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Monday 13 August 2012

About Hyperventilation

When we were on our way back to Penang, a guy suddenly felt dizzy and numb on his limbs, although still had conscious, he could not move. Those with first aid skills quickly giving him help by moving him from the back of the bus to the middle which was less bumpy and doing whatever they could so that he could recover from what we thought was motion sickness but his condition was getting worse. The bus then parked beside Petronas petrol station at Bukit Jelutong and we called the ambulance as we had no idea what was wrong to him. After quite a long time the ambulance finally arrived.

People like me who could not give any help just stayed aside and watched (felt so useless). The medical officers gave that guy some check ups calmly and did not immediately send him to the hospital. According to the medical officers, this condition is called hyperventilation. The guy was asked to breath using a paper bag (as we could not find one, plastic bag was used instead). Soon he could move and walk again with the help of friends. I never thought that something serious like that could be recovered using such simple method. There are more to learn in this world.

The followings are my research on internet about hyperventilation:
Symptoms: Numbness, dizziness, lightheadedness, flexor spasms, headache
Reasons: Level of carbon dioxide in blood is too low, causing blood pH value to increase (more alkaline). This is due to stress and anxiety.
How to handle: Control the breathing or use a plastic bag. Send to the hospital if the condition is too serious.  

Reference: Wikipedia

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