Watch that tree

Another day on the box with PK and its been a good shift. We ran our butts off during the day and good Lord blessed us with a night of sleep. First call of the day was for a possible arrest/DOA and ended up being a guy just asleep on the bus. Very next call as we go available is for a difficulty breathing and ends up being a DOA. Kinda set the tone for the whole day.

Ran a call for a possible stroke for an elderly woman who was only barely being cared for by her family. The one daughter who was there didn't live there and had absolutely no information on her mother. They eventually tell us after being there for quite a while that she has Alzheimer's. Now.. don't get me wrong.. I love older folks. But you know that little grin that elderly folks get when they really are there but are enjoying the attention of "not being there"? Well, that was her. Everything I asked her was met with a coy little "I don't know" answer. So we wrapped her up snug as bug on the cot and helped the basic unit get her loaded for a trip down to the hospital. I imagine that the attention was the most she had seen in a while and I didn't necessarily blame her for wanting to get out of the house for some fresh air.

Ran a call to the jail which is pretty far out of our territory but the county was running thin on coverage. I had only been to the jail during the academy and glad we took a trip up there so I had somewhat of a clue as to procedure. Called for a status epilepticus. Get up to the infirmary and the guy is still seizing after 4mg of ativan. Roll him downstairs and who'la!!! He is alert and amazingly with no postictal period! He gives me a "don't let me die", and just wants to know if I have any more of that "seizure medicine"? Says he is an insulin dependent diabetic but hasn't been given any of his meds. By this time, since his vitals are well within stable, we go for what the jail called us for. A transport to the hospital for an inmate. A friend of mine runs a lot of calls to a state prison in the area he runs and I cant imagine running many of these calls.

Speaking of which... this friend of mine told me about two calls he's had lately that are well worth sharing. They both highlight job security and continuing education. The first was for an assault, which enroute they were advised that the assaulter was now barricaded in his apartment. They get to the location and the guy inside says he's ok, doesn't need anyone. Well they break down the door to find a guy covered in blood, a gash in his head, and quite a bit drunk. My friend notices pine needles and Christmas ornament glass in this guy's head. Turns out as he was trying to get home, he was attacked by a Christmas tree out front!!! Gotta hate it when a Christmas tree kicks your butt!

Then a few days later he gets called to the far side of the county for a known diabetic. Normally a first responder doesn't go to the scene but due to response time they did. My friend walks in to find the patient, who is unconscious, face down on the floor... his britches down around his knees.. with the first responder holding a tube of oral glucose.. looking up at my friend asking, " this does work anally too, right"? How do you explain to the patient when they come around as to why their cheeks feel sticky? So, the next time a continuing ed class comes around, it might be a good idea to brush up on your skills.

Worked out at DP this weekend.. fortunately nothing major. A few skinned knees and such. One rider got up close and personal with a tree and other than maybe a cracked rib, she was fine. It was just insanely cold out there in the woods. But I love watching these riders who fly on the MX track like its nothing.

Kids

Kids.. peds.. they are not necessarily little adults when it comes to EMS and they can make even the most experienced medic cringe sometimes. Its been a rough week and I'm really ready for my Kelly day that is coming. I think we all have been bit by the "I want to save the world" complex at some point and its so deflating when we admit to ourselves that we can not. When we get called to child abuse cases and calls where a child has been the victim of violence (at the hands of their parents, no less) it can take a toll. I've had a couple of days of back to back calls such as these and all I can do is apologize to my partner before the day even starts.

We had a call that was dispatched as a child hit by a car. When we finally found the child, it turned out that his father got into a shootout while in his vehicle , all the while the child sat in the passenger seat. The child was shot in the head and the father decided to drive a few miles home before realizing that his son, sitting right next to him, was injured and to call the police.

Then had a call for a child bleeding through their diaper. Grandmother is caring for an infant and a young boy who is more mature than his 13 years should have to be... while the infant does not have any true injuries.. she was not bleeding, but rather had a terrible case of untreated diaper rash. The filth and neglect of these 2 kids at the hands of their parent was deplorable. The 13 year old was practically begging to be put into foster care just so that he could go to school. The other details of the call only further support the negligence and abuse claims and we notified PD and child services. I'm trying to keep my anger at bay and keep my perspective... its a good thing I have a few days off.

Just to bad I cant ride. Riding the ATV wouldn't be to compliant with Doc's orders after I broke my wrist. Dang it!!!

Ran a call in the middle of the night for a guy unconscious. ALOC, not a diabetic, no significant history, awake but unresponsive. Found him sitting in the bathroom, extremely diaphoretic, and weak. The wife described waking up to him thrashing in the bed, the bed was soaked with sweat and her husband disoriented and not responding to her. I was thinking either an ACS or a seizure. He was kinda cooperative til we got halfway down the stairs outside and all of the sudden he became so combative. Glad we had a full engine crew as it took 6 of us to keep him from flying off the cot and down the super-steep driveway. Restraints were the order of the day once in the back, and he instantly calmed down. Sugar was fine, EKG was NSR, ... he was a mystery to me. By the time we were at the ER, he could rattle off his SSN and basic info, but had no idea how he had gotten to the hospital. A friend told me about possible night frights... any comments on possible causes other than night frights or more information on them?

So now I'm camping out at home to chill and enjoy the fall weather. Till next time....