
But now that they have nowhere to go, what is the wisdom inmates acquire?
Curious to hear what some of those might be, Redditor Max_Fenig asked:
"Former inmates of Reddit, what are some things about prison that people outside wouldn't understand?"
Many speculations about life behind bars are confirmed here.
Boredom
"how boring it is. you spend your entire time just waiting. waiting for court. waiting for a sentence. waiting to get out. it’s a level of boredom i never want to experience again."
– Necessary-Rabbit-340
Misery Loves Company
"Starchy food and a lack of dental care."
– tacopony_789
Waiting In Lines
"Seriously. Between regular prison stuff, it's all just waiting in lines. Picking up commissary? Go wait in line. Doctors appointment? We'll wake you up at 4am so you can go wait in line. (Also, why did the doctors always have to check me out at 4am? One time, they woke me up for medical and for a split sec I didn't know where I was so I just put my hands down my pants and went back to sleep. Guards just laughed and told me to wake my a** up...lol)"
– nnnoooeee
Like A Psych Ward
"No kidding. Your feeling of helplessness is so intense. I sat there thinking I was just a bit down and sad. So now you lock me up and treat me like child and expect me to suddenly be happy? I didn't gain anything from it except learning to keep my sadness to myself and not reach out for help."
"Left the place barely being able to function from my depression to being so drugged up I could barely function. No change in my status to society etc. Just a change in the cause."
– Ashotep
Some former inmates miss the established sense of order and the mundanity of life in prison.
Weird Kind Of Freedom
"Sometimes you miss it once you're out."
"There are some days where I just feel defeated by the daily stresses of life, and I remember being able to wake up every day and not really have to worry about a lot of things: I don't have rent or utilities to pay, I don't have to go grocery shopping, I don't have to do yard work, I don't have to keep a schedule of places to be and worry about making sure I have enough time to get from place to place or anything. It was a weird kind of freedom while being extremely un-free."
– bstyledevi
The School Analogy
"I think this is part of what I miss about being a kid. School was like an optimistic 'prison' in that we were told what to do and when. But that in itself was freeing, because I didn’t have to worry about planning the day, or my life. I didn’t miss out on things bc we all went to the same things. It felt like the guidance we had would make everything turn out okay."
"This is part of what’s difficult about being an adult, that you don’t know what you’re doing. You don’t know if youre making the best choices, you constantly fear missing out on other things while doing anything, you got no guarantee of social interaction with others. People aren’t trusting of you by default, and every first interaction is an attempt to convince people that you’re a good enough person to engage with."
"Someone’s always there to catch you from falling and help you out in school as a kid. As an adult, there’s no safety net, no one’s coming to save you, because you’re on your own."
– ItActuallyIsGullible
Going Through The Motions
"Yeah, its so easy once you get used to it. Everything is figured out for you, you got a stable rutine and there are clear rules and bounderies. Also you usually have a tight group of friends that you share everything with."
"I spend a year in the army as a conscript and I was pretty down after it ended, because I had to return to a life of a young man where everything was still so unclear and difficult."
– ManyPerformance9608
Finding A Community
"Honestly, it's not always so bad. These days there are so many drug addicts in low sec prisons that they sometimes group them together in the same blocks. I was one of them, and everyone was respectful and friendly. When I got there I was in full opiate withdrawal and my cell mates gave me food and comfort to help me get through it. This is not always the case, for sure, but I've dealt with worse people on the outside than when I was locked up."
– boston_nsca
For the most part, ex-cons believed the reality of life in prison didn't closely reflect Hollywood depictions.
Don't Rock The Boat
"Ex-Con here. One thing about Prison I feel like people don’t understand when I tell them my story is that Prison (at least for me) isn’t entirely like what it is in the media. Yeah sure there is Riots, Yard fights, people get shanked, and there scary dudes who look like they want to kill you but in reality they just look mean and scary as a way to protect themselves. For instance there was this big tough dude who was actually a chill dude and got cigs and stuff for others guys if you treated him right. So in reality if you treat other inmates right and don’t bad mouth anyone then you’ll be fine. Just don’t do the what the 'skinny idiot' did, and that is act all SUPER tough and get in peoples faces because that is what will get you beaten up."
– Suitable_Panic_7558
Surprising Civility
"Prison society is exceptionally polite 99% of the time. Inmates have some of the best manners of anyone you will ever interact with. They hold doors for the next person even if they are far away and have to wait. They say please and thank you. They do not insult each other or show disrespect."
"If you are ever in prison and see inmates acting impolite towards each other, get the f'k out of there. That 1% when it's not polite is extraordinarily violent and dangerous."
– Duke_Shambles
Unexpected Comfort
"I'll take a different angle on this instead of the usual horror stories, as violent and crazy as it was, there were a lot of good parts too. As someone that has had a pretty chaotic life, having a secure day to day life, employment and lots of trusted friends around me for a few years was really nice."
"There's a certain level of comfort that comes with being surrounded by murderers that you're actually friends with, new inmates come and go but you're tucked away in the long term unit where there's a 3 month waiting list to even apply to transfer in, it really was a very peaceful experience for me."
– Totallycasual
Based on the majority of what was shared here, it may seem those of us who have never served a sentence have wrongful impressions of life behind bars.
We just have to take their word for it.
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I know we're a culture full of over the top whiners.
We love to go on and on about all the things that bother us.
And all of the life impediments that stand in the way of our happiness.
But we need to dial it down a notch.
There is a difference between actual bodily harm and an inconvenience.
Redditorseesnawsnappywanted to mull over what aspects of life make us feel like actual pain but maybe we're exaggerating. They asked:
"What isn't torture but feels like it?"
I hated waiting tables. You have no idea the actual torture, ok not actual, but misery one must endure.
Dial Up
"Slow internet."
sev45day
"Slow internet : pretty salty"
"Connected but no internet : a n g r y"
Out of the Way!
"Traffic when you’re already late."
EdibleTurds
"Being stuck in traffic, and having a poop locked and loaded in the chamber. Stupid drivers wrecking all the time and having me prairie doggin' for an extra hour."
pineappledaddy
"Worst part for me is I don't have to poop until Im stuck in the car i get the urge before I leave and I try to go and it doesn't happen but when I'm the car without a bathroom within 50 miles it's like I've taken a laxative it's so terrible."
bknox1789
Extensions...
"Food delivery being over the estimated time."
leswhinin
"Or when the time keeps getting extended further and further and further and you have a 6 AM flight the next morning and then you check and it turns out the restaurant closed 2.5 hours ago but Doordash still says that a Dasher was waiting for an order and you have to give up and have sleep for dinner."
THROWRA302376
Midday Blues
"Having a 230 appointment the whole day is ruined."
LikelyGeoduck85
"I had one of those today! It was the only appt available this week, and fell right in the middle of an 8 hour shift. So I left and took my cat to the vet, brought her home, and went back to work. Honestly, not nearly as bad as if it was scheduled on an off day. Lucky to have a boss that understands pet needs, too."
verycoolfarts
If I hear that song again... I can't even think about it.
Swollen Glands
"I caught strep for the first time in my early twenties when working at a daycare/preschool, and it actually was torture. My throat was so swollen it felt like I was swallowing glass and every time I tried to swallow I couldn't really get all my saliva to go down so I was pretty sure I was just going to drown in my own spit."
Timely-Tea3099
It's Lost
"When you lose 5g and it kicks you back down to 4 and it won’t load a webpage even though 2 years ago it would’ve had it up in 2 seconds."
EggsAndBeerKegs
"Long story short with physics, it’s frequency vs power. Then providers think they need to upgrade some parts but not others. There’s a reason, but it’s a stupid reason."
hoosier268
"This makes me furious. How in the hell is having only 4g as slow as when we didn't have 4g at all years ago? Ridiculous."
FainOnFire
MOVE IT!!
"Being on one of those slow-moving people movers and stuck behind someone who is just standing there instead of walking."
bassistmuzikman
"I yelled 'get out of the way' this morning to a guy that was walking slow when a car was behind him and I need to get to where the car was coming from."
coolcrushkilla
Eternity
"Waiting at the doctor's office. (USA). They have the audacity to charge you a fee for being late and calling it a 'no-show' but damned if I've ever been to a 2pm appointment that actually began earlier than 2:30-2:45."
sexapotamus
"45 minutes is ok, in France we don't pay for doctors but it's possible to wait 2 or 3h after the original time of appointment."
Rabanaaash
"I remember having regular appointments for physical therapy that never started on time. The magazines in the waiting room were crap, so I started bringing a really long novel with me."
Annihilated_Matter
Forever
"Watching 2 unskippable 30 second ads, it's only a minute but it feels like an eternity."
Formal_Activity5040
Well there are worse things in life. We do whine a lot.
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