I called 911 for what turned out to be a panic attack
Some context: I have had panic attacks before back when I was in college and grad school. But I have not had one in nearly a decade at this point.
I was home alone and decided to try making a new tofu recipe that I’d found. I had never had tofu before but thought I’d give it a try. About a couple minutes after finishing my dinner, I got a weird head rush like I might pass out. As I was trying to figure out what the heck was wrong with me, my brain was like “omg isn’t tofu soy? and isn’t soy a really common food allergen that you’ve never had before today?” From there, my symptoms of course worsened because I was freaking myself out more. My husband was working late and wouldn’t be home for a few hours. My panic worsened to the point where I felt like I couldn’t breathe, thus solidifying my belief that I was indeed having an anaphylactic reaction.
So I called 911. The dispatcher was very patient and kind! Luckily, even when having a panic attack, I have always been able to present calm outwardly and communicate clearly, so they got someone out to me quickly. First, 3 firefighters showed up. They were also all very kind and as they began checking my oxygen/pulse were able to begin easily de-escalating my anxiety. One of the firefighters joked that trying tofu for the first time would’ve put him in the hospital too lol. Finally a couple EMS guys made it out with a blood pressure machine and stethoscope to listen to my breathing. After chatting with them, I ended up declining an ambulance ride to the hospital because at that point I had realized that it was actually just a panic attack. I am very appreciative of their time and care, but man oh man… I am just mortified. I’m able to laugh at it now, but still cringe every time I re-live it. Hopefully they’ve forgotten about me already haha