Who to be sitting next to if you may be having a heart attack

[anothersam]

My wife, as it turns out.

This morning the man next to her on the train started complaining of shortness of breath, chest pains, and other things you shouldn't ignore. It even got to the point he told her "Tell my wife and kids I love them." She did her best to calm him down, attracted the attention of station personnel (the train had pulled in at this point), and… they couldn't react slowly enough. One of them even asked the guy "Have you had a heart attack before?" which is just a dandy thing to say to someone to lower their blood pressure. She had to be persistant to push people to get a move on and finally an ambulance appeared to take him away. She's still a little shaken up about it.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Good stuff! Wish she had been around when I had the same.
Hopefully a man will be safe and warm in the bosom of his family tonight very thankful to a stranger on a train.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

What a star Mrs AS. Well done

 

[Globalti]

In Jordan I was invited to a party by some Palestinian friends and while chatting I idly wondered what everybody present did for a living. It was explained to me that most were doctors and several were heart specialists, which is common amongst Palestinians who are generally well-educated people. When I quipped: "Great place to have a heart attack!" the place erupted with laughter - I don't think the Palestinians share the same brand of dark humour that you find in England.

 

[ScotiaLass]

Well done Mrs AS.
A heart event can present with many symptoms and not just the classic ones.
I find this lack of urgency all too common. Perhaps if it was their relative in distress they would move a bit quicker!

 

[anothersam]

The funny (not ha ha funny) thing is, she was on her way to the doctor's because she's poorly herself right now. I guess a kind of triage went on in her brain: I'm feeling incredibly lousy, but I'm peachy compared to you right now…

Good stuff! Wish she had been around when I had the same.

A heart attack or the threat of one? I'd like to hear about your experience, only if you don't mind telling it.

 

[siadwell]

Someone I worked with had a suspected heart attack in the office. A colleague rang down to reception to tell them what was going on. They insisted on sending the first aider before calling an ambulance. He turned up with his little green first aid box and fortunately promptly decided the situation was way beyond polo mints so dialled 999.

 

[cd365]

Someone I worked with had a suspected heart attack in the office. A colleague rang down to reception to tell them what was going on. They insisted on sending the first aider before calling an ambulance. He turned up with his little green first aid box and fortunately promptly decided the situation was way beyond polo mints so dialled 999.

Could they not dial 999 them self?

 

[ACS]

Couple of years back whilst on holiday on the Canary Islands a German gentleman collapsed at the end of my sunbed. Got to him and he was showing all the signs of having a heart attack.

Just as I was about to enter panic mode, fearing my knowledge of first aid was going to be totally inadequate not to mention my lack of German language skills, a distinguished looking Gentleman appeared beside me and stated in perfect English, that he was a doctor from Bremen and he thought I could do with some assistance. <understatement>

It turned out that the doctor was a heart specialist and following a short conversation with the wife of the patient, he was not having a heart attack, but an episode caused by a deficiency in potassium due to an extended period of sickness and diarrhoea. Evidently the symptoms are very similar. The patient was taken to the local hospital and returned to the hotel a couple of days later fit and well.

 

[Steady]

Not an easy situation to deal with and so many people (myself included) would have little idea of what to do, first aid should become more of a mandatory thing these days.

An older lady in my street who lives a lone had a heart attack, if it had happened at home she admits herself she'd have been done for, fortunately she'd just gone shopping in a supermarket, an off-duty police man walked in and saw what was happening, and then an ambulance crew who'd stopped for their break.

 

[Saluki]

Well done Mrs @anothersam

I have had to do a bit of first aid before now, on the bus. It shocks me too, how slow people are to react nowadays but they seem very keen to get in the bloody way and have a good gawp with their phones filming away and not calling 999.

I got shouted at by a first aider at a 3 day event once. I was lying on the floor, holding the rein of a very very expensive horse, but my leg was not pointing quite the way that it should have done.
She was yelling at me "I AM A FIRST AIDER WHAT IS YOUR NAME" and "WHERE DOES IT HURT" and "DO YOU HAVE ANY MEDICAL CONDITIONS"
I tried to say that I had a broken leg and wasn't deaf when a nice chap came along to offer assistance. First aider shouted "I AM A QUALIFIED FIRST AIDER". The nice chap said, quite quietly "I am a Consultant from the Norfolk & Norwich Emergency department, please let me know when you decided you need a doctor"
I then answered 'now might be handy'

 

[Profpointy]

Well done Mrs @anothersam

I have had to do a bit of first aid before now, on the bus. It shocks me too, how slow people are to react nowadays but they seem very keen to get in the bloody way and have a good gawp with their phones filming away and not calling 999.

I got shouted at by a first aider at a 3 day event once. I was lying on the floor, holding the rein of a very very expensive horse, but my leg was not pointing quite the way that it should have done.
She was yelling at me "I AM A FIRST AIDER WHAT IS YOUR NAME" and "WHERE DOES IT HURT" and "DO YOU HAVE ANY MEDICAL CONDITIONS"
I tried to say that I had a broken leg and wasn't deaf when a nice chap came along to offer assistance. First aider shouted "I AM A QUALIFIED FIRST AIDER". The nice chap said, quite quietly "I am a Consultant from the Norfolk & Norwich Emergency department, please let me know when you decided you need a doctor"
I then answered 'now might be handy'

to be fair I seem to remember being told to announce forcefully (maybe not shout) "I am a first aider" or ahoudl that be "I AM A FIRST AIDER" and add in a bit of adrenaline bearing in mind most of us (once qualified way back then) first aiders are not often called upon - then you get the "oh fark" moment "I'm supposed to do something" bit you can't quite remember what

 

[Globalti]

My sister and BIL were at a classical concert in a cathedral when a very large gentleman, who had arrived late stressed and sweating after having trouble finding a parking place, suddenly keeled over with a heart attack. Both sis and BIL are former ICU nurses (they met over a patient) so they set to work on the poor bloke, who, unfortunately, they weren't able to save. He was taken away by an ambulance crew and at the end of the evening sis and BIL got applause from the audience for their efforts. More recently I saw her in action in a posh restaurant when a lady keeled over with an epileptic fit.

 

[Tin Pot]

to be fair I seem to remember being told to announce forcefully (maybe not shout) "I am a first aider" or ahoudl that be "I AM A FIRST AIDER" and add in a bit of adrenaline bearing in mind most of us (once qualified way back then) first aiders are not often called upon - then you get the "oh fark" moment "I'm supposed to do something" bit you can't quite remember what

They don't teach that any more.

 

[siadwell]

Could they not dial 999 them self?

I think the "victim" was feeling too unwell and the colleague was a visitor to the office so didn't know the address etc.
I made a mental not to cut out the middle man next time though.