AIBU for continuing to work while a coworker was having a seizure?

[keepnonworkn]

Earlier today while I was at work a coworker collapsed and started having a seizure. Several other coworkers (who were closer to her than I was) rushed over to help. I being farther away looked up to see what was going on. There was a group of 7 or so people surrounding her by that point and moving things out of the way. Someone was already calling for an ambulance. To me it seems like everything was being handed and since we had some tight deadlines to meet for our clients I went back to working while this was going on. After she was taken away in the ambulance one of my other coworkers approached me. She said what I did was wrong and I should have stopped working and tried to help her since there was a crisis. I don't see how me crowding around with all the others would have been any help though. I don't have any medical training and wouldn't have known what else to do except call an ambulance, which someone else was already doing.

@georgarina Not close at all with the one who had a seizure. I've only spoken to her a handful of times.

As an epileptic myself who has had seizures in a work place I think what you did was the right thing.
It is very scary coming around out of a seizure and as long as someone is there to assist then the less people around the better as it would be less traumatic.
I woke up from a seizure shut in a room at work with several people stood over me and my manager straddled over my chest to stop me trying to run away.

Because we know it’s not coldness.

There is a middle ground between standing in a circle over the person seizing and carrying on at your desk as if nothing of note is happening.

Your colleague was being supported. What else could you have done to help? There’s nothing cold or unfeeling about staying out of the way and allowing people space to treat the ill person.

YANBU
For someone whose husband is epileptic the last thing they want is people to crowd around them, if it was being dealt with your coworker probably appreciates you weren't there to oggle.

It’s not cold, pipe down before you embarrass yourself. OP assessed the situation and reacted appropriately.

Exactly. She needed as many people to look after her as necessary, and people to facilitate getting emergency personnel to her as fast as possible — and for the sake of her dignity, and her sense of having caused disruption, no further people being involved.

What she didn't need was lots of extra people taking the opportunity to have a good look, soak up the excitement, and demonstrate to all and sundry how concerned they were.

Look at just the last page or so of this thread. Several posts along the theme of optics, how it looks if you decide not to get involved when a colleague is ill and already being cared for — even though every person on this thread who has seizures has indicated that the truly compassionate thing to do is not to get involved if there are already sufficient helpers. A lot of people care a great deal about whether they look like a caring person to others.

@MadelineUsher So would the middle ground be standing at my desk looking over or something like that?

I think just giving a shit would be a good start for the middle ground.

Well, when I've been in the process of keeping somebody alive until the ambulance has got there, I'm more than happy for the middle ground to be completely clear of people, leaving me and one other person to do the messy bit, plus one other with some actual common sense to handle the logistics (gates, calls, personal data, keeping the tutting and 'oh, isn't it terrible?' fucking do gooding rubberneckers the hell out of my way...).

What does "giving a shit" look like?
Is it measurable in any way?

@MadelineUsher which entails what exactly in this situation?

I think every word the OP has typed indicates her level of disaffectedness.

Why ask AIBU if the only answer you want is, Oh, no! Absolutely not!

How so?
Her colleague had a seizure.. the right people (first aiders) attended. The area was made safe. Everyone else there was just rubbernecking.

Asking whether there is anything you can do to help.

I’m really not having to stretch my imagination here

@MadelineUsher I don't have any issue with people saying I was being unreasonable. I was only asking for clarification from you.

Few yrs ago I had a colleague who regularly had fits followed by a catatonic state & exhaustion. I feel bad that I forget what he told us to do in response.
But carrying on with our own duties was part of it. He didn't need more than 2 people to help him and he didn't want his episodes to be an important part of how we interacted with him.

Staying quietly out of the way.

Remaining respectfully at your desk, but pausing your work in light of a fellow human being suffering in the vicinity.

Making sure the path is clear of chairs.

Going to the kitchen to make tea for those involved in helping or unnerved by the situaton.

I could go on.

You did exactly the right thing. Epilepsy is not a spectator sport. When someone is having a medical emergency you need a person to summon help and 1 or 2 to administer first aid and keep the person safe. Part of caring for the person in need is preserving their dignity-- which means you get the hell out of the way.

As someone who has had seizures, the last thing I wanted was an audience.

@MadelineUsher
I was staying quietly out of the way.
I am still failing to understand why I should have stopped working in this situation. How is me sitting there doing nothing helpful?
The area was already being made clear of obstacles by the time I understood what was happening.
We have no kitchen

Right. Whatever. In my view, and in your co-workers view, you were cold. And on this thread you remain cold. I cannot explain warmth to you.

@MadelineUsher Well, to be fair communication by text does leave a lot to be desired when it comes to tone.

Thank you for trying to clarify though.

Ok, colleague had a seizure.
First aider attended, and a few people gathered round.
Anyone else gathering after that was just being ghoulish or virtue signalling.
Read the posts on this thread from people people who have seizures.. they do not want every fucker in the office standing around wringing their hands and pretending they give a fuck.
OP did nothing wrong. She saw there was a situation that was being dealt with so carried on with her day. To stop working and give the impression of caring... who exactly would that benefit?