Dismissed as a drunk

[bus man 10]

Well done I was in Pub. In London when it was noticed the drunk in the corner was actually having a Stroke

[woodmally 10]

The number of people who automatically assume that someone is drunk when there are dozens of medical conditions (some of them very urgently needing medical attention) which can mimic the same behaviours is quite astonishing. Many of them should have enough medical knowledge, like police officers, to not make those assumptions but sadly they do.

 

A friend's son ended up in a coma when police officers ignored his medic alert bracelet and neck chain and just assumed he was drunk when he was actually having a hypo. Thankfully he did recover once they finally got him to hospital hours later, but he should never have been put in a cell in the first place.

 

However Medusa its understandable not many people come to peoples aid. As if it is a drunk the good samaritan may get attacked. Not all drunks are friendly. In this day and age with knives etc people cannot be too careful.

[blubell63 10]

Well done you, I bet 50 percent of out police officers these days would have drove past and dismissed him as drunk.

[Lobos 10]

I was once in causality a few years ago when this big bloke with a beard and covered in tattoos came in on a stretcher he was effin and jeffin trying to walk and falling all over the place,he was a very frightening looking bloke and looked to every one like he was as drunk as hell...the next thing this little nurse came in and started shouting at him saying you need to control this and this will have to stop like as though she knew him real well, she rolled his sleeve up and gave him injection it seemed to take a few minutes and he just changed into this sort of quite apoplectic bloke..apparently he was a diabetic who was not very good at controlling it...he could have easily been mistaken for a drunk.

[Nicotrod 10]

I had a mortifying situation a few months back. I have a medical condition that can make me really nauseous and black out. I usually recognise the symptoms coming on so can sit down/ get somewhere safe. But evening I got off the tram at Middlewood having finished work and was hit by nausea. I ended up being sick by the wall and had to grip to a lamp post to avoid passing out. A woman walked past and hit me with her umbrella, hissing, "you young drunkards deserve to rot in hell!"

 

That upset me far more than feeling ill!

 

Thank you for trying to see the bigger picture Loxley. Health conditions can be so embarrassing because you know that some people will misinterpret what is happening.

[blubell63 10]

shame you couldn't grab the umbrella and ram it straight up her jacksee!

[geared 299]

Well done I was in Pub. In London when it was noticed the drunk in the corner was actually having a Stroke

 

Thats a really good spot

Bet you damn near saved the persons life.

[loxleylovely 10]

This incident has really distressed me this week...I know I'm not family or anything to do with this man, but to know if he is ok and put my mind at rest would be good.

[euclid 10]

The number of people who automatically assume that someone is drunk when there are dozens of medical conditions (some of them very urgently needing medical attention) which can mimic the same behaviours is quite astonishing.

A friend's son ended up in a coma when police officers ignored his medic alert bracelet and neck chain and just assumed he was drunk when he was actually having a hypo.

 

My wife who is a type1 diabetic.. (insulin dependant)..had a "Hypo" near the library in Kiveton Park a few years ago,as there is a pub nearby some onlookers thought she had been drinking and laughed at her because she was staggering about..(she remembered this before she collapsed)..,she staggered into the library car park and fell to the floor,luckily there were two ladies there who knew her and of her condition,they stayed with my wife until i fetched her...i only wish she had known the identity of the morons who laughed..thanks again ladies

[Minimo 59]

Some months ago I got off the freebee (remember them?) and was confronted by a young man laid out on the ground. It was middle of the day on Norfolk St, loads of people around and walking past, not one of whom made any effort to check on him. Or at the very least to call 999 for help.

 

It was only when I stopped and tried to rouse the chap without success, that others also came to help, including someone who was a medical student. I have no idea if the man was ill, drunk, drugged or what, as he was taken off in an ambulance, and of course we have no right to any information, as LL found.

 

Being afraid to go near someone acting strangely is no excuse for not at least calling

for help for the person.

 

Just think what you would hope for if it was you in trouble.

[woodmally 10]

Some months ago I got off the freebee (remember them?) and was confronted by a young man laid out on the ground. It was middle of the day on Norfolk St, loads of people around and walking past, not one of whom made any effort to check on him. Or at the very least to call 999 for help.

 

It was only when I stopped and tried to rouse the chap without success, that others also came to help, including someone who was a medical student. I have no idea if the man was ill, drunk, drugged or what, as he was taken off in an ambulance, and of course we have no right to any information, as LL found.

 

Being afraid to go near someone acting strangely is no excuse for not at least calling

for help for the person.

 

Just think what you would hope for if it was you in trouble.

 

Oh absoloutly yes I have no problem with calling for help I just understand why people would not go up to them in this state. As they are worried they might put themselves at risk.

[Dozer 13]

Oh absoloutly yes I have no problem with calling for help I just understand why people would not go up to them in this state. As they are worried they might put themselves at risk.

 

This might help: I had first aid training at a former workplace from a paramedic based in an urban setting. They too know to be careful when approaching a person laid out in the street. They acknowledged that if you approach a stranger laid out on the ground and do the natural thing -- bend down over their face, gently shake their shoulder, and ask if they need help --you could get hit, slapped, or spit on depending on whether they are drunk, suffering delusions, or on drugs.

 

Instead, what the paramedics do is this. They approach them from the other side, and GENTLY use their own feet to tap the victim's feet, like a very gentle kick to the sole of their shoe, and ask them how they're doing. If the prone person is alert enough to answer they will, and if they lash out (intentionally or not), you'll be well away.

 

It's good to know there's a choice between putting yourself at risk and just walking on by.