Off Topic - Drowning Doesn't Look Like You Think It Does

[Guest guest]

The most common cause of death of autistic children is drowning; I advise all

parents give their DD child swimming lessons ASAP.  Thought this article

important in this regard, from Daily Health News..

Drowning -- It Doesn't Look Like You Think It Does

Every summer, I hear at least one sad story of a person who drowns in a place

where there is plenty of help to be had -- whether boating... at a crowded

beach... or in a pool with lots of people nearby. Why do we let this happen to

each other? The answer, all too often, is that most of us are clueless about

what a drowning person actually looks like. So I set out to educate myself --

and all of you -- about signs that indicate a person may be drowning.

I called a nationally recognized expert on the topic, Quan, MD, a

pediatric emergency physician at Seattle Children’s Hospital and professor of

pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She told me that

this is important information to take in -- because you have only about a minute

to react and rescue a drowning person before he/she goes under. Drowning happens

quickly -- the larynx goes into spasms, shutting off airflow and thus oxygen and

leading to cardiac arrest. In her 30 years of studying this topic, Dr. Quan told

me, " The thing you keep hearing, over and over again, is that the people around

a drowning victim didn’t know it was happening. "

If that surprises you, you probably think there are obvious signs that signal a

person’s distress in the water -- such as splashing, screaming and thrashing

about. But no, Dr. Quan said...

A person who is drowning cannot call for help. People instinctively try to keep

what air is in their lungs -- screaming expels that air. Also, she said, most

drowning victims inhale water very early on and are unable to make a sound.

A drowning person doesn’t usually appear desperate. Describing it as " almost

understated, " Dr. Quan said that in the process of drowning, a person stays in

one spot in a vertical (upright) position. " All of that individual’s effort

goes

toward keeping the nose and mouth above water, which means he can’t move or

propel himself out of danger, " she explained. " That’s why people so frequently

drown even though they are close to shore -- they just can’t get there. "

There’s

also great fear, which is paralyzing in its own right.

It happens fast -- unbelievably so. " Generally, once a person gets into trouble,

you have 30 to 60 seconds before he or she goes down and doesn’t come back

up, "

Dr. Quan said.

Signs of Trouble

Before I get into the signs that indicate a person is in danger of drowning,

it’s important to note that drownings among young children can be very

different

-- for instance, they struggle even less and sink sooner. And babies and

toddlers do not even need to be fully submerged -- a study recently published in

the journal Pediatrics reported that about two dozen children in the US die each

year in shallow, portable wading pools. Basic advice -- don’t take your eyes

off

a child who is in or around water.

Speaking more broadly, Dr. Quan identified the following signs that a person in

the water needs rescue...

* The body is vertical in the water rather than in the much more sustainable

position of floating on the belly or back.

* His or her head bobs to the surface once or twice... then disappears, with

little of the dramatic thrashing you might expect. If you can see the arms at

all, they are flailing or reaching upward. " It’s kind of an exaggerated

movement

that can be mistaken for fooling around, " Dr. Quan said, noting that therefore

with teens, in particular, onlookers may be slow to react.

What Should You Do?

If you see any of these signs, do not hesitate for a second, Dr. Quan urges. And

don’t worry about feeling foolish. Dr. Quan recalled that in her own

community,

a fellow physician was unable to revive a teen who he actually saw drowning --

the boy’s brother had insisted that the teen was just joking around, and the

few

minutes the doctor waited to jump in and grab the boy proved too many. When you

notice any of the above signs, you should...

* First and foremost, shout for help and do everything you can to attract the

attention of a trained lifeguard. Simultaneously, if possible, dial 9-1-1 or

instruct someone else to do so. Be aware that there are certain distinct dangers

facing rescuers. The sad truth is there often are not one but two drownings --

the victim and the would-be rescuer. A drowning person will instinctively do

everything possible to stay alive, often, tragically, trying to climb up onto

someone attempting a rescue and dragging the rescuer down. However tempting,

unless you are certain of your own safety, do not get into the water unless you

have been trained in how to safely perform an in-water rescue.

* What you can do safely, if no lifeguard is around, is grab a long stick or

pole and extend it for the drowning person to grab onto. Hold on firmly and pull

the person toward you, but don’t let the person pull you into the water. You

also can grab and throw something that floats (such as a raft, life jacket,

donut life preserver or even a beach ball or a styrofoam cooler) to the person

who is drowning, providing something he or she can hold onto to get to shore or

to the pool’s edge. Assess the situation and, if able and capable, act

immediately. Remember to keep yourself safe.

Most important, said Dr. Quan, never assume that any swimming situation is

perfectly safe -- stay alert and focused on what’s happening in the water and

you may end up saving a life.

Source(s):

Quan, MD, pediatric emergency medical physician, Seattle Children’s

Hospital, professor of pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine,

Seattle. She is a nationally recognized drowning expert involved in

drowning-prevention research for 30 years.

[Guest guest]

FWIW, our daughter took to water like a little duck as a toddler. She never went

through the stage of being fearful of the water as our other children did. She

learned to swim easily - not perfect strokes but she has great endurance and can

hold her own in any type of water. She was enrolled often and repeated classes

that she'd already passed to keep her interest and skills current. She and

younger brother used to give me a lot of anxiety as they somersaulted off the

high dives! She's a young adult now and still swims often.

>

> The most common cause of death of autistic children is drowning; I advise all

> parents give their DD child swimming lessons ASAP.  Thought this article

> important in this regard, from Daily Health News..

>

> Drowning -- It Doesn't Look Like You Think It Does

>

>

> Every summer, I hear at least one sad story of a person who drowns in a place

> where there is plenty of help to be had -- whether boating... at a crowded

> beach... or in a pool with lots of people nearby. Why do we let this happen to

> each other? The answer, all too often, is that most of us are clueless about

> what a drowning person actually looks like. So I set out to educate myself --

> and all of you -- about signs that indicate a person may be drowning.

>

>

> I called a nationally recognized expert on the topic, Quan, MD, a

> pediatric emergency physician at Seattle Children’s Hospital and professor

of

> pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She told me

that

> this is important information to take in -- because you have only about a

minute

> to react and rescue a drowning person before he/she goes under. Drowning

happens

> quickly -- the larynx goes into spasms, shutting off airflow and thus oxygen

and

> leading to cardiac arrest. In her 30 years of studying this topic, Dr. Quan

told

> me, " The thing you keep hearing, over and over again, is that the people

around

> a drowning victim didn’t know it was happening. "

>

>

> If that surprises you, you probably think there are obvious signs that signal

a

> person’s distress in the water -- such as splashing, screaming and thrashing

> about. But no, Dr. Quan said...

>

>

> A person who is drowning cannot call for help. People instinctively try to

keep

> what air is in their lungs -- screaming expels that air. Also, she said, most

> drowning victims inhale water very early on and are unable to make a sound.

>

> A drowning person doesn’t usually appear desperate. Describing it as " almost

> understated, " Dr. Quan said that in the process of drowning, a person stays in

> one spot in a vertical (upright) position. " All of that individual’s effort

goes

> toward keeping the nose and mouth above water, which means he can’t move or

> propel himself out of danger, " she explained. " That’s why people so

frequently

> drown even though they are close to shore -- they just can’t get there. "

There’s

> also great fear, which is paralyzing in its own right.

>

> It happens fast -- unbelievably so. " Generally, once a person gets into

trouble,

> you have 30 to 60 seconds before he or she goes down and doesn’t come back

up, "

> Dr. Quan said.

>

>

> Signs of Trouble

>

> Before I get into the signs that indicate a person is in danger of drowning,

> it’s important to note that drownings among young children can be very

different

> -- for instance, they struggle even less and sink sooner. And babies and

> toddlers do not even need to be fully submerged -- a study recently published

in

> the journal Pediatrics reported that about two dozen children in the US die

each

> year in shallow, portable wading pools. Basic advice -- don’t take your eyes

off

> a child who is in or around water.

>

> Speaking more broadly, Dr. Quan identified the following signs that a person

in

> the water needs rescue...

> * The body is vertical in the water rather than in the much more sustainable

> position of floating on the belly or back.

>

> * His or her head bobs to the surface once or twice... then disappears, with

> little of the dramatic thrashing you might expect. If you can see the arms at

> all, they are flailing or reaching upward. " It’s kind of an exaggerated

movement

> that can be mistaken for fooling around, " Dr. Quan said, noting that therefore

> with teens, in particular, onlookers may be slow to react.

>

> What Should You Do?

>

> If you see any of these signs, do not hesitate for a second, Dr. Quan urges.

And

> don’t worry about feeling foolish. Dr. Quan recalled that in her own

community,

> a fellow physician was unable to revive a teen who he actually saw drowning --

> the boy’s brother had insisted that the teen was just joking around, and the

few

> minutes the doctor waited to jump in and grab the boy proved too many. When

you

> notice any of the above signs, you should...

> * First and foremost, shout for help and do everything you can to attract the

> attention of a trained lifeguard. Simultaneously, if possible, dial 9-1-1 or

> instruct someone else to do so. Be aware that there are certain distinct

dangers

> facing rescuers. The sad truth is there often are not one but two drownings --

> the victim and the would-be rescuer. A drowning person will instinctively do

> everything possible to stay alive, often, tragically, trying to climb up onto

> someone attempting a rescue and dragging the rescuer down. However tempting,

> unless you are certain of your own safety, do not get into the water unless

you

> have been trained in how to safely perform an in-water rescue.

>

> * What you can do safely, if no lifeguard is around, is grab a long stick or

> pole and extend it for the drowning person to grab onto. Hold on firmly and

pull

> the person toward you, but don’t let the person pull you into the water. You

> also can grab and throw something that floats (such as a raft, life jacket,

> donut life preserver or even a beach ball or a styrofoam cooler) to the person

> who is drowning, providing something he or she can hold onto to get to shore

or

> to the pool’s edge. Assess the situation and, if able and capable, act

> immediately. Remember to keep yourself safe.

> Most important, said Dr. Quan, never assume that any swimming situation is

> perfectly safe -- stay alert and focused on what’s happening in the water

and

> you may end up saving a life.

>

>

> Source(s):

>

> Quan, MD, pediatric emergency medical physician, Seattle Children’s

> Hospital, professor of pediatrics, University of Washington School of

Medicine,

> Seattle. She is a nationally recognized drowning expert involved in

> drowning-prevention research for 30 years.

>