Panic

Something kind of interesting happened yesterday at my class down at the gym. While we were getting ready to start the triceps track I heard a commotion behind me and turned to see a small group of women standing over a lady on the floor who appeared to be having a seizure. Several of us ran over to her, but no one seemed to know what to do, so I jumped in, just as one lady said, "Get her on her back!" I calmly told her that she needs to be on her side, not her back. This was about the time that a gal came over who said she was a doctor.

It is very interesting to watch how people react to an emergency. There was the instructor who ran to the lady and told someone to call 9-1-1. That person ran out to the desk to tell the staff. Several staff people came running in and attempted to take charge of the situation. The manager told our instructor to keep going with the class so most people, after getting a good look, went back to exercising. One lady had her hand on the leg of the seizing woman saying, "Is is epilepsy? Please, God, let her be OK." One gal wanted to put her hand in the ladies mouth to keep her from swallowing her tongue. The staff lady, who apparently is the responder to these types of situations, but seemed to do nothing but talk, tried to tell the doctor not to do a jaw thrust even though that was keeping the ladies airway open.

And the doctor and I just sat calmly as she finished the seizure. I held her up on her side and rubbed her back while the doctor monitored her pulse and maintained her airway. All the while we remained calm and tried to ignore all the panic or not so know-it-alls around us. One gal looked in the ladies purse so we could know her name and see if she had any medical cards with her. Another gal was on her cell phone with 9-1-1 and asked if we knew if she was diabetic. Of course we didn't know. It was an interesting coming together of people who spend 3 days a week in an hour long class together but don't know each other except by facial recognition. It was nice to see how, even though some of it was just panic, everyone stopped what they were doing to come together and help this lady.

By the time the paramedics arrived the lady was awake and not too keen on the idea of going to the hospital. Apparently this happens to her and she even takes medications for it. Mostly I think she was embarrassed by the whole situation. So as we continued to do about a million lunges they loaded this lady up on a gurney and took her out of the room. We all wished her well as they wheeled her out and she tried to not look totally mortified. Poor gal. I hope she won't be too embarrassed to come back to class tomorrow.