First aid?

[magosienne]

today i was just having my lunch when one of my colleagues at work (she's about the same age as me) said she was really not feeling well.

apparently she had a migraine for five days(despite meds), and had a bad conversation with her dad yesterday, so she was kind of upset. and she was really looking tired, her vision was even blurred. another woman and i urged her to go back home immediately, then go to the doctor or even the ER.

she finished eating and just in the conversation mentioned she was epileptic. and she had forgotten her meds at home.

well she just went out two minutes later and had a crisis just in front of us.

thank goodness a man who was passing in the street knew what to do while we were calling for an ambulance. we're located in the city centre so they were there not even two minutes after our call (and the guys were quite cute too lol

). they took her to a hospital, but this has just showed me how helpless i was for her.

i've had a few epileptic friends in the past, but never saw one have a crisis in front of me, and i really didn't know what to do. and nobody else apparently knew too. thinking we work for a social security, it's pretty ironic !

anyway, i've decided i have to learn what to do because this made me realise a person could well hypothetically have a heart attack in front of me, and i wouldn't be able to help her or even recognize any sign of it.

what about you? would you know what to do in a similar situation?

 

[Ashley]

Oh dear. I hope she is okay.

I would have no idea what to do.

 

[Andi]

I´ve had lots of first aid classes in med school, so technically I know what to do.

I´ve never really been in a real life situation where my help was needed though..just this one time I was on a bus and saw an old man literally drop down backwards on the sidewalk. I got off the bus and ran over, but the man was already conscious again, he had an implanted cardiac pacemaker that brought him back (that´s what his wife told me). He had a small wound on the back of his head so the EMTs took care of that.

I´ve never seen an epileptic crisis either, I bet it looks pretty scary.

 

[magosienne]

yep ! it's just sudden. one second she's up, walking, the next woosh on the floor, lying there almost uncounscious, like an inarticulate doll. out.

i know there's frequently weekends organized on my campus or in Paris, where they teach first aid. next time i'll sign for it.

we warned her boyfriend, so i hope someone will be able to give us some news. and i hope my boss will employ some more people instead of asking us to do 3 things in the same time(because i think this also didn't help her, she was supposed to do all the administrative job, all the job the other people can't do because they're on the phone everyday and we're outnumbered, and also answer on the phone).

 

[Sirvinya]

Originally Posted by magosienne /img/forum/go_quote.gif what about you? would you know what to do in a similar situation? I would. I'm qualified in first aid and cpr.

 

[Shelley]

I hope your co-worker feels better soon.

Yes I would know what to do. I took first aid and cpr training.

I think everyone should take these courses. Great to know this information in case something happens to family, friends etc.

I agree it is scary if you don't know what to do. You want to help but feel helpless at the same time.

 

[Retro-Violet]

Originally Posted by Sirvinya /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would. I'm qualified in first aid and cpr. i keep forgetting to go get recertified for it all the time.

i need to get off my ass and do that since mine expiered like 4 months ago.

 

[dentaldee]

with my ambulance dispatch training I am a first responder...... in a situation when someone is having a seizure there is nothing you can do but be sure the person is safe......move any objects away from the person, DO NOT restrain the person and do not try to force anything into the persons mouth. I have witness a person have a seizure and it is scary.

I give first aid and CPR and heimlich maneuver instructions to people over the phone everyday

 

[Karren]

I'm fully trained in first aid and CPR... annual refresher retraining at work for the last 25+ years.... And have had to use it on a number of occassions inclucing my son choking when he was 2...

Karren

 

[monniej]

wow! that really makes me think i should take a first aid class. you never know when you might need to help someone.

 

[magosienne]

exactly ! and now that i'm thinking of it, my dad and brother are cops, so they had training, and my mom has a medical diploma and had training too.

i don't know how it works in the US, but here in the emergencies, most of the people answering on the phone are doctors so they can "teach" on phone what to do(they also decide if sending an ambulance is necessary or not), but it's still a loss of time.

i hope soon i'll be able to do more than dial "18" on my phone.