How did I not know about this hair?
What’s the one moment in your life that should’ve killed you, but didn’t?
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YETI
Well-known member
Someone asked me in a DM and I realized this fits here. As I've mentioned elsewhere on here, I've had two neck surgeries. The first was a laminectomy with fusion from C3-6. The second, and the one that could have killed me, was a laminectomy from C3-7 with hardware removal.
About five years after the first surgery, I started having neurological issues into my right arm (which is why I can't shoot a bow any more). My original surgeon had retired so I went to a new one. His office took x-rays and then I went in to meet with him. With no preamble, he turned his computer screen around and said, "Well, I can see why you're so fucked up." This was what was on the screen:
All those metal pieces were supposed to be attached to each other. They were not. So into surgery I went.
I woke up in the ICU. That was not the plan. I was told that I was to lie (lay?) flat on my back and to move as little as possible. The nurse explained that I had a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak and the doctor would give me the details the next morning.
The next morning, the doctor walked into my room, and said, "Well if it isn't our Jason Bourne patient." He explained that as I was coming out of the anesthesia I tried to make a break for it and it took all the nurses to corral me and get me restrained in my bed. This was not what almost killed me, that happened before my attempted jail break. Then I asked him, "Why am I in the ICU?"
Then Dr. Sunshine told me about the surgery. At the end of the surgery they count all the metal pieces. There were supposed to be 26 but there were only 25. So they did an intra-operative CT scan. One of the cap screws, the donut looking things in the picture, had migrated into my dura (which is the sheath that surrounds and protects your spinal cord) and was touching my spinal cord. Removing that is what caused the CSF leak, a "spouter" he called it. Dr. Sunshine then said, "If we had waited a week longer, that cap screw would have gone into your spinal cord and you would have been dead or paralyzed, most-likely dead." And that's how a little piece of titanium almost killed me.
I asked for the cap screw but he said he could not give it to me
About five years after the first surgery, I started having neurological issues into my right arm (which is why I can't shoot a bow any more). My original surgeon had retired so I went to a new one. His office took x-rays and then I went in to meet with him. With no preamble, he turned his computer screen around and said, "Well, I can see why you're so fucked up." This was what was on the screen:
All those metal pieces were supposed to be attached to each other. They were not. So into surgery I went.
I woke up in the ICU. That was not the plan. I was told that I was to lie (lay?) flat on my back and to move as little as possible. The nurse explained that I had a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak and the doctor would give me the details the next morning.
The next morning, the doctor walked into my room, and said, "Well if it isn't our Jason Bourne patient." He explained that as I was coming out of the anesthesia I tried to make a break for it and it took all the nurses to corral me and get me restrained in my bed. This was not what almost killed me, that happened before my attempted jail break. Then I asked him, "Why am I in the ICU?"
Then Dr. Sunshine told me about the surgery. At the end of the surgery they count all the metal pieces. There were supposed to be 26 but there were only 25. So they did an intra-operative CT scan. One of the cap screws, the donut looking things in the picture, had migrated into my dura (which is the sheath that surrounds and protects your spinal cord) and was touching my spinal cord. Removing that is what caused the CSF leak, a "spouter" he called it. Dr. Sunshine then said, "If we had waited a week longer, that cap screw would have gone into your spinal cord and you would have been dead or paralyzed, most-likely dead." And that's how a little piece of titanium almost killed me.
I asked for the cap screw but he said he could not give it to me
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Chris M
Well-known member
No kidding! On the surface I was smiling and wanted the laugh but the undercurrents of danger, pain, wrecked life in a trailer etc were nothing close to humor. That job takes guts, brain and emotional stamina.
Chris M
Well-known member
My wife, at 18, had a similar experience though not as fortunate but still alive to tell it. Not wearing a seatbelt, slippery roads, driving too fast on a curve, goes off the road and gets ejected through the sunroof of her Ford Escort before a large tree destroys the Escort on impact. Probably that very rare situation where getting ejected saved her life. Broken back, fused L4/5, can walk and still alive.
iammattpowell
New member
Back in the day, doing executive protection for a well-known rapper, we got in a scuffle at a club because the club owner didn't want to pay for the event, so one of the entourage took the guy's Rolex as collateral until it was paid. We did the event at the club, but the Rolex was kept. It was tense but we all got back to the hotel. Once back a bunch of the entourage stayed in the lobby hanging out and I took one of the clients up to his room and got him settled, shooting the shit, then I went to my room. The client came knocking on my door 15 minutes later and said he forgot something downstairs in the bus and asked if I'd go with him.
We started walking to the elevator and I realized I had forgotten my phone in my room - so we walked back to my room to get the phone.
Can't find it.
I remember I had left it in his room so we walked down to get it out of his room. We are on floor 4 - we go to the elevator and get in, hit the Lobby button - and as we ride down we hear 'boom boom clack clack clack boom boom' as we ride down the elevator. We are between floor 2 and L. I hit the emergency stop button, no luck, keeps going down.
Well, the folks from the club had come back to get the Rolex.
As we land at the lobby floor, the elevator door opens and it looks like that scene from the Matrix - the entire lobby is shot up, pictures hanging off walls, people are laying on the ground everywhere, the gunfight had moved out to the parking lot.
My client says, 'fuck this' and I reach down, hit the button for the top floor. We ride all the way to the top and stand in the hallway until we get the all clear. Had I not left my cell phone in his room, we'd have been in the middle of it and probably wouldn't have made it out. Two of the guys from my detail team took rounds and ended up in the hospital.
We started walking to the elevator and I realized I had forgotten my phone in my room - so we walked back to my room to get the phone.
Can't find it.
I remember I had left it in his room so we walked down to get it out of his room. We are on floor 4 - we go to the elevator and get in, hit the Lobby button - and as we ride down we hear 'boom boom clack clack clack boom boom' as we ride down the elevator. We are between floor 2 and L. I hit the emergency stop button, no luck, keeps going down.
Well, the folks from the club had come back to get the Rolex.
As we land at the lobby floor, the elevator door opens and it looks like that scene from the Matrix - the entire lobby is shot up, pictures hanging off walls, people are laying on the ground everywhere, the gunfight had moved out to the parking lot.
My client says, 'fuck this' and I reach down, hit the button for the top floor. We ride all the way to the top and stand in the hallway until we get the all clear. Had I not left my cell phone in his room, we'd have been in the middle of it and probably wouldn't have made it out. Two of the guys from my detail team took rounds and ended up in the hospital.
keithafernandezjr
Member
Two stories here.
Back in July my office was shot up. I was about to step into the elevator to head home, but decided to use the restroom first. ~10mins later, I'm pressing the elevator button. Right then the doors opened and a few coworkers burst out, shouting that a gunman was in the lobby and people were down. Then all the sudden we hear sirens screaming down Park Ave and see helicopters and drones through the windows. Then the Citizens App starts pinging notifications saying there are reports of multiple active gunmen with body armor and ARs dressed in police attire. Then notifications saying a cop and others were killed in the lobby and the gunmen made it into the elevators. ~20 of us crowded into the staff kitchen and shoved a huge industrial fridge against the door. That’s when it really hit me. There are only two options. Law Enforcement gets to us first or the gunmen do. I texted my family and girlfriend that I loved them. Really strange feeling sending those texts. I started looking around for anything I could use as a weapon or defense. Can I kill a man with my housekey? Can a stack of baking sheets stop a 556 round? We couldn’t even find a knife because the kitchen was only for food storage. We also didn't know if the gunmen took keycards from the murdered cop that could give them access to our floor and the kitchen. After a few tense hours in complete silence and darkness, SWAT arrived. We were freaked out because we heard the reports that the gunmen could be dressed as Law Enforcement. Someone got SWAT on the phone and confirmed the people outside were legitimate. They escorted us through the stairwell down 44 floors while the gunman was active 12 floors below us. It was a surreal experience walking past that floor. The creepiest silence. The lobby looked like a movie set (like the story above) - shattered glass, broken marble, blood on the floor. If I hadn’t taken that quick bathroom break, I probably would’ve been in the lobby when the shooting started. The next morning I filed my paperwork for a NYC pistol permit. A carry permit is my next step. Turned out to be only one gunman. He killed himself when they had him cornered. Coward.
I was spearfishing the Gingerbreads, and the place was crawling with sharks this trip. The same 4-5 big reef sharks, probably 8 footers, trailed us all day. We knew it was the same sharks because two had hooks and line hanging from their jaws, and one was missing the tip of its dorsal fin. We’d move the boat a couple of miles and they’d show up again within minutes. I’ve been diving since I could swim, and have a decent understanding of shark behavior. These sharks looked calm. We figured they were probably accustomed to commercial lobstermen tossing scraps. Visibility was worse than usual for the Bahamas, but still good enough to dive, so we kept at it. I shot a hogfish in ~65ft, but it tore free leaving a cloud of blood. One shark streaked out of the murk after the fish, then turned and zeroed in on me. Mouth open, (seemingly) full speed. I was probably 30ft deep at that point. I kicked harder for the surface, holding my 10ft polespear between my legs as a barrier. ~10ft from the surface my mask flooded and I couldn't see much more than a light gray mass below me. Right when I broke the surface I screamed "shark", cleared my mask, and looked back underwater. The shark had made it past the spear and its nose was between my fins. My knife was strapped to my calf, so that was useless. Just as I was bracing myself to punch, a spear shot between my legs and hit the shark in the throat. My buddy, who had been dragged from my drop spot by the current, saw everything unfold and swam over just in time. The shark whipped around and dove back to the bottom taking the spear with it. It was so close that when it turned around I felt the sandpaper skin brush my knee. My legs were absolute jelly from nerves and adrenaline once back on the boat. A few Kaliks later and I was back in the water. I’ve been bluff-charged plenty, but that was the closest I’ve come to an actual bite. In the middle of the Bahamas, a hit to the inner thigh could’ve been fatal. Thank God for good dive buddies.
Back in July my office was shot up. I was about to step into the elevator to head home, but decided to use the restroom first. ~10mins later, I'm pressing the elevator button. Right then the doors opened and a few coworkers burst out, shouting that a gunman was in the lobby and people were down. Then all the sudden we hear sirens screaming down Park Ave and see helicopters and drones through the windows. Then the Citizens App starts pinging notifications saying there are reports of multiple active gunmen with body armor and ARs dressed in police attire. Then notifications saying a cop and others were killed in the lobby and the gunmen made it into the elevators. ~20 of us crowded into the staff kitchen and shoved a huge industrial fridge against the door. That’s when it really hit me. There are only two options. Law Enforcement gets to us first or the gunmen do. I texted my family and girlfriend that I loved them. Really strange feeling sending those texts. I started looking around for anything I could use as a weapon or defense. Can I kill a man with my housekey? Can a stack of baking sheets stop a 556 round? We couldn’t even find a knife because the kitchen was only for food storage. We also didn't know if the gunmen took keycards from the murdered cop that could give them access to our floor and the kitchen. After a few tense hours in complete silence and darkness, SWAT arrived. We were freaked out because we heard the reports that the gunmen could be dressed as Law Enforcement. Someone got SWAT on the phone and confirmed the people outside were legitimate. They escorted us through the stairwell down 44 floors while the gunman was active 12 floors below us. It was a surreal experience walking past that floor. The creepiest silence. The lobby looked like a movie set (like the story above) - shattered glass, broken marble, blood on the floor. If I hadn’t taken that quick bathroom break, I probably would’ve been in the lobby when the shooting started. The next morning I filed my paperwork for a NYC pistol permit. A carry permit is my next step. Turned out to be only one gunman. He killed himself when they had him cornered. Coward.
I was spearfishing the Gingerbreads, and the place was crawling with sharks this trip. The same 4-5 big reef sharks, probably 8 footers, trailed us all day. We knew it was the same sharks because two had hooks and line hanging from their jaws, and one was missing the tip of its dorsal fin. We’d move the boat a couple of miles and they’d show up again within minutes. I’ve been diving since I could swim, and have a decent understanding of shark behavior. These sharks looked calm. We figured they were probably accustomed to commercial lobstermen tossing scraps. Visibility was worse than usual for the Bahamas, but still good enough to dive, so we kept at it. I shot a hogfish in ~65ft, but it tore free leaving a cloud of blood. One shark streaked out of the murk after the fish, then turned and zeroed in on me. Mouth open, (seemingly) full speed. I was probably 30ft deep at that point. I kicked harder for the surface, holding my 10ft polespear between my legs as a barrier. ~10ft from the surface my mask flooded and I couldn't see much more than a light gray mass below me. Right when I broke the surface I screamed "shark", cleared my mask, and looked back underwater. The shark had made it past the spear and its nose was between my fins. My knife was strapped to my calf, so that was useless. Just as I was bracing myself to punch, a spear shot between my legs and hit the shark in the throat. My buddy, who had been dragged from my drop spot by the current, saw everything unfold and swam over just in time. The shark whipped around and dove back to the bottom taking the spear with it. It was so close that when it turned around I felt the sandpaper skin brush my knee. My legs were absolute jelly from nerves and adrenaline once back on the boat. A few Kaliks later and I was back in the water. I’ve been bluff-charged plenty, but that was the closest I’ve come to an actual bite. In the middle of the Bahamas, a hit to the inner thigh could’ve been fatal. Thank God for good dive buddies.
YETI
Well-known member
I just thought of another one, although it's with a twist. This was not an event where something should have killed me but it didn't. This was a situation where I thought there was a very real chance I was going to die but did not.
Early in 2007 I was surfing on a beautiful California morning. I got out of the water and took my wetsuit off. I tried to lift my right leg to put shorts on and my leg would not move. Feeling came back in about 15 minutes. I called my PCP who was a friend of mine and told him what had happened. He got me an appointment with a neurologist later that morning.
I went to the neurologist who did some tests and ordered a CT of my neck. He told me either my neck was screwed up or I had ALS. They couldn't get me into the CT until 9 that night so I spent the day wondering whether I had ALS. My wife and I had a very serious talk about it, including verifying that my life insurance was active and in effect.
After the CT I asked the techs what it showed and they said they couldn't say anything, had to come from neuro. So I had to wait over night wondering if I had ALS.
Finally, the next morning around 10 the neuro called me. I have never been so scared to answer my phone. As you have probably figured out, I did not have ALS but I spent a little over 24 hours facing the very real possibility my life would be over very shortly. I may be one of the few people in the world to hear that their neck is fucked up and they'll need surgery and that is good news!
Early in 2007 I was surfing on a beautiful California morning. I got out of the water and took my wetsuit off. I tried to lift my right leg to put shorts on and my leg would not move. Feeling came back in about 15 minutes. I called my PCP who was a friend of mine and told him what had happened. He got me an appointment with a neurologist later that morning.
I went to the neurologist who did some tests and ordered a CT of my neck. He told me either my neck was screwed up or I had ALS. They couldn't get me into the CT until 9 that night so I spent the day wondering whether I had ALS. My wife and I had a very serious talk about it, including verifying that my life insurance was active and in effect.
After the CT I asked the techs what it showed and they said they couldn't say anything, had to come from neuro. So I had to wait over night wondering if I had ALS.
Finally, the next morning around 10 the neuro called me. I have never been so scared to answer my phone. As you have probably figured out, I did not have ALS but I spent a little over 24 hours facing the very real possibility my life would be over very shortly. I may be one of the few people in the world to hear that their neck is fucked up and they'll need surgery and that is good news!
