It's well-known that the brain of a teenager is a half-formed thing. But that doesn't stop us from getting down ourselves for those old mistakes even years later, as full-blown adults.
Injuries, social falling outs, bad habits started and good habits stopped--all are ripe for putting a knot in our stomachs a decade or more later.
Truly, a big part of adulthood is learning to accept and live with yourself, warts and all.
And many of those warts are composed of mistakes that you can never undo.
Redditor zepher_goose asked:
"Which mistake did you make as a teenager that is still biting you in the a**?"
Many Redditors talked about the things they did that left them with a very direct, long-lasting physical difficulties. Often, the mistake was a single moment, but its consequences go on for years.
PSA
"Not wearing my seatbelt. At least my wheelchair is fast." -- CrippleOverlord
"So sorry buddy. I hate that you had to learn that lesson in that way. Best of luck to you." -- ai_test_run
Choose Your Object Wisely
"Punching a wall. Hit the stud. The fracture in my hand didn't properly heal as well as losing the use of two of my tendons which makes opening my hand a nuisance. As you could imagine it was my dominant hand. My life isn't hell from it but boy If I could go back in time to my teenage years, that's when I'd go."
"Please please please!!!! If you ever feel like you need to hit something for whatever reason please hit something soft and not living, like a pillow. Your delicate hands will thank you down the road."
Decades of Healing
"Sharing needles with other people (when I was 16)."
"Spent the next 40 years with Hepatitis C and did two unsuccessful Interferon treatments that lasted a total of 22 months. Fortunately, got cured in 2015 with a 90 day treatment of Harvoni, but still, I spent a lot of time effort during some very important years trying to get well."
That Faint Hissing
"Listened to music way too loud and now i have tinnitus forever. Still hate myself for that one..." -- elgherkin
"Tinnitus is one of those things that before you have it you're like, 'How bad can it be?' But once you have it...." -- Aradne
Others discussed the awful habits they started as teenagers without much forethought for how difficult it was going to be to stop later on.
How They Get Ya
"Nicotine. Smoked a pack a day for almost 15 years, started when I was 16-17 Finally quit 100% about a year ago when my wife and I found out we were expecting."
"I've been really good, and haven't had a single smoke, but I'm not gonna lie, at least once a day I think 'damn a cigarette would be good right now' "
-- jreindel1
What Is and What Could Have Been
"Gambling excessively, that sh** is dangerous man, just don't do it." -- Hazzmeister72
"Man, had I not been gambling (sports gambling mostly) since 2001 I'd have had a house since 2012 at the latest. Finally got the strength to quit Feb 2020, right before Covid. My bank account has never been so healthy. Fu** gambling" -- lawdhavmercee
Fleeting and Cheap
"Developing a drug habit. So much wasted time and money on short lived experiences." -- Glittering_Cup9438
"I feel you my friend....and a lot of memories you don't even remember." -- TouchDaPhishy
Finally, some zeroed in on the decisions they made, be it socially or professionally, that have had intangible impacts on their well-being and lifestyles.
Find Your Niche
"Not asking my parents for help with finding things I really enjoyed doing. I think maybe if I'd joined a chess club or something like that, I'd actually have had a lot more fun and made some friends."
"I was really lonely for a long time and it wasn't easy to make up for the lack of social development during those important years."
-- Dagusiu
Footprints
"I said a lot of stupid sh** with my actual name as the username on social media. Thankfully I have a common name but it will be in the back of my head for the rest of my life."
The Harder Way
"Dropping out of college to get married. Going back in my 30s with adult responsibilities and a full time job was the most chaotic time of my life." -- dogandbutterfly1978
"I'll be 31 with 2 kids (a 2 year old and a one year old) when I get be BS next May...I fu**in feel ya on that one." -- SCViper
This list illustrates the first step in getting over it: naming the monkey on your back. Then comes the harder part: letting it go.
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It could happen when you're simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, and forced to witness a devastating accident or injury. It could be the very real ramifications of health struggles and medical calamities.
Or it could be the result of very bad people willing to do very bad things.
Whatever the source, these encounters stick with you. It may be a certain image, maybe a sound, or the whole emotional feeling throughout the incident.
Redditor Dankmemes2347 asked:
"What was the most horrific thing you have ever seen?"
Many people discussed the gruesome accidents they've witness over the years. You just never know.
A Smooshed Head
"I was working at a chemical plant years ago and saw a guy take a corner too fast in a fork truck and flip it over. He wasn't wearing his seat belt and was thrown out far enough for the top of the cage to crush his head."
"I can still picture his blood running down a nearby drain."
Ride Like Lightning, Crash Like Thunder
"I saw a dude die after t-boning a minivan on his motorcycle. I didn't actually see the impact but I heard it, and ran to the scene and watched him take his last breaths while his buddy who must have been riding behind him, held him and screamed."
"People that saw it said he was in the wrong and must have been doing 80+ in a 45. The van was pulling into a shopping center and never saw him coming."
-- DustWiener
The Origins if Shoulder Straps
"Dad is a retired police officer. First one to arrive on scene at an amusement park where a guy stuck his head out of a roller coaster car and was decapitated. The ride only had an old across the lap seat belt."
"This was many years ago, before all the ultra-safe coaster cars of today where you can't even move in them."
A Lucky, Lucky Man
"Once EMS brought in a guy with a fence post running under his trachea diagonally into his his chest via his left collarbone area. Lot's of extremity fractures of course, broken ribs, pneumothorax, face all distorted, etc."
"But, they also brought in his right leg (below the knee) in an orange bucket, and his entire right arm, still inside the sleeve of his leather jacket in another bucket. His arm had literally been yanked off at the shoulder."
"He lived."
A Need for Change
"3 people died behind my house last year. I live next to a big road and the exit sogn is covered by a bush. People turn too late and hit the guardrail and flip off a mini hill."
"Never really seen it but i am afraid of intersections."
-- CptBanana123
First On Scene
"When I was in college, the guy who lived two doors down from me in my dorm died from autoerotic asphyxiation. He was dead for three days before we found him. I was there for the discovery."
Other Redditors talked about slower burns. They recalled the tragic demises of loved ones that occurred over long, fraught periods of time.
Slowly Abandoned
"When I was 5 I watched my dad dive in to the swimming pool he built in our backyard and break his neck. He became a quadriplegic."
"Then I had to watch him slowly fade away and die over the next 20 years. I watched everyone of his friends abandon him, and his family members slowly start to resent him, and then openly talk about how they will be relieved when he's gone. Even his mother."
-- Smash-tagg
Things That Are Normal Where You Live But Crazy Anywhere Else | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
The Last Night
"Waking up after yet ANOTHER sleepless sight of giving my terminally ill wife her meds, to find her unresponsive and being there when she took her last breath."
Unrecognized
"This probably isn't what you're looking for but mine would be my grandmother's decline with dementia. She used to dress really well, feisty, bit of a short temper but still family."
"Now I barely recognise her, she's lost a lot of weight, no longer washes or changes her clothes and seems so vacant. It's terrifying seeing her lose more and more of herself. It's such a cruel disease and a slow way to go."
-- Kacklehaus
A Body Run Amok
"I was with a friend when they died of end stage leukemia. The medical team did a horrible job of pain control and body fluid control."
"They were bleeding and secreting bloody foam from their lungs. We had to suction. It was awful."
A few people talked about the horrific scenes they've witnessed that had to do with animals.
A Gruesome Industry
"Lions that had been poached. The poachers had only taken their heads and paws. Also, watching their bodies burn and making sure there was nothing left because they had been poisoned."
"Couldn't risk ground or water contamination, or scavengers finding even a small piece of flesh."
A Horrible Chorus
"The most horrific was when a dairy barn near my parents' home caught fire one night and went up in flames."
"All those cows, horses, and sheep died - with their screaming in pain for all to hear. It was terrible . . ."
-- Back2Bach
Mug to the Rescue
"Was standing in my balcony and enjoying a cup of coffee when I saw a six teenagers approaching a dog. Four of them grabbed the dog by each of her limbs and one dude supported her torso. The dog was obviously violently trying to break herself free."
"Then one dude took a pair of scissors from his pocket and I was confused, but then I almost froze after realising the dude wanted to cut the dog's nipples off."
"I panicked and just yelled and threw my coffee mug towards them. They got scared and ran away and the dog ran in the opposite direction."
First Impressions
"First time going to Toronto on my own. I think I was 19. Got off the Greyhound and went out on to the sidewalk to begin my independent voyage when a pigeon decided to land just as a city bus drove by and crushed it."
"I was feet away heard the crunch still haunts me."
Minor, But Lasting
"When I stepped on a frog when I was younger and thinking I could fix it and crying for over an hour. I buried it in my backyard. I may not Seem horrific but to a five year old it left an emotional impact."
"I already knew the concept of death because I had a lot of family die when I was younger so I knew I did something bad and didn't want it to die."
It's clear that many people are out here carrying an image or two that quickens the breath and drops the stomach every time it comes to mind.
Hopefully, with enough time these moments can be let go.
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Every once in awhile we tune into the local news--or more likely Facebook, nowadays--and hear about some shocking surprise tragedy that struck some person in our town.
When we come across the story, we consider just how terrible that poor person's luck was. The accident that led to death or injury often seems one in a million, and we rest easy knowing, statistically, that won't happen to us.
But some of those "flukes," despite seeming totally bizarre, happen enough that we ought to give them a little more of our attention.
Add up enough freak accidents and you've got yourself a pattern.
Redditor Scrabt asked was apparently keyed in. They asked about the quietly dangerous things that hurt or kill more people than we realize:
"What's something people don't know just how dangerous it actually is?"
Of course, plenty of tragic medical occurrences made it on the list. These seem like anti-climactic ways to die or suffer, but they are avoidable if we take a second to acknowledge them.
Shut Eye
"Not getting enough sleep." -- TheBassMeister
"As a firefighter who works 48 hour shifts at a busy station I really wish we would figure this out. It absolutely destroys guys." -- PhluckFace
"Even losing 1 hour of sleep (getting 7 instead of 8) can increase your risk of heart attack by 25%." -- CollegeSuperSenior
Mental Becomes Physical
"Eating disorders. People know they are bad and are a serious mental health issue, but not to the extent that it is. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. Over 1/4 attempt suicide, and only 30-40% of anorexics ever recover fully."
A Very Bad Mixture
"I saw this posted on a similar thread a few weeks ago and feel it's worth mentioning again - grapefruit and grapefruit juice. It can seriously mess up medications you may need to take. There is a page on the FDA website specifically warning about the dangers of ingesting medication and having grapefruit or grapefruit juice."
Don't Forget About This Virus
"The flu. It's one of the top 10 causes of death yearly in the US, combined with pneumonia (which they do because influenza deaths are often listed as pneumonia for cause of death). Flu deaths tend to exceed both suicide and homicide numbers along with car-related deaths."
"While many of these are people above 65, the flu is still dangerous to younger people, and there are a lot of bad things it does that fall short of killing people."
-- Plaid02
Others placed their attention on forces of nature. Us arrogant human beings tend to avoid being honest about just how vulnerable we are to the whims of our planet.
Picker Beware
"I'd say mushrooms, mostly because quite a lot of people annually die and a lot more get poisoned because they pick them according to some old wives tales, like if it's eaten by an animal or if it easily peels off it is for some reason or another safe for human consumption."
-- 1raindrop
Far Bigger, Heavier, and Stronger
"The ocean. People have no clue how powerful it is."
"I live at the beach and every summer multiple people die going in the ocean after hours. After hours meaning no lifeguards on duty."
Thinking Long Term
"The SUN" -- newone1104
"Yes! My bf works outside and it pisses me off that he is very careless about using sunscreen! I'm like in 15 yrs your going to look like your 100 and die a horrible death of skin cancer." -- Skinnysusan
Finally, some discussed the man vs. machine area of freak accidents. Our engineering minds have come up with some efficient, powerful tools.
But that power can come back to bite us.
Chomp, Chomp, Chomp
"Escalators, the top of the Escalators houses the motor that is basically a human shredder, the only thing seperating you from death is a jankly placed piece is sheet metal"
-- VeryTrickyy
Blame Hollywood
"Firing a 'warning shot' with guns."
"The bullet doesn't just continue into space. What goes up...."
"You are responsible for everything that leaves the barrel of your firearm and what it ends up hitting. Out of sight, out of mind doesn't work here."
-- Brotherbeam
Recoil
"Garage door springs. They'll kill you."
"Seriously, let a professional handle that sort of thing." -- BriSnyScienceGuy
"Even professionals are scared to death of them." -- Kool_McKool
"They are under such immense pressure that when they break, it sounds like a very loud gunshot or explosion. My neighbor's door spring broke and it woke up half the block." -- Au_Uncirculated
Just when you needed yet one more reason to have your head on a swivel whenever you partake in human life at all.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/
We all like to assume that a big old scar has an amazing, hardcore story behind it: maybe a valiant fight or some life threatening-escape.
But despite what Hollywood would have us think, that is so rarely the case.
Usually, some kind of bizarre accident leaves us with the biggest scar of our life. There's no action movie story behind it, just a careful mixture of foolishness and bad luck.
Clearly not put off by some gruesome anecdotes, Redditor fluffybear45 asked:
"People with scars, how did you get them?"
For many, it was the wild antics of childhood that left them slightly maimed. With many years now separating the Redditor from the event, these were pretty hilarious.
Out of Nowhere!
"I was playing on a swing and then my leg got stuck in barbed wire." -- Soviet_God-Emperor
"I feel like we missed a couple steps here, or your local park had some serious issues." -- Henfrid
"Yo that went from 0 to 100 real fast" -- IHaveButt
Classic
"2nd grade, defective slip-n-slide." -- AdmiralAkbar1
"I'm pretty sure the general design of the slip'n'slide was defective. Those stakes weren't covered originally, so you had to be straight down the middle of the slide or else....." -- Q-burt
"Could you refer to this incident in a gravely voice while staring into the middle distance, pausing only to shudder and sip your scotch?" -- CaptValentine
That's Why You Need an Axe Yard
"My dad hit me with an axe (bladed side) in the face. Stupid 10 yo me just had to look over his shoulder while he was hammering in herrings for our tent."
-- Gruuuf
Others talked about freak accidents that came not from the stupidity of childhood, but the bad luck of mistakes made as an adult.
Bad Conditions for Practice
"Dad gave me a folding knife for Christmas"
"I read online that you could flick it open with one hand"
"So I practiced it, after my hands were greasy from eating a burger"
Take Your Pick
"Multiple long scars on my back are from falling onto a old soviet steel welcome mat ( i dont know how to describe it in english but its meant to wipe dirt of your shoes with triangle shaped steel beams."
"Medium sized one on my forearm is from a barbed wire fence, another one next to it is from a motorcycle accident and one on the base on my thumb is from a cars hood slipping and cutting me."
-- Iracc1
One Heck Of a Fall
" 'This one is from a skateboard, this one was a truck accident, and this one was a fire hydrant.' "
" 'Oh really? I bet each one has a very unique story.' "
" 'Not really, I skateboarded off of a truck into a fire hydrant.' "
-- Aearly1
Last, some people talked about the medical procedures that left them with the big gash. These stories had some ninth grade words and not nearly as much stupidity.
Google It!
"A rare auto immune disorder called pyoderma gangrenosum twice... Don't google If you don't like gore... I had to have daily wound care and high doses of medical steroids"
Even Longer?!
"My intestines telescoped on themselves 8" scar on my belly." -- Anom8675309
"I never wanted to see the words 'intestines' and 'telescoped' together. Ouch." -- LadySygerrik
Frankenstein
"I was born 2 months premature. I wasn't born with an esophagus so drs. cut my stomach open and used parts of my colon or intestines and created a new one for me. I have a huge scar on my neck and my stomach is one big scar. Also had a stomach feeding tube for quite a bit and heart surgery at 2 days old."
"I love science. I wouldn't have experienced life if it hadn't been for advances in medical science."
-- rev2Arsenal
So if you've been sitting on an embarrassing backstory for one of your scars, feel free to share. You're hardly alone.
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Unless you've just realized a lifelong dream of becoming a doctor, finding yourself in the hospital is not a joyous occasion.
Whether you are patient, employee, or concerned loved one, the hospital is a place known for its high-stress elements, morbid realities, and involuntary bodily functions.
All of those common elements can be quite scary, especially while you're in that heightened state of mental stress.
Plenty of Redditors know that full well, and from personal experience. They shared their stories.
le_kif420 asked, "What was the most terrifying thing that you've experienced while staying in a hospital?"
Many Redditors found it scariest to wake up in a hospital bed. Often disoriented, under the influence of drugs, or generally worried for their safety, the moments after the eyes open can be full of panic.
The In-Between World
"I was strapped down and on a ventilator. I woke up and I was on heavy drugs so I kept thinking I was in a very bad dream and and trying to get out."
"I only did that a couple times but I remember having to be told it was real and not a dream. Whatever I think is real is the dream. And after a few seconds it would clear up."
A Regular Refresher
"When I woke up in the hospital buckled to the bed and didn't know why I was there. Happened more than once because it was for a brain injury and I couldn't remember why I was there so I kept trying to escape."
"They ended up writing on a whiteboard at the end of my bed that I'm supposed to be there and stuff."
-- Zeliv
Way Too Public
"I had intestinal surgery when I was about 13. Recovery was about 7 days to be sure that all the plumbing was working properly."
"Well about the 5th day I had woken up to a fairly large wet spot covering my crotch and gown."
"Turns out I had a wet dream and was still unable to move easily to clean myself so I had to inform the nurse. I know it's not much compared to these others, but to a 13 year old it was a nightmare!"
-- 19rotuken84
Too Many Tubes
"It really wasn't that bad but I was 5 and very very scared. It was after waking up from anaesthesia after having my tonsils removed. Due to a genetic thing painkillers or anything anesthetic doesn't really affect me."
"So I wake up and I am in a huge amount of pain, I'm surrounded by strangers and I can't talk. And then I see the bandage on my arm from the IV and start crying."
"It felt like forever until my Dad and Mom were there. But definitely being alone, in pain and unable to voice it was the scariest thing for me."
For others, it was all about the screams.
The other people around them in the hospital were in far more pain or anguish than these Redditors, but there involuntary outbursts were enough to make them shutter.
A Lot for a 12-Year-Old to See
"Was about 12 years old got bit by a poisonous spider. In ER for it. The guy in the next curtain was apperently shot and stabbed with knife still in him."
"Nurses opened the curtain didnt realize me and my dad were in the next area over and so I saw a guy scream and holding in a knife in his gut."
A Tragic Twist
"I was in a car accident with my mom back in 1999 here in Texas. A large van ran the red light at a four way intersection and t-boned us. The accident was so bad they took us all by ambulance to the emergency room."
"The people who hit my mom and I were in the room next to us. The woman was heavily pregnant but explained to the doctors something felt off for many, many weeks but that her doctor in Mexico said the baby was fine."
"The ER doctors did an ultrasound and determined her baby was dead and that it wasn't due to the accident - they figured the baby had been dead for WEEKS."
"I'll never forget that woman's screams. It was heartbreaking. She kept screaming 'get it out of me, get it out of me.' "
"I'll never forget that moment."
A Pop and A Scream
"I spent some time in a psych ward as a kid. It was a bad place and pretty abusive. One of the staff members broke another kids arm and I remember hearing the boy screaming as it happened and afterwards."
"It was scary especially because we had no agency between being kids and psych patients so the staff had total control."
-- Heartlast
Others recalled the procedures they themselves endured. At the time, they were concerned, in pain, and frantic. They hope to never find themselves in that spot again.
ER Trip
"In the ER and was given an IV push for pain and left alone in a treatment room. I had a bad reaction to the medication (found out later, I can't have any form of opiates, real or synthetic, as I have a bad reaction.) In short, I tripped my fu**ing A** off, while bleeding heavily, and whatever they gave me seriously slowed my HR and my BP tanked."
"I'm not sure what was more terrifying: being fully conscious and aware in a body that is slowly shutting down, or being convinced there's a 7 foot tall shadow demon standing at the foot of your bed to take you to Hell when it's over."
-- geminiloveca
AHHHH
"It wasn't terrifying but the most awful thing I've ever felt. I had a drain put in after having my gallbladder removed and the next day the nurse came in to take it."
"That things was in there about 6/7 inches, right up into my stomach and she just slowly pulled it out. Oh a still shudder thinking about it."
-- thatisyucky
Close Call
"Giving birth. I lost a lot of blood, I was lying in bed and feeling really weak and cold when someone from the staff came to check on me."
"I asked if that's what it feels like to die, she didn't seem to take it seriously until she had checked some stuff at which point she got others there and then last thing I remember is them putting some mask on me, thinking I was going to die."
"Reading the journal it was initially estimated to be 0.8L blood loss but it was more than double that I lost. If she had checked on me later, I probably would have lost more blood."
-- jpesj
Hopefully, you never find yourself in the hospital facing such concerning moments like these ones. But if you do, know that you're not alone.
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