Hot and humid again. And still. It didn’t feel as hot Saturday because of the patchy clouds, and light overcast, but it was still 90F in the shade at 6pm. Various parts of town got some dribbling spatter, but no real rain that I could see.
Headed out to do a pickup, some material for pipe refurbishment, and ended up chatting with a guy for an hour. The pickup was at the liquidation of an auctioneer I used to buy from all the time. That was pre-covid. His wife died and he quit selling shortly after. Stuff just sat for 5 years and he finally had to get rid of it because the landlord died and they want the land back… One of the interesting things was that the neighborhood, a real shite hole, looked like it might be improving and even gentrifying. People were fixing up houses, and building new houses on the lots. Unfortunately, the re-birth didn’t happen. It was still pretty much the same neighborhood, although he said that hispanics moved in and drove out the blacks that had been there forever. I see that particular demographic change all over Houston, and even other cities. Millions of illegals have to live somewhere…
So I chatted with him for a while, then hit Goodwill looking for shirts and pants, but ended up buying some vinyl albums. Place was busy with resellers and hipsters.
On my way home I ended up stopping to help a guy unconscious on the road. I see people sleeping in the open all over Houston now, but this guy was half on the road, half on the sidewalk, and well dressed. It looked like he’d fallen and hit his head. By the time I got back around, parked and headed toward him, a lady and another guy were there too. He woke up, seemed sorta ok, admitted to drinking the night before, and didn’t want to move from where he was. I gave him a bottle of water, and left. Started rethinking that as I drove away and decided to circle back and see if he’d moved or improved. He hadn’t. He was passed out again in the same spot.
The other people had left him too. The thing I was thinking was that heat injuries present like drunkenness- slurred speech, confusion, shuffling … so I checked him out again. Got him sitting and talking. He was only sweating from his scalp. No slurring, no odor, and it’s 5pm, 10+ hours since he was drinking. I got more of his story, tried for a medical history, but got no response to questions about blood pressure, diabetes, blood sugar, etc. He’d lost his phone, but still had his wallet in his pocket. No one I could contact for him. His speech was clear but he went from passed out to voluble to passed out. I asked if I could touch his arm, and he was cool and clammy. That isn’t good. It’s almost as bad as hot and dry. And then he passed out again. Time for 911. His breathing went from normal to shallow and rapid shortly after the call. That’s another bad sign.
The big red bus arrived, two HFD EMT’s got my synopsis, and he sat up and was chatty again just as they arrived. One of them felt his skin and they quickly got him on the trolley and into the ambulance to transport him. That was it for my involvement, and I headed home.
I am sharing the story because I’m still thinking and re-thinking about it hours later, and it helps to put it in words.
Why did I notice him? There are bums all over Houston, especially “inside the Loop” which is the area closer to downtown. Many are crashed out during the day.. but they are in the shade, they will cross their legs or arms, something to suggest that it’s intentional. This guy was sprawled, head on the sidewalk, legs and feet over the curb and in the street, arms splayed out. In full sun. Bums aren’t clean or well dressed. This guy was both. He was wearing shorts and a collared shirt. His small backpack/bookbag was next to him. He was on my left, on the cross street, and 50-60 feet away.
It just didn’t look right and caught my eye. Because I pay attention to the bums, I knew that he didn’t look like one, and wasn’t in the right place to be one.
It’s hot. I know people are at heightened risk of problems when it’s hot. That added to the ‘not looking right’. It caught the attention of an older black woman, a middle aged hispanic man walking with his family, and me– so I knew I wasn’t reacting inappropriately, the other people saw something concerning enough to park and get out of their cars, and check. As I was trying to get the guy sitting up, I said “come on and sit up, you don’t look like the kind of guy who should be laying in the street” and the lady said “that’s what I thought too”… so I felt like I wasn’t overreacting, or misinterpreting the situation.
Since I’m not an EMT or professional, and because the guy seemed to have control of his faculties once he sat up, I couldn’t dive into a medical assessment, and if he was just drunk, I didn’t think calling the cops would improve his situation, even if they’d respond, so I talked to him. Tried to find out his mental state, and if there were any other problems he was aware of having. Since he wasn’t answering health questions, it seemed like he’d just had too much to drink, and I’m sure that was the hispanic guy’s conclusion when he left after I initially did. But even if he’d been drinking, it didn’t mean he wasn’t having a heat related health emergency.
I thought about it. He was passed out when I arrived, when I returned, and then again while I was talking to him. He had literally not moved an inch. His head was in the same puddle of sweat when he laid back down. In between he seemed lucid and not drunk but wouldn’t try to move, or drink the water I gave him. Didn’t add up to “let him lay on the street.” It also didn’t match up with the other cases of heat illness I’ve seen, except for the clammy skin. 100+F in the sun and the guy is clammy. He’s clearly not thinking straight. And then he falls over again…. so yeah, 911 and get him some real help.
I hope he’s ok. He said he was 3 month sober until the night before when the woman he met encouraged him to drink with her. I asked him if he had a sponsor I could call, if he was in a program, if there was anyone I could call, but he’d lost his phone. Couldn’t even give me his sponsor’s name (IDK if that’s normal but the second A in AA is “anonymous” after all…) People used to carry “In Case of Emergency” cards in their wallets, now it’s all on their phones. Having a couple of contacts on a card in your wallet would be a GOOD IDEA ™.
It’s been 15 years, 7 months, and 13 days since I quit drinking.* I never did a program or went to meetings, but I am familiar with the basics from friends who went that route. It’s not something I think about much, and not part of my identity as it seems to be with so many people who can’t wait to tell you they’re “in recovery”. And yet it comes up surprisingly often. I am amazed by the number of people over the years I’ve “testified” to, or given some encouragement. I hope it’s helped them and not caused them to look at me and go “o h h e l l n o, I’m not turning out like him!” 
Maybe it was the heat, or maybe this guy just fell off the wagon and his body reacted badly to it, or maybe he had another medical issue, or maybe he had all three things going on. I didn’t feel right walking away from him once I got involved.
Moral of the story? Keep your eyes open. Know what is normal for your area and the people in it. Act if you see something wrong. If it doesn’t look right, trust your unconscious brain to be bringing stuff to your attention, and then GIVE it some attention. And there are still good people out there, that are willing to overcome their reluctance and see if they can help. (not me, the other folks that stopped)
Awareness is a prep. Local knowledge is a prep. Basic first aid is a prep. Acting on what you see takes practice and cultivating a willingness to do so. It’s a skill too and needs exercise.
It wasn’t the stacks that helped this time, but I’m sure they will help in the future. Stack like your life depends on it.
nick
* I don’t keep track of the elapsed time anymore, I do the math when I need to.
