We were in a supermarket yesterday. We were in aisle 3 to be precise, treating a patient who was now post-ictal - that basically means he'd had a seizure and was now in the recovery phase which can take quite some time and be quite distressing for the person. I have never personally experienced a seizure but I know from the many I have seen, they can be devastating to the person who does experience them. One minute they are waltzing along, ticking the frozen peas off the shopping list and ..bamm! The next thing the person may realise is that there are strangers standing over them, someone is trying to hold an oxygen mask over their face, they have possibly soiled themselves, they feel really irritable, nauseous or distressed and they are confused and frightened. A pretty ordinary way to wake up in anybody's book.
Yesterday while I was trying to assist this man through his post-ictal period, I'll admit it - I was in everybody's way. Traffic was backed up in aisle 3 all the way to the end of the refrigerated cabinet. Nobody could get through and they had to go ALL THE WAY ROUND to the next aisle to get what they needed to fill their trolley. So to all those people who tut-tutted, sighed and muttered cause you couldn't get past me and my crewmate and the selfish bloke lying on the ground with his head resting on pillow - A pillow! I am sorry we screwed up your shopping experience. I have since spoken to the man an he has promised never to have a seizure in the supermarket again. He will stay indoors from now and make sure he never gets in the way.
To the lady who asked me to pass her the frozen yoghurt, while I was being inconsiderate and taking a blood pressure - I hope you can forgive me - I'm sorry I tut-tutted, sighed and muttered at you. Really I am.
6 comments:
As an ex supermarket employee who ran the First Aid team in a large supermarket for a number of years this is very typical.
On a rare day off colleagues treated a woman who had sustained a massive head injury resulting in plenty of blood everywhere. The aisle was closed and some women demanded that the staff demanded that they get her jelly babies. She had a packet thrown at her and then complained that they were the wrong sort!
Same Same. Worldwide it's the same. Sad, I think, but we're all just an inconvenience to most. Who wants a seriously ill person getting in the way of their TV dinner.
Absolutely incredible. People can be so selfish.
I had a similar one once, someone fitted in the supermarket, postictal and slowly coming round, we weren't quite blocking the aisle, but people were having to shuffle passed. Heard a 'tut' in the background and a "How am I supposed to get my ketchup" at which point my crewmate turned round and say very loudly and clearly "Certainly sir, which brand would you like? The Value range or the quality heinz, may i be so bold as to suggest the Heinz, it is on special offer this week and you can taste the quality....."
I've never seen anyone disappear so fast. lol
Nice. I like it :)
Used to work for a very large supermarket, and rand the H&S team which covered first aid....
Called to woman who had collapsed in the milk aisle....
Got there, found she was about to rest, thanks to lovely agonal breathing...
Called for the defib, and an ambulance... when we attached her she was in VF... as I went to shock her someone climbed over her to get some semi-skimmed then screamed at me that i was in his way... could we not move her, as she was being very inconsiderate...
my boss nearly killed him!
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