{
  "abstract": "Background My name is Pops (they/them). I am 24 years old and I am one of the 50,000-100,000 people in the UK who live with functional seizures. I have experienced functional seizures since I was 14, sometimes up to 8 times a day. As a result, I have had a lot of contact with various ambulance services across the UK and may continue to do so throughout my life.Every day I have the possibility of being powerless on the floor at the mercy of those around me. I include paramedics in this. I would like to share my lived experience of being cared for by paramedics over the past 10 years - both the positive and the more difficult times.Methods During my seizures I can hear and feel everything that is going on around me. I have kept a diary of my seizures and will draw upon these entries, as well as my past and more recent memories, as I describe my experiences of receiving care.Results The way that some paramedics have provided care has been very positive, and some have been stand-out brilliant. They have been quick to arrive, caring, considerate, and really importantly, expressive about when and where they are going to touch me and what they are about to do.Unfortunately, I have also had some very distressing attendances. In most cases this has been emotionally distressing, such as being told I’m ‘faking it’, and on a small number of occasions I have felt physically unsafe - including once when an airway was passed unnecessarily making me gag and eventually vomit and unable to breath. As a young person I also wonder what drug and alcohol related assumptions are made when I’m found on the floor or upright but unable to move or speak. None of this feels like trauma informed care to me.Conclusions I am infinitely grateful that we have the ambulance service in the UK. However, I have experienced some care that has been worrying for me, rather than making me feel safe. I also wonder how much knowledge paramedics have about functional seizures. I strongly believe there is scope for these issues to be looked at, and that this could have a really positive impact for people who experience functional seizures. The care that paramedics provide has been hugely significant in my life and I would love to be a part of this positive change.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Patient and Public Contributor"
      ],
      "name": "Pops Field"
    }
  ],
  "title": "03 Living with functional seizures - my varying experiences of paramedic care in the UK",
  "uid": "ff521295-36c5-54ae-aeeb-49b51064cd0f"
}