Well kinda....

Not really "work" related but at work...

One of the Survey Techs from the Survey Services Lab happened to be walking right behind me as we were both headed to the lab, just a few feet from the door rounding the last corner.  We often joke together and we were doing just that as we rounded the corner when she staggered a little bit and looked like she felt a little faint.  She steadied herself against the wall and then tried again, but then staggered again.  I grabbed her and was about to try and steady her to get her to a chair in the lab or at least get someone's attention from there to bring a chair when she dropped. 

I was able to break her fall and steer it through an open maintenance closet door we had just passed and I don't believe she hit her head but she was not well. We were both on the floor and I got her onto her side and yelled for help.

Her eyes were closing and her breathing was erratic but she kept trying to talk and get up between quiet periods..  A couple of times I had to check if her breathing was still there but it was.  I thought she was going to die.  I yelled for help again and the lab manager heard and came and I had him call 911. She rallied enough to object, weakly.  I reminded her who I was and remembered that I should tell her I was trained and ask permission to help (go me) and then just kept talking to her, trying to keep her attention. She was kind of in and out. I didn't really see an awful lot I could do first-aid-wise, so we lay there and I kept talking to her and holding her. I sent someone for the AED just in case but they didn't know where it was and she seemed to be able to stay awake by then.   But then she started fitting. 

I had someone fetch some cushioning for her head.  I counted 7 fits/seizures.  I had someone time one in case it was relevant. 12 seconds. About half were that length, half a little shorter.  I tried my best to stop her hitting anything or me with her flailing arms, but mostly just waited for them to pass.  I noticed after one episode she was holding tightly onto the leg of a 12 foot metal ladder propped against the wall so I had someone move it. (They nearly dropped it onto us but that's a different kind of scary)  I thought she was going to die.  I kept talking to her, and holding her and the paramedics were actually really quick. 

One of them changed places with me, then after they did  quick assessment of vitals and I gave them a brief description of what happened, they got her up and onto the stretcher, they asked people to clear out of the way, so I did and went and got what I had been heading to the lab for.  as I walked back out of the lab, I realized I was shaking like a leaf and about to cry so I headed back to my cube and called into the office opposite my cube wherein dwells a friendly big cheese with whom I also joke a bit, and she was available to offer kleenex and sympathy while I trashed my eye makeup and got over the shock.

We all know and love this survey tech.  She's worked there forever and always tells new people (in confidence) that it's her birthday, but no-one seems to have remembered (we all get warned in advance of being introduced)

I am proud of myself and I know I did good and probably helped, but I'm writing this because apparently (unsurprisingly) I'm still struggling a bit.  I'm still worried my friend will die.  I don't know how she is.  She really wasn't looking good.  I heard afterwards that she had decided she was going to stop working soon (she's past retirement age and does have health issues, but nothing like this before as far as we know).  She said she wasn't diabetic when I asked and when the first responders asked... but maybe she just didn't know she was... I hope she's ok.  But it turns out I'm not.  yet.  Thanks for listening.

I wish I knew how she was