Home recovery after near drowning.

[imbecamiel]

I'm currently writing a story that deals with the aftermath of a near drowning incident. I don't want to deal with a lot of hospital scenes in this one, so it's pretty much going to be a "recovering at home" story - lucky character gets to avoid the super dangerous hospitalization-worthy complications. *g*

The problem is, there's a fair amount of

Comments

[ldymusyc]

Well, my experience was in a swimming pool, so I couldn't help on the saltwater. But otherwise, one fun detail is that your character will need to have her stomach pumped. I swallowed something like two gallons of water. The pumping tube went down my nose - lots of very odd feelings and gagging, there. As a result, a lot of pain in the nasal passages and throat, and I wasn't capable of eating for a week or so after without choking. A great deal of difficulty in swallowing, and since I hadn't finished digesting my breakfast, I wasn't able to eat cornflakes in milk for aaages afterward without some very bad reminder images.

[imbecamiel]

Yikes, sounds like a nasty experience. Thanks so much for sharing your perspective - this helps greatly!

[epstarling]

Since I only really know about what happens in the hospital, I can't really tell you a whole lot about recovery at home, but I want to make it very clear that near drownings very seldom have good outcomes, contrary to what movies and the television might lead us to believe

[imbecamiel]

Mmm, yes, I'm aware that those experiences tend to have much worse consequences than are typically portrayed. In this case I believe I've arranged things enough that it's feasible the character would fall on the mild end of the consequences - only underwater for a couple minutes max, and conscious with access to medical help almost immediately afterward. (The coming-close-to-drowning having to do with his being temporarily snagged underwater, requiring someone to get him loose.)

Thank you so much for the details, and the link. This really helps me clarify where I want to go with things.

[halocentury]

Hope you don't mind, I'm writing a drowning situation in a collaboration story, so I'm borrowing the information you kindly posted for the original poster. This is great information. :)

[lilacsigil]

I was one of a group of people swept out in a rip - it was one of those "could have drowned" situations rather than incomplete drowning. The main consequences were being extraordinarily tired for 24 hours or so, and burning eyes, lips, mouth and throat from salt water - my eyes were red for days. One man collapsed on the beach and was taken to hospital, but he was just exhausted. My mum, who was also swept out when she tried to rescue me, had an asthma attack an hour later. Everyone else was checked out by the lifesavers and first aiders and was basically okay.

[imbecamiel]

Yikes, scary situation. Glad everything turned out okay in your case! Thank you very much for the details - this helps a lot for my purposes.