Wednesday, September 24, 2008

To the rescue

Yesterday at lunchtime I walked into the bathroom at work to pee, only to discover a woman who works down the hall from me lying on the bathroom floor in a heap. My first thought was that something horrible had happened to her, like a heart attack or a stroke, so I was incredibly relieved when my desperate, "Oh my god what happened are you OK?" was met with an explanation of how she'd slipped on the wet floor and fallen, twisting her knee. Not that hurting your knee is anything to sneeze at, but Jesus, I was so afraid that it was something much more serious.

Anyway, she told me that she had tried to get up but couldn't, and that the pain was excruciating, and I really didn't know what to do. I felt totally helpless. She wanted to get up but I told her I didn't think it was a good idea to move it, not knowing what was wrong with it. And I asked her if she wanted me to call an ambulance, and she said no. Although in retrospect, maybe it doesn't make sense to ask the injured person lying on the floor if they want an ambulance, because they aren't likely to be in an incredibly good position for making reasonable decisions.

So I called out to somebody in the hallway to get someone from the woman's department, someone she knew. And when she insisted on getting up because she didn't want to be on the bathroom floor (and really, who could blame her?), I rolled a desk chair over so that we could get her up without her having to move herself. Because she kept insisting that she could hop on her good leg, and I was envisioning her losing her balance and instinctively putting all her weight on her injured knee and crashing to the ground again in unbearable agony, and/or doing permanent damage to her knee.

By then there was a small crowd gathered, and someone got her a second chair so she could elevate her leg, and someone from our benefits department came over (possibly because she was injured at work? And so worker's comp could be involved? I really don't know), and everyone was saying she should get ice, and freaking out because nobody had an ice pack. So I went to the freezer and found a bag of frozen peas, and brought that back because it seemed just as good as an ice pack.

She had so many people around her by then, and they were talking about calling her mother, who worked just down the street, to drive her to the hospital, and since I didn't even know her I felt like I should just leave at that point, so I did, and later found out that they had wound up calling an ambulance to take her to the hospital, which I think was the right choice because the other option was wheeling her down there in a crappy desk chair, and I really do not think that would have been a good idea.

But I have to say, the whole thing scared me. Beyond the initial fright that I got when I thought she'd had some sort of episode, it was scary to me that I was the person to find her, that I didn't really know what to do but that I still seemed to know what to do more than most of the other people there, that of all the people gathered around nobody was taking charge more than I was, nobody knew what the best thing to do would be, nobody could offer sound advice, and it took almost half an hour before an ambulance was called.

It just makes me wonder what would happen in a real emergency, when having someone there who thinks of using a rolling desk chair and a bag of frozen peas won't cut it, and you need someone with a bit more expertise or the ability to take charge. I felt like a lot of people froze in that situation, waiting for someone else to tell them what to do, to handle things for them. And I felt that way too. Yes, I got the chair and the makeshift ice pack, but I still felt like I was feeling my way around in the dark, and that what we really needed was someone much more capable than me to come by and tell us all what really needed to be done.

So I don't know. Maybe in a real emergency people step up their game? Or maybe we are all so conditioned to just wait for instruction that we would all sit around like lemmings, internally thinking, "Not it" and waiting for someone else to save the day. I hope not. And I also hope I never have to find out.

38 comments:

  1. Oh Jess, I totally feel for you. I think that sometimes in those situations - where everyone is inexperienced & no one is 'in charge' - acting like it IS an emergency makes you feel like you are having a hand in MAKING it an emergency, when you're not really sure if it even is. We're so conditioned to ONLY call 911 in an EMERGENCY, but what if this is NOT an emergency, because nothing is on fire and no one is bleeding from their chest, and the person is still awake enough to tell you they don't want an ambulance??

    I sometimes think about this stuff and it scares me too. It makes me appreciate those people you hear about on the news who leap into action and save someone's life, because I worry I would never be able to do that -- that I would just freeze.

    I think you handled yourself very well.

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  2. You did everything you could have done - and were helpful and concerned for her, which is way more than a lot of people would have done. When I had a similar (but perhaps more serious) accident, people were flying all over the place in a dark, crowded theater, and it definitely didn't do anything to calm me down. By just talking to her and seeking out help, you definitely did the right thing. Who knows what would happen in a more serious situation? It makes me think of people being trapped under cars and miraculously having the strength to get themselves out.

    By the way, doctors always recommend frozen peas to put on joints, because they're malleable (and re-usable)! I actually started eating frozen peas when I always had them in my freezer for my ankle. Double-duty. :-)

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  3. I think you did the best you could with what was going on around you. Hopefully she'll seek you out to thank you b/c if you hadn't walked in when you did, who knows when someone would have walked in next

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  4. I think in real situations, situations that are more dire, it is pretty obvious to call an ambulance.

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  5. I totally know what you are saying. I feel like I freeze in those types of situations because I don't want to make anything worse. I think that men have an inherent ability to take over crisis situations so I usually let them do so.

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  6. This is one of the things that I hate about the way our society has developed. We all want to see what happens, but from a distance. No one wants to get his hands dirty, so everyone waits for someone else to clean up.

    It drives me nuts. I think you handled it perfectly. I think that in situations like that it's often the person that doesn't know what to do that has to tell the people who do know to do it. People look for leaders. We either naturally fall into that role, or we wait to be told what to do.

    Next time don't be shy, and start giving orders!!

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  7. Man. I am totally useless in these types of situations. Usually, I just burst into tears. You seem much more calm and collected.

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  8. I think it would be different in a "real" emergency. I guess everyone just figured that since the lady was conscious and able to make her own decisions that it was NBD.

    I'm glad you found her though :-)

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  9. I think you did great. I have to confess that I believe I am a "freezer" in the face of emergency. The few near instances I've been in (nothing life threatening), I have not had a stellar performance, but I don't know how you go about improving how you react.

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  10. gosh! i haven't seen a real emergency in a while, but it has been my observation that most people help. MOST.

    but it doesn't happen every time and thats scary.

    you did the right thing :)

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  11. I find it odd that we chat all day long, every day, and I had no idea that this happened yesterday. I guess all of my "I WANT TO GO HOOOOOOME" and "tee hee! boy!" gets in the way. I'm so self-absorbed!

    But cheers to you, because I am absolutely useless in any sort of medical emergency. Doubly so if it involves choking and/or vomiting. Then I just start having a panic attack in the corner.

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  12. I've been in similar situations before and my heart absolutely stops and I feel totally lost about what to do. I think you did the right thing and thank goodness it wasn't anything life-threatening.

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  13. That's why I love our "Forced" first aid classes in Germany...well, BACK in the day when I took driver's ed in Germany, we had to take two full Saturdays of first-aid where we learned everything from CPR to how to bandage a broken limp, an open wound, how to remove a helmet off a motorcyclist after an accident without making it worse (my advice, if the person is breathing, don't touch the fucking helmet...I definitely broke the volunteers neck) and so on and so forth.
    It gives me much more confidence these days...and I have used my skills once in a horrible accident where a person had a open jaw fracture and couldn't breath....it was scary but amazing to know that he's still alive because I was there to help.

    I bet Torsten had to take those classes too....some are better than others, but mine were kick ass.

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  14. i'm actually one of the Order Givers and Decision Makers in emergency situations. i have no idea why - it doesn't seem to go with the rest of my personality, really - but it just happens.

    unless it's my OWN emergency, i mean. then i'm useless :-)

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  15. I hope you don't have to find out either. I tend to bulldoze through stressful situations so I'd likely be the one barking orders. Maybe that's why I am a good apartment manager? While I don't welcome emergency situations, I operate well in them. Except when I've cracked open my own head. Then, forget it. Don't listen to me!

    It was nice of you to help her. Somebody get the peas! :-)

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  16. It was very nice of you to be one to help her. :) I think so many people freeze or wait for others to fix a situation like this. It's like when you read stories about people being killed or having a heart attack in public and dying and there were people around who just watched it happen. I mean, what is THAT?!
    I could totally visualize this entire story by the way. You write so well. :)

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  17. I would've been frightened too.. I had an accident at work once in which I needed an ambulance, so I think seeing all that would've just conjured up those thoughts.

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  18. You did great responding...and a bag of frozen peas makes an excellent ice pack!

    Because our office receives funds from the state health dept. we are required to be first aid/CPR certified. The first aid certification is good for 3 years and the CPR has to be renewed annually. It might be a good idea to recommend that the Red Cross come and do the training in your office -- maybe representatives from each department could do it so the next time a person is found in a heap on the bathroom floor there isn't so much chaos.

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  19. I found out. And it sucks. I was at Sunday School as a teenager and we were having a service where parents were invited. We roamed the halls while the little kids and their parents were in the service. One of the parents was at the pay phone in the hallway when he collapsed to the floor. An adult who saw it told us to go see if there was a doctor in the house. The woman immediately called 911. The collapsed man was rushed to the hospital. He had had a heart attack. And passed away later that week. In all honesty, you feel completely helpless even though you are doing what's necessary to help the person in need. Does that make sense?

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  20. Wow, good thing that you were there! I think that in a non-critical situation like the one you found yourself in, people tend to over-analyze and try to do "the best thing" rather than react and do what's absolutely necessary and life-saving.

    So I'm sure that in a critical situation you would perform perfectly.

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  21. I think it was a good thing that you were the one to find her, even if you don't think it was. It sounds like you kept a really level head, and I'm sure she appreciated it.

    It's great that you stepped up, and hopefully you'll never have to see how you'd react in a more dire situation. Thank goodness for you, and thank goodness for the person who brought a bag of frozen peas to work, which is...interesting, to say the least!

    (I've been reading/lurking for a long time, but I'm going to try to be better at commenting more regularly.)

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  22. I think you did well. If she'd had a stroke or something I have no doubt that you would have called 911 without hesitation.

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  23. You did a very good job. Those kind of situations are hard.

    Peas are great compared to an ice pack b/c they can easily ice and cover the whole injury.

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  24. Situations like those stink. You don't want to be too pushy, but you want to make sure the injured person gets the care they need...

    I think a rolly chair and frozen peas seemed like a great way to handle it, honestly.

    I always hope I'll just go into autopilot during an emergency, but I am afraid I'll just melt into a puddle of hysterics. Bah.

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  25. I think you did great! And hopefully, in an extreme emergency, someone would take charge. Hopefully.

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  26. You need to give yourself more credit for what you did do, I think.
    But, yes, I know that odd feeling of helplessness... when you aren't sure if you should call 9-1-1, or you are just overreacting.

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  27. i feel like i would be just as scared in an emergency situation too. i took the cpr class offered here at work, and i spent the whole time thinking, "i hope i never have to do this" because i would probably just freeze up.

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  28. Oh, geez. The worst thing is when it's a mild situation but fifty million people are everywhere, offering terrible advice and making everyone panic. In the (pretty much mild) situations I've been in, I've taken about two seconds to be all, "Okay, okay" and then switched to non-thinking mode, just did stuff. Or told people to get away while I did stuff. I don't know why.

    Also, if I had been her, I wouldn't have wanted an ambulance, either. It's just Years without medical insurance have it stamped forever on my brain: NEVER CALL AN AMBULANCE. Workman's comp be damned. I would STILL be worried about it.

    Like when I had an allergic reaction at work and someone found me on the bathroom floor, and the only thing I remember is yelling "NOOOOOOOO" when I heard someone suggest calling an ambulance.

    I think most people don't freeze. Most people just do stuff. Peas and rolling chairs? Brilliant.

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  29. No, really bad emergencies are easier, because you just call 911. I think the hardest ones are this kind, where it's not really life-threatening but SOMETHING needs to be done---and since these things happen so rarely, basically no one has experience or knows what to do.

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  30. There are psychological studies that show in large groups people tend to be less willing to step up and help. I do think the majority of people have the "not my responsibility" mentality, but there are definite exceptions (like you!).
    I think both insurance and lawsuits have made people much more reluctant to intervene, especially if the person is conscious and is able to convey their wishes, for better or for worse (as in this case).
    I would agree with most people here that it is probably easier when it's a clear cut 911 call. Though, I have seen people passed out in the alleys here and always assume 1) they are drunk and/or 2) if I bothered them, they might hurt me. Which is awful because I probably have ignored someone who may have needed help. :(

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  31. Scary, Jess! Glad that you had the presence of mind to help her.

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  32. It is so good that you were there! I'm glad you found her!

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  33. I'm really annoyed with myself that I can't remember the actual word for this, but in my social psych class we learned that people not stepping up to help in large groups is actually standard. It really is the "someone else will handle it" mentality that causes most people to just walk away from the scary situation entirely. It's a shame, but it's true.

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  34. The scary part to me is that it SO depends on the people involved. I've seen people really jump into action, on small things too, and make good, instantaneous decisions (my Dad is AWESOME at this). I do think that when there's a more serious emergency, that people do step up their game, like you say. Because there's less gray area.

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  35. Wow. Well, I certainly hope she's OK, but is it wrong that mainly I'm wondering who in your office brought a bag of frozen peas to work and WHY?

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  36. I'm always the "good in emergencies" girl who has the panic attack afterwards. Useful, but it makes it hard for me to rely on others in my own emergencies.

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  37. I think in a real emergency people do step up their game. Only one thing matters and that's safety. Your instincts were right from the beginning, it sounds like. But the woman was thinking, 'it isn't that bad.' So that complicated things.

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  38. You know, I would hope in a real emergency that people would step up and I'm sure there are some who would but if it were true more often than not, there probably wouldn't be a sociological term for onlooker inaction called "Bystander Apathy" which you've very likely heard of.

    Has your work ever sponsored any kind of first aid training for employees? I have to say it's one very nice thing about my husband working at a hospital - if something happens, there should be SOMEBODY around who knows what they're doing.

    That said, I'm really more intrigued by how a bag of frozen peas every found its way into an OFFICE freezer.

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