Have you ever had an experience that you were not sure when it actually occurred? Since what you understand now, you wonder how that activity could have occurred when you thought it did. I will explain:
In May of 1999 I slipped into a coma for three months due to a critical medical condition. After I awoke from my coma, was eased off the many drugs that helped save my life and helped with the pain, I slowly became aware of my surroundings. Not too long after this I began to think I was completely blind. When I learned how to talk with my newly acquired tracheotomy and was able to persuade my doctors I could not see. They brought in an eye specialist into the hospital to examine me. With the examination they confirmed I was completely blind. The mysterious part of my story, I believe I had many dreams when I was in a coma which I already knew I was blind before any doctors examined me. Most of these dreams lasted for days. In the same dream spanning across many days and nights as I would wake up each morning and go to bed each night all during the same dream.
In some of my numerous dreams I was attempting to cure my own blindness.
Designing and Manufacturing My Own Eyeglasses - Dream:
I thought if I could manufacture customized glasses with specialized lenses it would allow me to see again. I constantly was working on designing and researching optics for the lenses I would put in the glasses to restore my eyesight. I even explored incorporating wireless sensors that connected to my brain to aid with possible nerve problems. Some of the experimentation I had to do by touch alone since I could not see the glasses I was working on. As I tried many different variations of lenses to offset my vision loss I found I was not making much progress on my own.
I traveled for days consulting with other eye, optic nerve and brain specialists including many people who were optic lens experts. As a newly blind person with no mobility training enabling me to travel safely I quickly learned traveling with no eyesight was like a nightmare. I would just fumble around from town to town crossing over a variety of elevations, many types of surfaces and attempting to avoid obstacles. As I traveled I would listen for voices and if I heard any I would head towards who was talking to request assistance in locating the person I was trying to meet. With my idea of restoring my eyesight with specialized optics and sensors it seemed like it may not work I attempted other methods.
Mysterious Healer - Dream:
I heard of a person from across the bay from me could possibly restore the vision to the blind as well as cure other illnesses. I thought finding out if this person could help was worth a try. My first challenge was getting to the location where this person was which was approximately 40 miles away. Before I began I understood traveling on foot and being newly blind this trip would take days. Somehow I found a tunnel that ran under the San Francisco Bay just large enough for me to crawl on my knees using my hands to guide me. I crawled for miles all the while having a sensation I should not attempt this kind of healing. I remember the pain in my knees and hands as I occasionally placed them on broken glass or other sharp objects. My head would occasionally bump into something therefore I tried to keep my head down so the top of my head would hit the obstacle and not my face.
After crawling for hours I somehow as if by instinct alone I found a tunnel that led me up to the street level. Once I was on the street I eventually located a person who assisted me in finding the location where the mysterious healer was. Although I was already in complete darkness due to my blindness, I was herded into a room with many other people. When I heard those around me seeking to be cured I sensed it was even darker than my own complete blindness with a sense of eeriness. While I waited for what was to happen next to all of us who were jammed into this small room I felt very uneasy, frightened and wished I was not there. After listening to the healer enter the room and speak some muffled words which I could not understand I felt the crowd around me begin to disperse. I could tell this because I was no longer bumping into people and the room was much quieter. At this point I began to understand this person could not cure my blindness and I began to wonder how I would get back home.
Upon leaving the room and building I immediately started to search for anyone whom I could request assistance. After receiving help from many people I eventually found the tunnel under the bay and crawled back through it. With many more hours of traveling and attempting to avoid all of the hazardous and painful obstacles I gratefully made it back home.
Eye Transplant - Dream:
I believe this next dream may have been after I got out of my coma, although I could be mistaken. Possibly this dream could also have occurred when I was in my coma. After enduring a few successful surgeries I began to think anything was possible. I kept waiting for the day when the doctors would restore my eyesight and had faith they would during my hospitalization.
At this time I did not know the medical reason I could not see and thought the doctors could just replace my eyes and I would be able to see again. I would pray that the upcoming surgery would be successful. Also I prayed to ease the feeling of uneasiness I had for the upcoming eye transplant surgery. I had one somewhat funny concern regarding the eye replacement surgery. It was that after the surgery was completed the doctor may accidentally select eyes that did not match in color. After weeks of waiting with no eye surgery discussed or occurring I realized the doctors could not restore my eyesight with an eye transplant.
Additional Dreams:
I also had numerous other vivid detailed long dreams that directly related to experiences I was going through in the hospital. Upon returning home to my own bed after seven months in the hospital my vivid dreams subsided. It is amusing that I did enjoy recalling the many dreams/nightmares I had when in the hospital.
Has anyone else recalled dreams you thought you had while in a coma? Did anyone else attempt to cure an illness or disability in your dreams like I did? Have you heard of other people having similar experiences?
We all look forward to hearing your valuable comments and stories.
Bill Tipton
Contributing Author,
Global Dialogue Center
http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/
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