Q:

I understand that you have experienced a unique event recently. Can you share with me what happened?

A:

You know, I have been putting up with all my fainting spells lately. It's a very strange thing. I felt I cannot be having a fainting spell every time and just blackout like that. The last time I had a blackout was about two weeks ago when I was in the office doing my work. I didn't know my boss came to my room and wanted to pass something to me.  He saw me unconscious on the chair, looked at me and realized I was pale and in cold sweat. Straight away he called an ambulance and sent me to hospital.  

Q:

What happened after you arrived in hospital?

A:

The doctor said he wanted to do a coronary angiogram on me. I said, “Doc, you keep performing procedures on me and I am very scared. I know you’ve told me the risk is low but 0.01% is still a risk!” The doctor replied that I really need to undergo the angiogram because he was very concerned with my condition.  I agreed and said: “Okay, Monday then.” So, Monday came. I went in and waited. As usual, early in the morning, they started the process with me lying down. You know ... I don't want to think of anything then, but suddenly, the angiography suite felt very cold and I told the doctor about it. “We will give you an extra blanket. Are you nervous?” the doctor asked.  I said, "I am not nervous, but I am cold."

Then the procedure began. They poked my artery at the wrist.  After inserting the catheter, they said I should be okay, but I still felt cold.

I am familiar with the procedure. The person who always talk the most will be the main cardiologist and there is an assistant doctor with one technician. The rest are nurses and there is a screen to monitor the blood pressure, ECG and the heart rate, etc. To me, I should be hearing only two or three voices, and that's all … If I hear more than three or four voices, then something is very wrong somewhere.

Then I started feeling uneasy because I was fully awake. The doctor asked, "How do you feel?" I said: "A bit nauseated."

Q:

Were you sweating at that time?

A:

No. Just nauseated. The doctor said, "Don't worry, It's okay.” After that, I heard a voice from the technician mentioning my blood pressure. (chuckle)  Then I heard another voice ... and then  another voice.   I told myself, “Aye ... that’s not too good!”  That was during the ballooning time. 

Q:

How many arteries were affected?

A:

Two.

Q:

I understand you have already undergone one stenting in the past?

A:

Just one vessel.  So altogether there are now a total of three vessels in the same condition. I didn’t feel anything unusual when they started with the first step of ballooning. It was during the second step, the stenting, that I said, "Doc ... I feel pain. I can feel the catheter here moving.”   And he replied, "Don't worry, it will be done soon." 

Suddenly, within a second, I heard the doctor said, “Cough ... cough...!”  I obeyed. After that I heard a few more voices.  At within the next second, I felt that my body was like undergoing a hot flush!   I got scared. I never experienced this hot flush before! I felt so scared. For some reason I said, "Doc ... I think I am going...!"

Next moment, within one split second, fear dawned on me.  A lot of fear was coming to my mind. “Oh, my God, I am not ready,” I told myself. Pop ... Pop, and next moment I saw stars …  a lot of colourful stars and rainbows. Suddenly the fear is gone. “Wow,  what's this ... so nice!” I said to myself. “I don't feel like I want to come back.”

Q:

Everything looked bright, is that right?

A:

Yes... bright. It's not dark and there are stars and rainbows! I didn't feel I wanted to come back then..

Q:

Did you see anybody there?

A:

No. I felt like being shifted into another dimension.

Q:

Did you think of anybody at that moment?

A:

Never. I never thought of anybody. It’s like I didn’t know anybody. I was just oblivious with myself and alone admiring the beauty of the surroundings. I felt so peaceful. Just before I cross over to that dimension, one thing came to my mind. I told myself, "Let it be." I was like ... ZOOM ... and the hot flush came on. I cannot describe my feelings to you. It is like:  Shhh .....  and then I felt like something leaving the body.

Q:

So, the "let-it-be" feeling ... at what point did it come on?

A:

Ah … It came on at the point immediately after the onset of the fear, and after the hot flush. I knew it was like something was coming out of my body. That was the point I said, "Let it be." It happened just before I saw the stars.

Q:

I see. It was before crossing the transition zone?

A:

Yes. And when that happened I could not think of anybody. Nothing at all. I just admired the situation.  Wow! It was rainbows, stars and everything to myself. 

Q:

So how long were you in that state?

A:

Everything happened in a second.

Q:

So, you lost track of time?

A:

Yes, I lost track of time.

Q:

But how long did you stay there ... would you know?

A:

I know it was quite a while. After that I opened my eyes and I saw a nurse. Wow, there is an oxygen mask over my face. I saw a few people running around. Then, after that I felt more comfortable and went to the ICU. But one thing, after this experience, somehow I have no more fear of death.

So I was at the transition place and it was like my name not on the list and so they let me go back kind of thing. Yeah, I haven’t finished a lot of things yet. So maybe there is something else I need to do. So where you are at the transition zone is still a “normal” or a living process. But what happens after one passes that gate I don’t know. When I was in the transition zone, I was looking forward. That's why I said, “I don't want to go back. I am quite happy where I am”.