Stroke Recovery - Comatose Condition

Preamble---I have been following recent stories re whether or not a comatose person is aware of his/her surroundings. It has major ramifications for the health profession and families discouraged by no response from a loved one at the time of comatose condition. My personal experience states emphatically, yes I did hear everything around me, even though I could not move nor see. RLP

Stroke Recovery - Comatose Condition

On August 26, 1999 I was working at the Provincial Exhibition in Bible Hill, NS collecting tickets, as a part-time job. My main position had been phased out March 31 of 1999 and dad died in Toronto of a massive heart attack, around the same time.

About five to nine pm. in Bible Hill I took a few moments to look over at the lit up Ferris Wheel. Its movement caught my attention, as well as the evening sky, so beautiful and relaxing. I marveled at the colours, then noticing a swirl of them, exactly above the Carnival area, and then slowly moved in my direction. I looked at my watch, exactly nine pm.

A noise began as the swirling, turning right in a circle around and around, with the sound getting louder and louder, until it seemed to be over my head. It seemed to grow larger and larger as a 3d movie then stopped. I looked up in wonder, then a second later---zap, a terrible pain hit me on top of the head and I immediately envisioned my head splattering all over the people gathered around me to give me their tickets, for entrance to the Exhibition.

I remember doing a downward spiral turning to the right, and counting three spirals arms out-flung, then sat down, then lay on my back, laid my head down very slowly, spread out my arms, then nothing, no thoughts, only blackness. I sensed my eyes were open as if trying to see.

I heard people talking, but could see no one. I was not aware of where I was. I had no thoughts of my condition. I did not have an out of body experience. I sensed I was laying on my back somewhere. Voices said things like---What happened? Oh some geezer kicked the bucket. I could not see who spoke these words, nor other statements. I heard someone call the name of my good friend, Charles MacQuarrie. And I thought he’s here? He used to be on my Board of Directors for many years.

I remember someone saying, let the St. John Ambulance through. Then someone said, take off his shirt. I remember thinking, oh no, I just got this shirt and it’s still new. For some reason I sensed they were going to cut it off. All this time I did not know I was the recipient of all this attention.

Next I remember hearing someone say, let’s go, and the sound of an ambulance siren. Rather loud I thought and close by too, not realizing I was put into this vehicle and I was the victim. It was rather annoying to my hearing. I still remained in a sea of blackness and did not know I had suffered a serious injury, and there was no more pain whatsoever after the time of the stroke hitting my head to the moment of arrival at the hospital.

From the time I fell down to the time I arrived at the hospital, I figured was 45 minutes. I remember a lot of noise and commotion, voices and I wondered why this was happening in my blackened world. Then there was much banging and very irritable noise which really bothered me as we rushed through a doorway and I awoke.

This information was typed out from memory on December 2, 2012, since it is very vivid in my mind, and yet I cannot remember what I had for breakfast yesterday.

© Richard L. Provencher