Green1 Allocated (67YO Female fell in street)
It was only 0.2 miles away from our location, which was the ambulance bay of a west London hospital so we arrived pretty quick. Here's how the job went.
Park up next to her and say "hello love, i'm jack how are you" "f??king awful" she replies, I say "what happened" "I tripped over that poxy curb didn't I" she replied. So I assessed her injuries and she didn't seem to have any so we placed her in our chair and carried her into the back of our truck for some observations. All Obs were fine apart from her blood pressure being a little bit elevated. She was also FAST Negative (Passed the Stroke test). She was a difficult old stick but seemed OK and was a little lonely.
As I was completing my paperwork and finishing off a second set of Obs she said "oow I'm feeling dizzy and I can't move my arm" I took a look at her face and saw some droopiness in her lips. Worried! I took another stroke test and this time she was FAST Positive with weakness down one side of her body and facial droopiness plus slurred speech and a severe headache. Being only 0.2 miles from A&E we immediately placed a blue call (Hospital Pre-Alert) and fired up the roof travelling on blues and twos.
Wheeling her in to resus with a team waiting we placed the lady on the hospital bed and changed her from our o2 to the Hospitals o2 system which is behind the bed. On handing over to the Doctor he asked me how I had come to the decision that she had suffered a CVA (Stroke). I explained my findings and he said "well take a look at her now" I walked around to the front of the bed and she had none of the symptoms, absolutely none. Doctor told me that I must have been mistaken. I replied that she must be a really good actor practising a new role because I have seen a few CVA's and this was the most convincing.
I walked in with her feeling good that I was helping her, but walked out feeling like a twat.
30 Oct 2010
Till death do us part.
Four weeks ago I lost someone, someone very dear to me, I lost him to another man in a posher part of town. I slaved with him for 9 months through thick and thin, through p?ss and sh?t we shared everything together, but he left. NO I AINT GAY this bloke was my classmate and crewmate and he's buggered off to a station closer to home. B?ST?RD!
Still never mind! I have a new bloke around now and we're are great team.
Still never mind! I have a new bloke around now and we're are great team.
In with the new out with the old
New life upstairs deaf down below
Lately we have been receiving deliveries of new ambulances at our station which is of-course fantastic. Our garage has been a sea of yellow over the past few weeks, with the odd white vehicle sitting around namely the original white coloured trial Mercedes which are awful. Parked downstairs are a number of our old LDV's which are being decommissioned and crushed along with sadly their valuable 3.5Ltr Rover V8 engines.
I hear so many people saying how glad they are that the old fleet has gone and how sh?t they were, the most vocal of these are the student paramedics. I agree with them that they were old and tired, that they had seen better days. But lets get a little sentimental now and think about something. How many lives have been saved in the back of these trucks, how many babies have been born and sadly how many last moments were experienced in them. How many romances and arguments, how many times has somebody been standing at the end of their pathway anxiously awaiting our presence and then being relieved upon hearing the LDV's sirens and seeing the distinguishable shape of it rushing up their street. How many times has a Police Officer been first on scene at a stabbing then look up with a sigh of relief when seeing his ambulance colleagues turning up in an LDV.
I really think it is sad to see them go, but I know we must dispose of the old and bring in the new. But lets respect the old and let them go with honour and dignity.
Lately we have been receiving deliveries of new ambulances at our station which is of-course fantastic. Our garage has been a sea of yellow over the past few weeks, with the odd white vehicle sitting around namely the original white coloured trial Mercedes which are awful. Parked downstairs are a number of our old LDV's which are being decommissioned and crushed along with sadly their valuable 3.5Ltr Rover V8 engines.
I hear so many people saying how glad they are that the old fleet has gone and how sh?t they were, the most vocal of these are the student paramedics. I agree with them that they were old and tired, that they had seen better days. But lets get a little sentimental now and think about something. How many lives have been saved in the back of these trucks, how many babies have been born and sadly how many last moments were experienced in them. How many romances and arguments, how many times has somebody been standing at the end of their pathway anxiously awaiting our presence and then being relieved upon hearing the LDV's sirens and seeing the distinguishable shape of it rushing up their street. How many times has a Police Officer been first on scene at a stabbing then look up with a sigh of relief when seeing his ambulance colleagues turning up in an LDV.
I really think it is sad to see them go, but I know we must dispose of the old and bring in the new. But lets respect the old and let them go with honour and dignity.
29 Oct 2010
Ghost Stories. Wooooooh
This was the conversation in our ambulance last week at 2am parked outside an old east London churchyard.
My crew-mate will be in italics, I will be in normal text.
What would you do if you ever saw a ghost? Shit myself! OK picture this: We get a job to an old house with ivy growing all over the front wall and around the front door. As we enter we are approached by an old lady that says her husband isn't feeling to well and that he's been deteriorating over the past few days. We ask her about his medical history and if he has any meds, she obliges with the information and before she goes to get his meds she points us to the room where he is sleeping. As we wake him up we ask him about his current health and that we are here to take him to hospital, but then he asks us who called an ambulance and who let us in. We tell him that his wife Elsie did, he replies saying that she past away 10 years ago. After a few more stories like that to each other the churchyard we were parked next to became unbearable to look at. I swear every house we went into that night we had our torches on. Us 2 brave ex coppers we taking no chances. We even kept that light on in the back of the truck, even though there was no patient in it. wimps aye lol
My crew-mate will be in italics, I will be in normal text.
What would you do if you ever saw a ghost? Shit myself! OK picture this: We get a job to an old house with ivy growing all over the front wall and around the front door. As we enter we are approached by an old lady that says her husband isn't feeling to well and that he's been deteriorating over the past few days. We ask her about his medical history and if he has any meds, she obliges with the information and before she goes to get his meds she points us to the room where he is sleeping. As we wake him up we ask him about his current health and that we are here to take him to hospital, but then he asks us who called an ambulance and who let us in. We tell him that his wife Elsie did, he replies saying that she past away 10 years ago. After a few more stories like that to each other the churchyard we were parked next to became unbearable to look at. I swear every house we went into that night we had our torches on. Us 2 brave ex coppers we taking no chances. We even kept that light on in the back of the truck, even though there was no patient in it. wimps aye lol
Paining to much & fire in belly
AMBER2 Allocated (45YO Male Abdo Pain)
It being an Amber Call (Potentially Life Threatening)we had to respond on lights and sirens. We arrived at the front door of a house with two mercs on the drive. Just about to knock on the door and the it magically opened in front of us with a creek and a little eye peering behind the door welcomed us in. The patient who had opened the door to us had apparently been in so much pain that he had to call 999. We did a set of Observations on him then poked and prodded his belly. No pain! He explained (this text in verbatim) "Paining to much, much paining in belly. Feeling like fire in belly. Waited to long for you, had to shit. After shit, no more paining all better now. Please please go I might catch fection from you then I start womiting." So we promptly left in disgust. Maybe we need to start charging these people that think of us as servants.
It being an Amber Call (Potentially Life Threatening)we had to respond on lights and sirens. We arrived at the front door of a house with two mercs on the drive. Just about to knock on the door and the it magically opened in front of us with a creek and a little eye peering behind the door welcomed us in. The patient who had opened the door to us had apparently been in so much pain that he had to call 999. We did a set of Observations on him then poked and prodded his belly. No pain! He explained (this text in verbatim) "Paining to much, much paining in belly. Feeling like fire in belly. Waited to long for you, had to shit. After shit, no more paining all better now. Please please go I might catch fection from you then I start womiting." So we promptly left in disgust. Maybe we need to start charging these people that think of us as servants.
Familiar Face
Green1 Allocated (Man sitting in Homeless shelter with pains in feet)
We arrive at this grandiose building and entered the big imposing doors. Presented with a pigsty that stank to high heaven. We attended our patient and instantly realised why he had sore feet, they were red raw because he was wearing pair of trainers that never actually had soles on, well the skin on the bottom of his feet was as thick as my boots but nevertheless it wasn't a cobbler he needed it was a Doctor. The thing is I remembered his face from somewhere but for the life of me couldn't recall where. It was only when we arrived at A&E and clocked the Nurse rolling his eyes that the penny dropped, I walked passed him in A&E an hour before. WASTER!
We arrive at this grandiose building and entered the big imposing doors. Presented with a pigsty that stank to high heaven. We attended our patient and instantly realised why he had sore feet, they were red raw because he was wearing pair of trainers that never actually had soles on, well the skin on the bottom of his feet was as thick as my boots but nevertheless it wasn't a cobbler he needed it was a Doctor. The thing is I remembered his face from somewhere but for the life of me couldn't recall where. It was only when we arrived at A&E and clocked the Nurse rolling his eyes that the penny dropped, I walked passed him in A&E an hour before. WASTER!
Frequent Flyer (One day he will cry wolf & A&E will overlook him)
Had a patient yesterday that I've attended to 3 times already. As soon as I saw the call on the MDT screen I knew it was him. "Man with Pain in right leg, difficulty in breathing" I clocked the address and low and behold it was at a train station.
We arrived to find our old mate (who i shall not name) He is an elderly gentleman that was made homeless when his wife kicked him out for drinking to much. He's been to one particular hospital 600 times as he likes sleeping in the waiting area. I wouldn't mind but we were cancelled off a CVA to attend to him and the FRU that also attended was into overtime. On three occasions I have tried to arrange (through our service) homeless support for him, but he turns it down. One day we will find him frozen in a local park or we will blue him in with chest pains and A&E wont take him seriously and he will die.
WHAT ARE WE TO DO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We arrived to find our old mate (who i shall not name) He is an elderly gentleman that was made homeless when his wife kicked him out for drinking to much. He's been to one particular hospital 600 times as he likes sleeping in the waiting area. I wouldn't mind but we were cancelled off a CVA to attend to him and the FRU that also attended was into overtime. On three occasions I have tried to arrange (through our service) homeless support for him, but he turns it down. One day we will find him frozen in a local park or we will blue him in with chest pains and A&E wont take him seriously and he will die.
WHAT ARE WE TO DO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is all true & to the point
http://insomniacmedic.blogspot.com/2010/10/you-know-youre-in-ems-when.html
28 Oct 2010
Ethanolic Seizure or wino with severe shakes ??
AMBER1 Allocated (Man slumped in wheelchair outside pub)
We turned up outside the pub, and saw the bloke in the wheelchair surrounded by 5 gorgeous girls. So priorities first we tucked ourselves in and tried to look tonk and hench for these birds. After chatting to the patient and sending the birds on their way (wow those skirts were short) we wheeled him onto our truck and got him warm. He was awake and alert and full of laughter. Then a Police car pulled up to talk to us, so I jumped off and had a chat with the copper, at that precise moment another bird walked passed dressed in a fishnet dress and I totally forgot that I was talking to the copper.
Then I hear my crew-mate shouting for me, I ran over to our truck and noticed our patient fitting, we knew this was genuine because he automatically poo'd & pee'd himself. We manhandled him onto our bed and secured his airway with an Oropharyngeal Airway and wacked an 100% mask on, his vitals were all good so we weren't to worried apart from having poo and pee on our trousers. Then some help arrived by way of an FRU Colleague. With his help we stabilised him and placed a blue call into A&E (PRE Alert Call). On the way in, he went into respiratory arrest (stopped breathing) so we bagged and masked him (breathed for him) en-route to A&E.
After rushing him into resus, handing him over, booking him in and cleaning our truck we popped back into resus to see how he was doing, only to see him sitting up and talking. All that hard work paid off, or was he just a waste of space junkie. I'll let you decide. He got treated equally.
We turned up outside the pub, and saw the bloke in the wheelchair surrounded by 5 gorgeous girls. So priorities first we tucked ourselves in and tried to look tonk and hench for these birds. After chatting to the patient and sending the birds on their way (wow those skirts were short) we wheeled him onto our truck and got him warm. He was awake and alert and full of laughter. Then a Police car pulled up to talk to us, so I jumped off and had a chat with the copper, at that precise moment another bird walked passed dressed in a fishnet dress and I totally forgot that I was talking to the copper.
Then I hear my crew-mate shouting for me, I ran over to our truck and noticed our patient fitting, we knew this was genuine because he automatically poo'd & pee'd himself. We manhandled him onto our bed and secured his airway with an Oropharyngeal Airway and wacked an 100% mask on, his vitals were all good so we weren't to worried apart from having poo and pee on our trousers. Then some help arrived by way of an FRU Colleague. With his help we stabilised him and placed a blue call into A&E (PRE Alert Call). On the way in, he went into respiratory arrest (stopped breathing) so we bagged and masked him (breathed for him) en-route to A&E.
After rushing him into resus, handing him over, booking him in and cleaning our truck we popped back into resus to see how he was doing, only to see him sitting up and talking. All that hard work paid off, or was he just a waste of space junkie. I'll let you decide. He got treated equally.
Babe in Distress
AMBER-1 Allocated (2YO Male, 18% Burns)
We rush the 6 1/2 miles to the address and are the first ones on scene. At first we were presented with a mum with her 2YO boy standing next to her on the pavement, with her holding his right arm. He was hysterical. Once on the back of our truck I took his coat off and noticed that he had no skin left on his right arm & back. With his skin hanging off his back I desperately tried to apply burns dressings to him. But he was moving around in agony, so much so that the dressings were falling off. I tried to prize his mums hand off his right arm, which she was gripping so tight that she was literally stretching the skin off his hand. I asked her how this happened and she told me it happened in the bath, but it looked like a saucepan of boiling water to me. I also asked if she had applied cold water to him after the accident but she replied no, I was shocked that she hadn't even tried to cool it down and she even told him off for crying. There was nothing we could do to relieve his pain and all we could do was wrap him in burns kit, hold him and listen to his cries, watch his face as he struggles with the agony.
I haven't slept a full night since that job, I close my eyes and see his face and feel his agony. Knowing that he was looking at us for help and we couldn't relieve his pain in any great way. I feel so bad.
We rush the 6 1/2 miles to the address and are the first ones on scene. At first we were presented with a mum with her 2YO boy standing next to her on the pavement, with her holding his right arm. He was hysterical. Once on the back of our truck I took his coat off and noticed that he had no skin left on his right arm & back. With his skin hanging off his back I desperately tried to apply burns dressings to him. But he was moving around in agony, so much so that the dressings were falling off. I tried to prize his mums hand off his right arm, which she was gripping so tight that she was literally stretching the skin off his hand. I asked her how this happened and she told me it happened in the bath, but it looked like a saucepan of boiling water to me. I also asked if she had applied cold water to him after the accident but she replied no, I was shocked that she hadn't even tried to cool it down and she even told him off for crying. There was nothing we could do to relieve his pain and all we could do was wrap him in burns kit, hold him and listen to his cries, watch his face as he struggles with the agony.
I haven't slept a full night since that job, I close my eyes and see his face and feel his agony. Knowing that he was looking at us for help and we couldn't relieve his pain in any great way. I feel so bad.
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