Drowning: A peaceful way to go?

[Charlie59]

Most people will not inhale fluid to fill the lungs. The larynx will have spasm and no inhalation occurs. Most people who drown simply suffocate. Not my idea of a nice death.

But I wouldn't pierce my eyebrow either.

 

[TSandM]

I can't imagine drowning being peaceful. One of the most powerful drives we have, built deep into the brainstem, and last to leave with brain damage, is the drive to breathe. Holding one's breath, trying desperately not to inhale, knowing there's only water out there, and then having the horrible sensation of water entering the trachea (which, if you've ever inhaled water, you know is very irritating and provokes a violent cough reflex) . . . Not my idea of peaceful.

Hypoxia, which is what can kill rebreather divers, is peaceful. You get euphoric and then pass out. But hypercarbia, which is what sets in when you don't breathe as much as your body wants you to, is extremely anxiety-producting. The most frantic and terrified patients I see are the ones who can't breathe.

No, not peaceful.

 

[1amphibian]

I think perhaps they are taking just one part of it, the part after the terminal gasp and coughing and up thru the actual death as peaceful, maybe that is peaceful, depends on you and what your doing at that time. Somehow I think most people are in a total panic at that point and still trying to save themselves, so no, I don't see how it's peaceful, when taken in it's whole context.

Chris

 

[Tom Winters]

I almost drowned twice surfing on Oahu. I wa pretty sure I was done for both times, and there was not a damn thing more I could do to get to the surface. Even when you think you're a goner, there's a little air in the top of your lungs. I was amazed both times when I popped up to the surface. The first time, I got slammed by the second wave of a killer North Shore set and sent back down into the abyss again, but I knew I was getting up that time.

 

[TrojanCatMan]

So I was reading an undercurrent article that made mention of an incident where a diver committed suicide by stabbing himself in the chest so he wouldn't drown. The article then goes on to say that drowning is in fact a peaceful way to go. Naturally this goes against everything else I've read on the subject, and I was wondering if there was actually research into this that would substantiate Undercurrent's claim. The google, she helps me not.

Is there a link to this?

 

[Fastmarc]

I remember being told that one of the few diving deaths that happened here was suspected to be a suiside. They went on a site that slopes to god know what depth and while swimming with them at a not too deep depth, the fellow just took a turn and started heading down the slope, dispite their efforts to get his attention.
He was never seen again. No body recovered.
After some investigation they found out that he was going through a difficult period and was apparantly depressed.

 

[Gary D.]

Most of our recoveries resulted in a peaceful death. The non-peaceful fighters can scare the crap out of you when you see them face to face.

It's not for the squeamish but get a copy of this book from the library. It will explain a bunch.
http://www.bestpub.com/bookdetail.asp?BookID=1058&Category=Search/Rescue/Recovery

Gary D.

 

[sasscuba]

"Stabbing himself in the chest"?

Good lord!

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[freediver]

This question comes up often in my lifeguard training classes so I cover drowning physiology pretty thoroughly.
Taking a classic active drowning victim as the example:
Stage 1 of drowning: Initial Apnea - The victim struggles to breathe. The glottis closes and, initially, prevents water from entering the lungs. If at the surface, this stage generally lasts from 20 to 60 seconds. Underwater, or further from established air source, time is diminished significantly. Water begins to enter the stomach diminishing buoyancy of the victim. Fatigue sets in due to build-up of waste chemicals in the blood resulting from lack of O2.

Stage 2: Dyspnea - glottis begins to partially relax. Water begins to enter the trachea and continues to enter the stomach. Vomiting may result from the entrance of this water. Victim grows weaker from panic/fatigue and water begins to enter the lungs. Water mixes with lung surfactant and gives the pink frothy appearance to some victims. Brain hypoxia continues.

Stage 3: Terminal Apnea - victim loses consciousness and breathing stops. Convulsions may result from lack of oxygen to the brain. Sphincter muscles may relax and the victim may urinate or defecate, or both.

Stage 4: Cardiac Arrest - Heart ceases to function productively.


Couple of points: it is virtually impossible to commit suicide by drowning. The urge to breathe is too strong for a person to keep themselves submerged. If drowning occurs, the person likely made an attempt to surface and passed out on ascent and suffocated as a result of the blackout. Secondly, current research has shown that although water enters the lungs during a drowning episode, it doesn't stay there. It is absorbed into the body tissues. Autopsy results rarely find more than a teaspoon of water in the person's lungs.

You will have to determine on your own if this is a peaceful way to go.

 

[cummings66]

The question, drowning a peaceful way to go is for me an easy answer. Back in my preteen days I used to swim all the time, was pretty good at it and so when a friend asked to go along one day I said sure. I didn't know he couldn't swim, though I do now.

So I jump in and start swimming out and he's a bit slow getting started but tries. Soon he hollers for help and I know I'm the only one there to help so falling back on the YMCA training I knew I had to get to shore and get the stick I had there to save him. Well I didn't know he moved under water far from where he was and in my attempt to stay clear of him to avoid being caught I ended up getting caught anyhow. He normally was much weaker than me, but this time around he was as strong as a bull and I could not break free, I tried to knock him out, kick him, bit him, nothing worked. I will remember to my dying day the things I felt and saw. You see the bubbles going up to the surface, you feel helpless, yet you struggle on because you want to live.

To me drowning has to be the worst possible way to die, I certainly see nothing peaceful to it. Near the end I did give up and accepted the fact I was going to die, yet by chance my friend passed out first and I had enough air in my lungs to get me to the surface and pull him to shore where I helped him. It's not something I care to repeat because I was within seconds of dying, and yes after I gave up it did calm down, or so it seems. Up until that point it was a fight for life and certainly not peaceful.

The reason it was close was he did the classic climb the tree bit and had me in a bear hug, which I tried to avoid by swimming away from where he went under. He would climb up my body pushing me under, every so often I'd catch a small breath and would be able to struggle. The YMCA classes back then that taught you how to swim also taught you how to avoid being drowned, but not what to do once you're caught. My one and only experience with near drowning and that's why I know it's not peaceful.