Oh Lord! I got myself a new nickname! The Fainting Goat…

Our station is located in a strip mall and we have huge windows that are covered by blinds. Me and my partner came back from a call and we saw another truck there so we knew someone was in the station. As I walk into the station and take one step I hear a huge scream in both of my ears. Scared is an understatement. I immediately got dizzy and got a severe pain in my chest. My pulse was beyond rapid. I quickly sat down since I knew that if I didn’t I would pass out very soon. It was a Tyler crew that certainly succeeded pulling a prank on the next person walking in the door. What they didn’t know that the person they were about to scare is a cardiac patient with a pacemaker. Thank GOD I don’t have a defibrillator because it would have fired several times!
The pain in my chest was bad! It was a fun joke, my body just didn’t agree with it. I sat on the floor for a couple of minutes and was helped up on a chair. My body was shaking. I tried my best to say it wasn’t as bad as it was. The guys who did the prank felt really bad but I ensured them that my head thought it was funny, just my body and my heart is not like any other. The pulse was still very high and I became thirsty. I had my water in my bedroom. I had been sitting down for almost 15 minutes in total and thought I could go and get my water. I’ve felt this before even though it wasn’t in connection of being scared this bad.
I stood up, took a couple of steps, aiming to get my water and it all just went black. I went down like a rock. My partner told me that the guys thought I was giving them a prank back but he said “Nope, she is out, you can get the stretcher and the monitor” and went to try to wake me up. The guys saw him sternrub me and I didn’t show a pinch. I guess that scared them pretty bad! After a couple of minutes I finally came back, now with an added headache and a small bump in my head. The expressions on the guys faces… I wish I had the mind to take a picture of them. I felt bad because they felt bad. This was not the way it was suppose to be! So now all the protocols and procedures had to be followed. The guys had to call our regional director and tell what happened. Needless to say it was a couple of laughs and heads shaken. When I came back to normal I was laughing so hard at all this. Of all people in the company they could have pranked they did it on the person that has a syncope syndrome and a weird heart! My partner and I was of course taken out of service and we had to go up to the hospital in Quitman to check me out.

I was fine. It was more embarrassing to have to go in to the ER and explain what happened. But what else can you do then laugh at it? We didn’t do a CT or blood draw even… they did an EKG and it looked fine. My vitals was fine. But the doctor didn’t want to release me to go back to work today. Nope, I had to go home. I was not happy about it! I have missed so much work and used so much PTO lately and another 16 hours was not what I could afford. But it was no point in starting to discuss it. I knew it was in the best interest for both me and the patients. And the dogs were also very happy to see me back home!

Now I at least know what happens if you scare the crap out of me… I don’t recommend to do that again… The prank was fun, I laughed at it and I have no hard feelings against the guys. I will take my new nickname “The Fainting Goat” aka “Goat” with an honor! Another chapter in the life of EMS that will never be forgotten!