Unconscious Girl
I had the other day off, and went to get my teeth cleaned in the morning. So I decided to turn a few laps at the gym afterwards. Everything was going fine while in the pool, as I was taking it nice and slow - I had just had a coffee and a little health bar - when I glanced over at the two women who were playing with their two 6-7 year old girls.
The girl's head was limp.
I thought, Holy Shit I sure hope that kid is playing. She was on her mother's (Or who I thought to be her mother) back in the water, and her head was sort of hanging without muscle tone. The mother lifted her up out of the water by both hands and looked at her with wide eyes and increasing panic, and looked over at me.
I had just come up from a lap and was clearing my goggles when I noticed them, so I watched her hold up the girl, look at me and start screaming for help. The last I saw before I dove under the two lap lanes seperating us was the woman waving one arm for help, and carrying the girl away from me towards the edge of the pool.
We arrived at the edge at about the same time, and the life guard was lifting her out of the water as the woman and I were jumping out. I'm not too sure about that since I was myself getting out of the water, and thinking she will definately need CPR. It could be the woman lifted her out and the lifeguard had just gotten there.
I turned to the victim who was on her back, and the mother was doing something like shaking her and yelling OMIGOD OMIGOD OMIGOD. Seeing that there was a lifeguard at the girl's head, I simply said to the woman, "Please step away from her". She looked up at me with wild panic and anger in her eyes, but she sure did get out of the way fast. So I knelt where she was (next to the girl) and told the lifeguard I knew CPR. He looked at me, and I could tell he was shortcircuiting between running for help, yelling for help, trying to remember cpr procedures, putting on rubber gloves (one was half on his right hand, making it useless), putting a towel under her head - everything. This guy was thinking so fast it was all jammed up between his brain and his actions and his hands were doing like five things at once, but nothing at the same time.
Looking at the girl's face reminded me of work - a patient under anesthesia without a tube in. Her eyes were rolled up and her tongue was sort of pushing out between her clenched teeth. Her chest was not moving. I'll never forget the way she looked, soaking, dripping wet skinny little girl flat on her back on the cold wet tiles, arms limp and feet still dangling over the edge of the pool. I can look back and see why one of the bazillion tasks the lifeguard was doing was trying to put a towel under her head - she looked unnatural and injured. Maybe when he pulled her out real fast and set her down she nailed her head on the tiles, and that spooked him. In that splint second of observance, the only thing that I emotionally felt for her was, SHE IS FUCKED.
I said to the lifeguard, "Are you going to give a rescue breath?", and he answered with a sudden flourish of hands to the girls face. He was in the position for a jaw lift, and I wasn't, yet he wasn't doing it. My mind was in a tug of war over whether to take over and tell him to back off like I did the mother, or just let him work through his rescue.
Meanwhile, I think the mother was going for a world record in 10 foot laps around us on a wet surface in barefeet, occasionally saying stuff like, "Let's call 911, or do something or we need help." Totally worthless bullshit
Not understanding why her mouth was clamped shut or what the guard was doing, I pulled her chin down and there was a loud vaccuum sound. There must have been a huge amount of negative pressure in her airway, and that just broke the seal. Air rushed right into her lungs, and releif spread over me. No coughing, no throwing up, just normal breathing. I said, "she's breathing", and her eyes came down but were not focusing. I told the guard to hold her mouth open, and he did so with his semi-gloved hand.
I asked the woman if she had a history of seizures - I managed to discern a look of fear and bewilderment on the blur that was the woman. She obviously didn't realize the girl was breathing and back in the world of the living, or thought she was still in trouble, because she didn't tone down her level of panic one bit. I looked down and could see water droplets move on the girl's lips and her chest rising and falling, and I thought, "That was close", at least now I can finish my laps.
The gravity of the situation did sink in when I stood up and saw the mother sprinting out of the pool area and into the exercise area (there are big windows connecting the two) and jump up and down screaming something. Her hands were waving wildly, and for a second I thought, how embarassing for her, and what an idiot she is. She is wet and practically naked and jumping up and down and everything a woman is usually so careful to hide or accent or whatever is jiggling and bouncing and looking terrible. Suddenly I felt bad for her and realized this is one of the scariest events of her life, and she had no inkling of what she was wearing or where she was. She just knew that in the other room was her dying girl and two strangers were kneeling over her dead looking body and talking. And the room she was in was full of people who might have one of those shocker things or be a doctor or drive an ambulance. Forget swimming at all now. Looking at the woman and then at the girl now across the pool made me guilty and feel like a jerk for even thinking about swimming more.
A steady line of patrons and trainers came running into the pool area. I was going to try and call the front desk since everyone running in was running to the girl. All I could say is, "she's breathing", and everyone in the running line repeated it. I couldn't figure out how to call the front desk, but someone came over and instead called 911. I decided to go home.
The weird thing was, there were still people in the pool when I left doing laps, and kids playing. I didn't see the other woman with the other kid the whole time, and there was no help until the woman ran into the workout room and started screaming her head off.
Looking back, I don't know if she had a seizure or if she was a drowning victim. I have never seen an unconscious swimmer before, but am still puzzled over why her teeth were shut so tight.
What got me thinking later was everybody's different reactions. The lifeguard was muddling through shock and confusion, but was working in the right direction. The other people in the pool were not aware or 100% stunned into staring at a movielike drama unfolding before them, and the mother was totally and completely out of her mind with panic. I hope if anything like that ever happens to my wife or daughter, I don't act like that. It was spooky - she needed an ambulance about as bad as the girl. I can't say I did the right thing either. I certainly don't remember thinking through a flowchart of procedures. The things I said were more instinct than rational thought, or training more likely. Her mouth being shut stymied me, as a "look, listen, feel" for breaths was screwed up. I just remember thinking she wasn't breathing due to her motionless chest, closed teeth, and rolled up eyes. I am not sure if I would have given a rescue breath if I didn't hear and see her suddenly start to breath, at least it wasn't on my mind at the time. Maybe I would have, or the guard would have, but the mother sure wasn't about to.
Anyway, all's well that ends well.
My mom called the next day to say it was in the paper - a statement from the Emergency respone guy was as follows," a 6 year old girl was found at the bottom of the pool, and was recovered by the lifeguard who administered first aid until emergency medical services arrived."
The girl's head was limp.
I thought, Holy Shit I sure hope that kid is playing. She was on her mother's (Or who I thought to be her mother) back in the water, and her head was sort of hanging without muscle tone. The mother lifted her up out of the water by both hands and looked at her with wide eyes and increasing panic, and looked over at me.
I had just come up from a lap and was clearing my goggles when I noticed them, so I watched her hold up the girl, look at me and start screaming for help. The last I saw before I dove under the two lap lanes seperating us was the woman waving one arm for help, and carrying the girl away from me towards the edge of the pool.
We arrived at the edge at about the same time, and the life guard was lifting her out of the water as the woman and I were jumping out. I'm not too sure about that since I was myself getting out of the water, and thinking she will definately need CPR. It could be the woman lifted her out and the lifeguard had just gotten there.
I turned to the victim who was on her back, and the mother was doing something like shaking her and yelling OMIGOD OMIGOD OMIGOD. Seeing that there was a lifeguard at the girl's head, I simply said to the woman, "Please step away from her". She looked up at me with wild panic and anger in her eyes, but she sure did get out of the way fast. So I knelt where she was (next to the girl) and told the lifeguard I knew CPR. He looked at me, and I could tell he was shortcircuiting between running for help, yelling for help, trying to remember cpr procedures, putting on rubber gloves (one was half on his right hand, making it useless), putting a towel under her head - everything. This guy was thinking so fast it was all jammed up between his brain and his actions and his hands were doing like five things at once, but nothing at the same time.
Looking at the girl's face reminded me of work - a patient under anesthesia without a tube in. Her eyes were rolled up and her tongue was sort of pushing out between her clenched teeth. Her chest was not moving. I'll never forget the way she looked, soaking, dripping wet skinny little girl flat on her back on the cold wet tiles, arms limp and feet still dangling over the edge of the pool. I can look back and see why one of the bazillion tasks the lifeguard was doing was trying to put a towel under her head - she looked unnatural and injured. Maybe when he pulled her out real fast and set her down she nailed her head on the tiles, and that spooked him. In that splint second of observance, the only thing that I emotionally felt for her was, SHE IS FUCKED.
I said to the lifeguard, "Are you going to give a rescue breath?", and he answered with a sudden flourish of hands to the girls face. He was in the position for a jaw lift, and I wasn't, yet he wasn't doing it. My mind was in a tug of war over whether to take over and tell him to back off like I did the mother, or just let him work through his rescue.
Meanwhile, I think the mother was going for a world record in 10 foot laps around us on a wet surface in barefeet, occasionally saying stuff like, "Let's call 911, or do something or we need help." Totally worthless bullshit
Not understanding why her mouth was clamped shut or what the guard was doing, I pulled her chin down and there was a loud vaccuum sound. There must have been a huge amount of negative pressure in her airway, and that just broke the seal. Air rushed right into her lungs, and releif spread over me. No coughing, no throwing up, just normal breathing. I said, "she's breathing", and her eyes came down but were not focusing. I told the guard to hold her mouth open, and he did so with his semi-gloved hand.
I asked the woman if she had a history of seizures - I managed to discern a look of fear and bewilderment on the blur that was the woman. She obviously didn't realize the girl was breathing and back in the world of the living, or thought she was still in trouble, because she didn't tone down her level of panic one bit. I looked down and could see water droplets move on the girl's lips and her chest rising and falling, and I thought, "That was close", at least now I can finish my laps.
The gravity of the situation did sink in when I stood up and saw the mother sprinting out of the pool area and into the exercise area (there are big windows connecting the two) and jump up and down screaming something. Her hands were waving wildly, and for a second I thought, how embarassing for her, and what an idiot she is. She is wet and practically naked and jumping up and down and everything a woman is usually so careful to hide or accent or whatever is jiggling and bouncing and looking terrible. Suddenly I felt bad for her and realized this is one of the scariest events of her life, and she had no inkling of what she was wearing or where she was. She just knew that in the other room was her dying girl and two strangers were kneeling over her dead looking body and talking. And the room she was in was full of people who might have one of those shocker things or be a doctor or drive an ambulance. Forget swimming at all now. Looking at the woman and then at the girl now across the pool made me guilty and feel like a jerk for even thinking about swimming more.
A steady line of patrons and trainers came running into the pool area. I was going to try and call the front desk since everyone running in was running to the girl. All I could say is, "she's breathing", and everyone in the running line repeated it. I couldn't figure out how to call the front desk, but someone came over and instead called 911. I decided to go home.
The weird thing was, there were still people in the pool when I left doing laps, and kids playing. I didn't see the other woman with the other kid the whole time, and there was no help until the woman ran into the workout room and started screaming her head off.
Looking back, I don't know if she had a seizure or if she was a drowning victim. I have never seen an unconscious swimmer before, but am still puzzled over why her teeth were shut so tight.
What got me thinking later was everybody's different reactions. The lifeguard was muddling through shock and confusion, but was working in the right direction. The other people in the pool were not aware or 100% stunned into staring at a movielike drama unfolding before them, and the mother was totally and completely out of her mind with panic. I hope if anything like that ever happens to my wife or daughter, I don't act like that. It was spooky - she needed an ambulance about as bad as the girl. I can't say I did the right thing either. I certainly don't remember thinking through a flowchart of procedures. The things I said were more instinct than rational thought, or training more likely. Her mouth being shut stymied me, as a "look, listen, feel" for breaths was screwed up. I just remember thinking she wasn't breathing due to her motionless chest, closed teeth, and rolled up eyes. I am not sure if I would have given a rescue breath if I didn't hear and see her suddenly start to breath, at least it wasn't on my mind at the time. Maybe I would have, or the guard would have, but the mother sure wasn't about to.
Anyway, all's well that ends well.
My mom called the next day to say it was in the paper - a statement from the Emergency respone guy was as follows," a 6 year old girl was found at the bottom of the pool, and was recovered by the lifeguard who administered first aid until emergency medical services arrived."
posted by All Rounder | 1:35 PM
1 Comments:
This is an amazing story. But totally not surprising when I know it's Jason that saved the day. I've seen you do it on more than one occasion before and know you'd be able to do it again.
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