In the air

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I want to report that our 9 hour 17 minute trans-Atlantic flight was smooth and uneventful.Yup I sure would sure like to report that but I can't. As our departure time approached, so did the lightening and torrential rains. The airport was at a ground hold for 45 minutes as we waited for the storms to pass. Then the computer system went down, humm imagine that Air Canada was having computer problems. Finally we boarded the flight, Cathy in row 36 and me in row 43, they could not seem to successfully allow us to travel together, computer problems. Now, anyone who has been in an airplane for 9 hours knows the best way to handle a long flight is to go to sleep soon as possible and stay asleep as long as possible.That was my primary goal. I hit my seat, put on my eye shades, a $1 purchase at a garage sale, and promptly fell asleep. I slept for 2 solid hours. Then all hell broke loose. Now my two sons, Rick and Chris, and my lovely wife Cathy, who have endured several trans-Atlantic flights with me know what happens next. The patient was a 39 year old, white, married female, that presented with, well she was out cold. I had just woken up from my nap and was served a meal of chicken, orzo, a fresh salad and a slice of chocolate cake, when the stewardess called for help. Up in the 11th row a woman had passed out. When I arrived she was slumped over the chair and was very hot to the touch and she was sweating perfusely. I was able to revive, her but she was nauseous and very clammy. I began to get a history, our young lady had flown for 5 hours on an earlier flight, had nothing to eat and some wine to drink. Diagnosis, dehydration. I called for an oxygen tank and cranked it up. Now I was joiuned by a second EMT who assisted. Soon we had our patient revived, cooled down and feeling much better. We were applauded by all, thanked for coming to her aid and returned to our seats. My dinner, however, had been cleared by my helpful attendant. A special note to all future travelers. Do not drink alcohol before a long flight unless you want to get sick. Alcohol is dehydrating and the air in the plane is worse. Most women do not want to drink water before a flight because they do not want to pee. Fine. You can pee or you can get sick, your call. So please folks, drink water, eat some carbs and let me sleep on the next flight. I returned to my seat, donned my eye mask and proceeded to sleep for another two hours. WELCOME TO ATHENS.

One more point. I was able to answer one more burning question...Can a baby cry non stop for 9 hours? Answer a resounding YES.

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