Guest Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 HI I just knew this morning was one of those where i should not have gotten out of bed. One member of staff (deputy manager) off on annual leave (which was planned for and okay within numbers) then my senior nursery officer phoned in ill, which meant we are now staff down, great! at 10:15 a tweenie room member of staff came to me saying she wasn't well, she then started to have difficulties to breath, going very red then blue, clutching her chest and eyes rolling, plus being sick... so panic begins to set in and i call for someone to help (not that there is actually that many people around to help, due to us being short staffed) someone comes to help and despite us both trying to calm this staff member down she continued to struggle to breath and kept clutching her chest... she was unable to talk to me at all. so i decided to phone an ambulance.... phoned ambulance and they could not trace our address (which is always useful!), (address has recently been changed,) so i had to direct them.... now lets not forget i am physically shaking (don't do drama well) member of staff nearly passing out and phone line was bad.... once they assertained where we were they assured me an ambulance was on its way. 5 minutes later, sirens blaring an emergency response car turns up followed by ambulance. paramedics walked in (we were in office, which is not hugest room in the world). paramedics moaned about the size of room "it's a bit cramped in here!" ~ well sorry, next time i will move the furniture before i call you then asked this staff members history i explained she suffers asthma , he snapped " well its not an asthma attack she is not wheezing" (hmmm like in my panic i was meant to notice that!!!!) he did checks on this staff member and basically said it was a panic attack... which is fair enough but my god she could hardly breath and was clutching her chest.... i really wondered if i was wrong to phone the ambulance, but in my heart i think i was right........ so that all got my blood pumping, and well shook me up, i was shaking for ages, and felt stupid that it had affected me like that. so it has been one of those day's.... and at the moment i am waiting for my third lot of bad luck to jump up and hit me in the face..... thank god its weekend now... Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rea Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Oh wow Dawn. What a day. Do you or the staff member know what caused the panic attack? Did they take her, or did she go home? Hope she's alright. Presumably this bit of advice is already been observed, but open a bottle of something and put your feet up. The 3rd one cant get you if you're oblivious to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 aparantly the staff member has been suffering with panic attacks recently, although she had not made us aware of this... really not sure what caused it.... someone said it was becuse she had to come to me to ask to go home cos she did not feel well... i am really not that scary honest! and don't generally cause panic attacks in people. to be honest i think it was a combination of her asthma (she said her chest felt tight) and then panic around the fact that her chest felt tight. i have never seen anyone have a panic attack before, so it was scary. she went home with her partner, and as far as i know she is okay. i advised her to see her doctor and discuss her panic attacks with the doctor. no chance of wine tonight, off to a body shop party tonight and am designated driver... Dawn Oh wow Dawn. What a day. Do you or the staff member know what caused the panic attack? Did they take her, or did she go home? Hope she's alright. Presumably this bit of advice is already been observed, but open a bottle of something and put your feet up. The 3rd one cant get you if you're oblivious to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hali Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 oh Dawn do feel for you have had quite a week myself but not as bad as that - try to have as relaxful weekend !!!!! XXXXXXXXXXXXX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shiny Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Well Dawn, thank crunch its Friday!! You did the right thing in calling an ambulance no matter how silly you may have felt after. Just remember you coped in a crisis and the shaking is adrenaline. It keeps you going!! Monday can only get better! Have a good weekend! Shiny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Well I think you done the right thing phoning the ambulance Dawn. Treat yourself to some thing nice tonight and I hope you have a good weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luluj Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 What a day for you Dawn! As a trained nurse now in teaching you did absolutely the right thing! So don't you feel bad. What a dire ambulance crew! Should have been reassuring you. It's Friday now. Put this on the back burner. Your colleague will have been so very grateful for your fast action and won't forget that. luluj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyMaz Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 What a day! It sounds to me that you did exactly the right thing - a panic attack can look (and I guess feel) like a heart attack and you'd need to be a qualified person to tell the difference. Sounds like the ambulance crew could do with some customer service training! Enjoy your weekend Maz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wolfie Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Have a good weekend...not EVERYTHING comes in threes so don't worry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rea Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Sure hope not wolfie, i think i may have put a stone on tonight eating because i cant smoke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Thanks everyone for your reassurance that i did the right thing in phoning an ambulance.... To get over the stresses of today i have been to a body shop party tonight. I enjoyed having my make up done and spent £89 (must be mad!!!) on some lovely make up brushes and make up. have finally learnt how to put make up on properly and it makes me look so different once applied properly. .... so now im slightly broke LOL, but a whole lot less stressed.... amazing what a bit of retail therapy can do for you. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narnia Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 I also think you did the right thing.........................how were you to know it was a panic attack and not a heart attack???But, now you know she is prone to them, here's a tip: keep a supply of paper bags handy, and if it happens again, get her to breath through her mouth in and out of a bag.This really works,and quickly too,so if you were concerned that it was more than 'simple' panic,you could still call an ambulance if she didn't respond rapidly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 I think what you did was sensible, quick thinking. Don't beat yourself up over it. Maybe the ambulance crew were having a bad day.... Anyway hope next week is full of good things! Specially as you'll be looking so beautiful!! AOB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 Hi Dawn Having just completed a first aid refresher course, I think you did the right thing. If somebody with asthma did that to me I'd do exactly the same thing and probably be shaking in my boots at the same time. The ambulance crew should not have spoken to you like that, our first aid trainer said that they are trained to reassure you you did the right thing, even if they don't think so. He also said that the person on the other end of the phone decides whether to send an ambulance, not you, so it was their decision to send an ambulance. We should never be frightened of phoning for an ambulance. Now that you know this member of staff has panic attacks, you can discuss with her the best way to deal with it. The paper bag idea is the correct treatment, so try to get some to keep with your first aid kit. If my memory serves me right, it is the carbon dioxide the person needs which is why breathing into and out of the bag is the thing to do. Panic attacks are frightening, and must be even more so with asthma. Well done for coping so well with the situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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