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.
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2 comments:
OMG. I feel for you! Hope your doing well now. I just found your blog in my boredom. I'm a sickie from work atm (work as an outdoor instructor, so pretty useless atm).
I fell climbing and dislocated my ankle. I know the pain would be different to yours but seriously OMG I wished I could have passed out.
I looked down and was like, shit! is that really my ankle its not meant to look like that!
Then I grabbed it and it popped back in and the relief was imense. Then i realised i was hanging on the end of a rope above a vast amount of free space and had to climb to get myself out of my own mess. Madness. I had no pain relief for 5 hrs which was interesting. I also fractured my foot and rebroke a bit of bone off my leg. Apparently i've broken it before bit didn't realise. Novel!
I'm currently learning to walk again. I've torn loadsa ligaments and my ankle doesn't bend going swimming cuz I can't afford physio!! :(
I've blogged about it at:
http://happykat86.blogspot.com/
Check it out if your bored. I only started it in June (4 weeks ago when I got injured).
Get better soon!
Sorry to hear about you injury. Hydro-therapy is the best... keep swimming and you'll regain lots of range of motion without putting excess stress on the injury site. Good luck!!
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