“Babe, pull over and call 911. NO JOB is worth value over your health!”: FedEx worker looks down at her Apple Watch. Her heart rate is 154
In today's episode of dystopian capitalism, a FedEx worker thought she was having a heart attack during her shift, but was scared she'd get fired for going to the hospital.
No one should have to choose between their health and their job, but it's a decision many Americans make daily.
Some people can't afford to take time off because they don't have paid sick days, others are pressured to come into work despite symptoms, and others lose their health insurance when they lose their job.
It's not just an unfair system—it's dangerous.
FedEx worker has a medical emergency on the clock
In a viral video with more than 800,000 views, FedEx worker Kals (@mxs.kali) shared the potential life-or-death decision she had to make in the middle of a delivery shift.
"As my manager says, 'Doctors notes don't deliver packages,'" Kals recalls.
"However, nor does dead people," Kals points out.
In the video, Kals shows that her Apple Watch is aglow, showing her heart rate is at 154 beats per minute, which is on the higher end of a normal rate for a person in her age group.
Kals said that all day it felt like someone was in her chest squeezing her heart, and when she breathed in, she got a sensation up her neck and down her shoulder. She ruled out dehydration since she'd been drinking water all day and hadn't been out in the heat much.
On top of that, her fingers were tingling and she felt dizzy.
And while she didn't want to jump to the conclusion that she was having a heart attack at 22 years old, that's what the symptoms looked like to her, especially since it felt nothing like the panic attacks she's previously experienced.
"I'm freakign the [expletive] out," Kals said.
34 more stops
With tears in her eyes, Kals said she "only" had 34 more stops left and was going to try to make it to the end of her shift so she could finally go to the emergency room.
"I'm suffering because I don't want to get fired. I really think I'm having [expletive] medical emergency right now," Kals said.
"Maybe I'll just die for FedEx," Kals said.
In an Instagram direct message, Kals shared that whenever she's had to call out, which isn't often, her manager was "very passive-aggressive." It always seemed like her boss was going to fire her, she said.
"When i called and let him know about my symptoms, he just said, 'You're fine drink some water,'" she shared.
Did she make it to the hospital?
She ended up making it to the end of her shift and was treated in an emergency room, but was just given an aspirin, and her symptoms were dismissed as an anxiety attack and dehydration, she shared in a follow-up.
However, most of Kals' symptoms didn't go away, and she still felt dizzy and tingly.
"They gave me no answers," Kals said.
What is POTS?
Kals ended up going to a primary care doctor the next day, who diagnosed her with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). It's a condition that affects blood flow and the nervous system and impacts heart rate and blood pressure.
When people with POTS move from lying down to standing, they can have a drop in blood pressure and experience many of the symptoms Kals did, plus fainting, brain fog, heart palpitations, and fatigue, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
It's often misdiagnosed and more commonly affects women.
Warnings abound
"I work in cardiology. those are CLASSIC signs of a cardiac event, and you need to go to the ER NOW," a top comment read.
"As a ER nurse, please call 911," a person said.
"Don’t be driving like this. you’re putting yourself at risk and putting other drivers and families at risk. Not worth it get medical help. Not to mention if something does happen this video will be used against you. Just saying," another pointed out.
@mxs.kali please help. #fyp #heart #highheartrate #heartattack ♬ original sound - kals🪼
The Daily Dot reached out to Kals for comment via Instagram and TikTok direct message.
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The post “Babe, pull over and call 911. NO JOB is worth value over your health!”: FedEx worker looks down at her Apple Watch. Her heart rate is 154 appeared first on The Daily Dot.