What was the closest you've ever come to dying/death....?

[womanofthehills]

31. Western rattlesnake bite - & fell backward down stairs

2 yrs ago a rattler bit me twice - he was asleep under a flower pot that I straightened. In the ambulance that was taking me to a waiting helicopter, I was sure I was dying because I was having trouble breathing. One of my friends was in the ambulance with me and I was telling her it was nice knowing her etc. I asked the ambulance staff for epi but it's a small town and all volunteer and no one was trained to do it so they put oxygen over my face. As soon as I got the oxygen, I knew I was going to live as I could suddenly breathe. I ended up getting 16 vials of anti-venom which was $80,000. I usually see about 2 or 3 rattlers around my house each year - now I am so freaked out - I have snake gaters.

I have a landing at the top of my stairs and I put one of my photo printers there so I would not smell the ink when I printed. I was pulling a print out of the printer and I tripped and flipped backwards down the stairs - I summersaulted all the way down - 14 stairs - I was wondering if I would live and if this would be it. I landed sitting up at the bottom of the stairs - I demolishied my shoulder and had a reverse shoulder replacement. The surgeon said he had fun trying to figure out how to put it back together. This happened a year before the rattlesnake bite.

It effected me by making me feel vulnerable - like I could be fine one minute and dead the next.