Monday, March 21, 2005
Queen of the Social Security Office
I lost my Social Security card a couple of weeks ago. BLEAH! :-p What a pain in the ass to get a new one! So after much procrastination, I finally designated this the official "Get a new Social Security Card come hell or high water" day.
I rolled out of bed, threw some clothes on, grabbed my book and went down to the Social Security office. I got there 15 minutes before the office opened and there was a good 30 people in front of me. I sighed and resigned myself to a big chunk of my day being spent in this office.
I sat down and got engrossed in my book (Alice Sebold's "The Lovely Bones"). I was brought back to the real world hearing a man saying, "Miss! Miss! Are you OK, miss?" I turned around and saw that one of the Security Guards was holding on to a young woman and trying to prevent her rigid body from falling. I quickly turned the chair next to me around and the Security Guard lowered her down to the chair. After making eye contact with me and seeing that I would take care of the girl, the Security Guard went back to his post to call the paramedics.
I was thinking back on my very limited medical knowledge and trying to see if I could figure out if she was diabetic, having a stroke or having a petit mal seizure. I was talking softly to her and I looked down at the papers she had in her hand and saw that her name was Shaundra. I was rubbing her back and calling her by her name as I tried to explain where she was and what was going on. After a few minutes, she began to speak. I asked her if there was anybody we could call. She declined saying there was nothing anyone could do. She just had seizures from time to time. The Security Guard approached again after he got off the phone with the paramedics. She told him she didn't need them to come as there was nothing they could do. The Security Guard told her they were coming anyway, just to make sure she was OK.
I continued to talk to the woman and finally thought to introduce myself. "My name is Joan, by the way." "My friends call me Queen." she replied with a sweet smile. I continued to talk to her about things having nothing to do with what just happened because I sensed that she was mortified that this had happened in front of so many people. I asked her about the fragrance she was wearing and couldn't help but chuckle when she said it was called "Lick Me All Over." She pulled out the small bottle from her purse and explained that she also liked a fragrance called "Wet Kisses."
Finally the paramedics arrived and they checked her out. She was fully out of the fog that seizures tend to put you in and answered all of their questions quickly and correctly. I was silently E.S.P-ing the EMT's to notice that she was there alone and was holding car keys in her hand. She and the paramedics went into a back office and I didn't see either of them again.
I silently sent up a prayer for Queen. I hope that someone noticed that a seizure prone person was driving so that she is never able to hurt herself of someone else as a result.
Take care, Queen. Know that some random woman at the Social Security office really does care.
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I rolled out of bed, threw some clothes on, grabbed my book and went down to the Social Security office. I got there 15 minutes before the office opened and there was a good 30 people in front of me. I sighed and resigned myself to a big chunk of my day being spent in this office.
I sat down and got engrossed in my book (Alice Sebold's "The Lovely Bones"). I was brought back to the real world hearing a man saying, "Miss! Miss! Are you OK, miss?" I turned around and saw that one of the Security Guards was holding on to a young woman and trying to prevent her rigid body from falling. I quickly turned the chair next to me around and the Security Guard lowered her down to the chair. After making eye contact with me and seeing that I would take care of the girl, the Security Guard went back to his post to call the paramedics.
I was thinking back on my very limited medical knowledge and trying to see if I could figure out if she was diabetic, having a stroke or having a petit mal seizure. I was talking softly to her and I looked down at the papers she had in her hand and saw that her name was Shaundra. I was rubbing her back and calling her by her name as I tried to explain where she was and what was going on. After a few minutes, she began to speak. I asked her if there was anybody we could call. She declined saying there was nothing anyone could do. She just had seizures from time to time. The Security Guard approached again after he got off the phone with the paramedics. She told him she didn't need them to come as there was nothing they could do. The Security Guard told her they were coming anyway, just to make sure she was OK.
I continued to talk to the woman and finally thought to introduce myself. "My name is Joan, by the way." "My friends call me Queen." she replied with a sweet smile. I continued to talk to her about things having nothing to do with what just happened because I sensed that she was mortified that this had happened in front of so many people. I asked her about the fragrance she was wearing and couldn't help but chuckle when she said it was called "Lick Me All Over." She pulled out the small bottle from her purse and explained that she also liked a fragrance called "Wet Kisses."
Finally the paramedics arrived and they checked her out. She was fully out of the fog that seizures tend to put you in and answered all of their questions quickly and correctly. I was silently E.S.P-ing the EMT's to notice that she was there alone and was holding car keys in her hand. She and the paramedics went into a back office and I didn't see either of them again.
I silently sent up a prayer for Queen. I hope that someone noticed that a seizure prone person was driving so that she is never able to hurt herself of someone else as a result.
Take care, Queen. Know that some random woman at the Social Security office really does care.
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