We had to go out to a 9am appointment in Plymouth this morning, meaning a 6.30am start to our day. On any holiday day that’d feel harsh but with both of us feeling decidedly dodgy it was pretty grim. DM didn’t even feel up to driving, so I had to step up to the plate and that’s very unusual.
We spent a fairly intense hour with a banker, then popped into a couple of shops, then came home. About half way home, DM said he felt really rough. We carried on but about 6-7 miles from home he asked me to stop the car and said he thought he was about to pass out.
That’s exactly what he proceeded to do. I realised that I had no idea how to help. He was clearly not conscious – his eyes were slits and all I could see was white, his face was twitching and he was sweating profusely. I resorted to doing what I’ve seen people do in films, slapping the back of his hand and calling his name to try to elicit a response. Although he could really have only been out for a maximum of a couple of minutes, probably less than that, it was the longest few moments of my life. I don’t have a mobile phone, at least not one with a charged battery, so I couldn’t call for help. I know our local hospital doesn’t have an emergency unit so taking him there would have been pointless. What if he hadn’t woken up at that moment?
Thinking about it after the event, I wonder if I should have taken him to the local ambulance station, which was only 2-3 minutes drive away? I realise that, had the episode been more serious, my lack of knowledge and ill-preparedness could have proved critical but how do you find out how to deal with these things? Note to self – it’s about time you got this ridiculous mobile phone situation sorted properly, not to mention finding out what to do in a medical emergency.
It's at times like these that you realise that when you were little and you thought your Mum and Dad would be able to answer every question and solve every problem, they didn't and they couldn't! I'm sure they were floundering about in the dark just as much as I am now. The first thing I thought was "what would Mum do?"
