Arpit Kaushik

September 4, 2022

A sense of time

For some who face a sudden loss or trauma, time freezes. Arrests. Stops.
For me it feels like time is being stretched. All the while
dividing itself into smaller and smaller fragments.
I am leaping inwards, making quantum jumps into each diminishing fragment. 
Becoming a smaller and smaller part of the whole. The whole being
a complete, unaltered sense of my Self. 

To anchor time, I investigate, place markers on that fateful day.

11:21           The accident
11:21           999 call made
11:24          Ambulance dispatched
11:26          Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) team on standby
11:34          Ambulance arrives
11:52          Second seizure on transfer to ambulance. Consciousness lost again. GCS* score=4.
                    SpO2=60%, Heart rate=200 bpm
11:52          HEMS reactivated, team dispatched
12:04         HEMS team arrives, immobilises, intubates, administers TXA**. GCS score=3.
12:37         Departure to hospital
12:51         Reach St. Mary's Hospital

* Glasgow Coma Scale, a measure of consciousness after a brain injury. 15=responsive. 3=completely unresponsive. 
** Tranexamic acid, a medicine that controls bleeding. Can prevent deaths if given within 1-3 hours of injury.