Dreams

Yes, they sure can seem like reality, at least, that's what one of my patients told me recently.

Mike (not his real name) was snoozing away with his CPAP on, when I came by to ask him when he wanted to get ready to get up. He blinked and looked at me with eyes as large as saucers and said, "I'm so glad you woke me up. My brother just got shot."

I had heard it was a rough night in his room in report and he told me, "No, I just had a dream I was out hunting with my brother and he had just got this huge buck and then someone shot him in the chest." Needless to say, I was a bit stunned.

Mike continued and said he wanted to get ready, so I set him up to do so. I have to help him wash his legs and feet and as I was doing that, he told me, "You know, I've had those near death experiences."

"Really?" I said. "Was it like they say it can be with the light and all?" Mike shook his head and said it was, and one instance, he said, "It was the softest, sweetest light I have ever seen. I felt so peaceful. But I couldn't go."

So I asked him why not. "Well, I could tell my girlfriend was in the room and I asked if I could take her, and they said no. So I went back, woke up, and there she was, holding my hand."

Thankfully, Mike didn't dream about his own death. That is a story that really scares me. Over the short period of time that I've been a nurse, I've only had three patients tell me they dreamed about dying and or seeing dead people in their dreams.

Those same three are no longer with us. They died within months of those dreams. It kind of scared me at first, but I realized, in all of them, that it was not a fearful dream, but rather a comforting one, because they were not alone.