It's a rarity to work in a pharmacy and find situations where it's necessary to call 911 or "RN stat"... Today, there were two episodes within my six-hour shift.
Lady #1, the tongue lady.
In the chaotic setting of one of the busiest pharmacies in our area, I noticed a lady grasping onto the counter with her head down. Another patient was holding her up from behind and it was obvious she needed some medical attention. Luckily, one of my coworkers also took notice and jumped right over the counter to assist her. We sat the lady down in a chair and she began making awkward noises. Her head kept falling forward and her tongue would droop out of her mouth. She became unresponsive and my coworker had to hold up her head to keep her tongue from blocking her airway passage. I was calm but was freaking out inside... Things happened so quickly, but it seemed like an ETERNITY watching it unfold! The nurses, paramedics, firemen eventually all came in & took her out on a stretcher.
30 minutes later...
Lady #2, the gasping lady.
I wasn't able to witness much, but I just heard loud gasps in the waiting area. I guess this lady wasn't able to breathe properly. She was slumped in a chair, had her eyes closed, and she would take these deep, sharp breaths for air every ~5 secs. At one point, she took a longer break between breaths and she eventually let out a SUPER loud gasp that caused everyone to jump! Again, I was calm, but watched in horror... I thought she was going to stop breathing!!! We had to call for medical attention and the same crew of EMTs and firemen walked in & took her out on a stretcher.
As employees of the pharmacy, we're not trained to give medical attention, but only to call for help. I literally stood there watching; feeling helpless and even embarrassed! It looked like we were just standing there not doing anything to alleviate the situation... We're told it's a liability to get involved, so it's better to let the trained professionals do their job.
I felt so stressed after work tonight. It's draining to see people go through something so traumatic... To see expressions of vulnerability and lifelessness displayed... I hear stories from my nurse-friends (situations that are waaaaay more graphic/extreme), and all I can say is kudos to all you health professionals who have to stomach these situations more often than I. You guys are brave. You guys are my hero.
me: This is insane... I want to get CRP certified- just in case.
coworker #1 (young lady): Let's do it.... but you know, you can't give medical attention unless the person allows you to.
me: What do you mean?
coworker #1: You have to wait until they give you verbal authorization because they can legally sue you if you don't. You have to wait until they're knocked out cold before proceeding.
me: Who would do that?!?!?!?
coworker #2 (old asian man): This would never happen in Asia!
all: hahahhahah!
Seriously, I bet in Asia, people would be grateful for any kind of help (or forced to deal with it). Either that, or they would be whacked unconscious first?? heheh
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