I was at work today with a whole lot of stuff going on! But of course life has a funny way of shaking things up for you. After torquing the crap out of 69 leaking valves that leak by even when shut, which took a lot of Lou power I might add, the guy I was helping starting acting really funny, really strange unexplainable behavior. I had no idea what in the heck was going on. I can only explain it as a drunken state of behavior, and as with most drunks, stubbornness was definitely a symptom here. So what would you do? I had heard this guy was a diabetic, and he wears one of those bracelets that tell the world (mainly EMT's) you are a diabetic. First and foremost it took me like five minutes to figure out something was not right. Secondly since I am the NEW guy, and He, as far as I know is acting like a drunk, I did not want to set him off. Cause....you don't want to make me angry... you wouldn't like me when I'm angry.. So when I finally realized that something had to be done, I was kind of caught in a pinch.
I could:
a.) Go get help leaving someone who is incoherent alone in an industrial atmosphere or......
b.) Call for help somehow
The choice was easy, I opted for the second one. But how in the heck do you call for help, how in the heck do you explain what is going on when you don't know what is going on, how in the heck do you avoid sounding crass and insensitive, how in the heck do you describe your location when you don't know where in the heck you are. I coax the guy into giving me his radio, and I was at loss for words. I wanted to say something like I think this guy is having an episode I am in between this big green machine and some pipes, I need help. This would have gotten the point across but would have probably made the situation worse. Instead I said I need some help getting him to eat his lunch and I said the location (I got lucky with that one I got him as far as something that I had been studying) which got the point across and the location and did not upset the guy. Backup arrived and we almost had to carry him fireman style to the elevator which took forever to get there, seemed like hours, and we went up to the control room where all his goodies were at. It took some coaxing to make him eat, slowly but surely he got better, and after enough of his facilities returned he shot up with insulin ending this whole thing. Did I act properly, did I act quickly enough, is it OK to talk about such things here, will he feel offended if he ever read this (unlikely but possible), is it OK to feel uncomfortable about this whole thing?
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2 comments:
you are absolutely ok to feel a little shaken up by the whole thing. they key here is to understand that your feelings were justified, and to regain your confidence around him. people with disabilities don't really want to be treated differently. you can't ignore it, and you can't talk about it all the time. that's kind of tough to do, but it's possible. so once you feel confident again, just keep having regular conversations with him. when you guys are alright, either you or he will mention it offhandedly, you can recognize it for him, and then you will both go on your merry way.
the guy at the record store yesterday had some speech problem where he has to whisper, and i always thought he had recurring laryngitis, or just didn't like me (because he kept conversation at a minimum) and yesterday, i finally made an offhanded comment about his laryngitis, he cleared it up, and i felt just a little embarrassed before getting over it and making friends. not that we're going out for coffee or anything, but i won't be so concerned next time i shope there to speak to the kids that work there.
enough about me. you did the right thing, and don't feel uncomfortable around him, it'll only make it worse. be friendly and he'll relax too. i also don't think he'd be offended if he read this. if he did, he's a poopy-head that needs to go through chance-and-missy style sensitivity deprogramming like i did.
Thanks so much, I don't necessarily feel uncomfortable as upset that he works under these conditions. He does not need to work, he is retired military. And he does not remember anything during his episodes, so he does not really remember anything. So I just try to understand his condition and recognize it sooner.
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