My mom sent me an email this morning that I think is actually a forward worth sharing, mostly because the reason she sent it is because it hits home for us here. It’s not a bad idea and hopefully it will help some of you in an emergency. I could have used it this weekend.

My accident

You see, Friday my doctor suggested bed rest for me because at 30 weeks I was dilating just a tad. Saturday there was a huge annual event at the hospital for expecting mothers, one in which they were giving away a crib and changing table (which we badly need). I’d been planning it for a month and figured the doctor’s suggestion was just that, and besides, the event was right there at the hospital so if anything were to happen…

I was doing fine, walking around to all the booths, chatting with other women, even took the tour of the maternity floor at the hospital. It was pretty hot that day but I thought nothing of it. I was getting off the elevator in the parking garage to go home when I started to feel dizzy. I’ve had minor dizzy spells for weeks but if I sit down it goes away. This time it didn’t. I didn’t make it to my car before I got sick.

Luckily a security guard was making his rounds of the garage and offered me a ride to the ER. I was going to go on home but I figured I should get checked out just in case. Five minutes later I collapsed in the ER. I got dizzy again but this time it went beyond dizzy. Everything turned black and it felt like I had taken a handful of sleeping pills. The next thing I remember were nurses lifting me onto a stretcher and wheeling me into a room with 4-6 other people and hooking me up to a bunch of wires.

The first thing they asked me after confirming allergies was What is your husband’s phone number? We have new cell phones and I was still a bit out of it. For the first time in my life I wasn’t able to communicate with the emergency professionals trying to help me. They gave me a few minutes to come to and asked me again, and the second time I was able to give them the number, but it was a little scary thinking about if I hadn’t been conscious. How would my husband ever know?

The ICE idea

So my mom forwarded this email which suggests putting “ICE” numbers in your mobile phone’s directory so emergency crew know who to call In Case of Emergency.

If we were to be involved in an accident or were taken ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn’t know who to call. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency? Hence this “ICE” (In Case of Emergency) Campaign.

The concept of “ICE” is catching on quickly. It is a method of contact during emergency situations. As cell phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under the name “ICE” ( In Case Of Emergency).

The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when he went to the scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but they didn’t know which number to call. He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name for this purpose. In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital Staff would be able to quickly contact the right person by simply dialing the number you have stored as “ICE.”

I’m fine now

For friends who may be concerned, it turned out I had heat exhaustion and I’m fine now. I’m aware of the symptoms and I know what to do to prevent a future episode.

And now, in case something does happen between now and delivery, EMS personnel will be able to quickly get a call to my husband at any of his numbers, including his boss’ cell phone I put in there because my husband doesn’t always have his phone with him on the job (construction dust has ruined a few of his phones over the years).

Oh, and I’m listening to the whole bed rest idea, much as I hate it. :) Just a few more weeks and it will all be over — or well, it will just begin!