I'm been back at work for a month now and everything is going well. Initially was on the box all the time, but I asked for that as I did not want to be a liability to my crew. We've had some good calls, but the meat and potatoes of the job is still there in full force. Doing the stretcher has been a little difficult but for the most part have figured out ways to get the job done when there is no extra help around. Threading an IV hasn't been a problem with my left hand and intubating has been fine. One of my first few shifts back I had a patient who needed some calcium. When was the last time you broke out the calcium? Yeah, me too. But I had a brain fart and when doing my calculation, I calculated twice in my head and thought I had OD'd the patient. I thought, oh great, just getting back at this and here I go. Turned out to be fine, I hadn't OD'd her, and her rhythm returned to normal.
Had a GSW the other day and he was a very lucky guy. Guy was shot at point blank range to the L-mid-axillary line at about the 3rd to 4th intercostal space and exit wound was mid-scapula, 4th to 5th intercostal space.... and it never hit his lung. I was pretty impressed.
Also ran a call on a woman short of breath. Asthma history, but stating at 99% and clear, and took her in. My partner who is getting her in the back turns to me and says, "She says her finger blew up". During the last 15 minutes of talking with the patient, she never mentioned her finger, but after looking over at it, I can't imagine how she couldn't have mentioned it. It was 3x its normal size, the skin splitting in several places and oozing pus all over the place. She mentioned that she had hit it on something earlier in the week and a few days ago the nail had fallen off. She was just putting neosporin on it. For as sick as it looked, I asked her, "Jeesh, did you slam it in a car door or what?".... no, she hadn't.... just hit it on a counter or something. It was a classic diabetic response injury. I looked under her haphazard bandaid and there was a definitive hole down through the middle of her finger. IV antibiotics were definitely on the menu in hopes to stave off an amputation.
All in a day's work.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
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