Got hit in the forehead by the corner of a shopping trolley. I don't know
how that happened as I didn't see it, although judging by the height of the
girl and the trolley, I could well imagine that Mum was driving the the
trolley, and due to little girl running, trolley being difficult to steer
(as they often are) and perhaps Mum being distracted, Mum drove the trolley
into the girl.

The mother, understandably, was hysterical. I would have been too - the
girl's face was covered in red sticky blood, and there was blood all over
the place. My blouse is thick in the stuff. Not something I ever want to
deal with again, given the choice. I pray I never have to.

Yowie

Calm on the *outside* only!. I really just wanted to cry as well, but crying
wouldn't have helped, and there was time for that afterwards (and I did)

The only bummer is that in the melee, Joel's glasses got stepped on and the
frames are beyond repair (I was getting the nose support pad thingies
replaced for him). Joel has to have tungsten frames because he's allergic to
normal metals, so new frames will cost a fair whack. But we can afford it,
and I wouldn't want to know anyone who stopped to worry about a pair of
glasses (or indeed purse and keys) when there was two people in need of
urgent assistance. Someone, dunno who, picked up my purse and keys and gave
them to a staff member, and I found the glasses where I'd left them (albeit
stepped on).

But if I had stopped to think about material things or indeed, anythign
other than their needs, I wouldn't have been in a shopping mall in just my
bra, let alone having left my purse and keys where they landed. I didn't
even stop to think about taking off my top, or dropping purse and keys and
glasses. I just did what needed to be done. To do anything else would have
been absolute callousness to an unforgivable degree, IMHO. I couldn't have
lived with myself.

I mean, what other choice was there? I didn't even put on gloves like they
tell you to in all the first aid courses because any delay was
innappropriate. Indeed, alot of things that should have been done "by the
book" I didn't do, not because I didn't think about them (well, except for
the gloves, that thought occured alot later), but rather, the situation was
such that "the book" wasn't going to work.

Eg, I couldn't wrap her head in a bandage, she just kept taking it off. I
couldn't treat either for shock which I should have, because both Mum &
child wanted to hold each other and it would have been stupid to insist they
lie down, and the only thing to lie down on was a solid hard tiled floor
anyway. I wanted to clean the child's face so there wasn't so much dry
sticky blood everywhere, but didn't have anything much to clean it with, and
she was getting visibliy upset every time I tried to pull her away from her
mother, so in the end, I just stood there, bent over with my hand holding a
pad to her forehead, with her head buried in her mothers chest, giving them
both as much reassurance and well, love, as I could.

it wasn't "by the book" but I have talked to my first aid trainer (via an
amazing coincidence, I ran into him only an hour afterwards) and he said I
did everything perfectly, even though it wasn't "by the book", first aid is
about making hte best of the situation as you can call it, not necessarilly
following the rules strictly. Insisting a Mum and injured kid should be
seperated is *not* in the best interest of either, and it would have just
added to the trauma had I tried to do so.

He also thought it was pretty cool of me I was prepared to take off my top
in a public place for the sake of someone else. But you know what? I wasn't
embarassed at all. Why should I have been? I still don't understand how that
could have possibly crossed my mind. I also don't understand why anyone else
wouldn't have done it too. Like, whats the big deal anyway, injured kid in
need of urgent help versus boobs on show. Absolutely no contest. Shame on
those people who would think twice, twice about the boobs, or purse, or
glasses. They don't have their priorities straight.

Yowie
(sorry, think the above was a bit of a rant)

The only kind of "medicine" I can carry as a substitute teacher is
Band-aids.  I can't even dispense a cough drop, though I've winked at that
rule a couple of times and given them out as a "piece of candy" to the
hopelessly coughing.  The Band-Aids and cotton balls I carry as part of my
teaching "kit" have come in handy a lot of times.

I understand why I can't give out medicines, but sometimes the rules are
ridiculous, as in cough drops.

Pam S.

Good grief Yowie - that's awesome (literally - you have inspired awe
in me!).  I'm so, so impressed.  I have a first aid certificate, but
I'm really not sure I would have the presence of mind to act as
quickly and appropriately as you did.  Fantastic!

Tish

Yeah, a pet first aid course and and even a pet ambulance service would be
great. However, I can't imagine trying to apply pressure to a wound on an
animal, especially not Shmogg or IBKFergus. They'd have my hand off first.

Perhaps Mischief can give us lay people some handy pet first aid tips?

Yowie

Isn't it surprising what you will do when you have to?  I liked to say that
when our dog Taffee was born, the first breath in her lungs came out of
mine.  I'd never seem anything more that the Disney 101 Dalmatian movie but
when she didn't breathe I'd have tried anything.  Took me almost ten minutes
to get her going.

Jo

I never understood how a woman could pass out at the sight of blood
... does the sight of your own menstrual blood simply not have the
same effect?