I finally have it in ink! I've convinced my doctor to let me go back to work! I'm so excited I'm bouncing off the walls... its kinda like being put on parole. I still have a good 4 months of therapy and doc said surgery in the future is a possibility (I sure hope not, I'm SO done with surgeries)... but at this point, the fact that I can get out of this flippin house and get part of my life back is SO WONDERFUL!
I am a good 3-4 months ahead of schedule, and while I'd love to, wont be fighting fire anytime soon. Index finger is still broken, but I can still thump on a chest, push drugs, and granny tote.There will be a few things with a learning curve as I learn to adapt and figure out new ways to do things on the job, but it will be good occupational therapy to just get out there and do it!
So next Saturday is gonna be a good day! I know for all you guys who think I'm crazy just itching to get back to work... but then again, I just love my job and have the best crew you could ever ask for.
Tried riding this past weekend. 2 months to the day I got hurt, and while I have some mental blocks to get over, its the first baby step to get back out in the dirt!! Have a great holiday weekend. If you don't have plans and you live anywhere around north GA, Durhamtown is having an awesome Pro Freestyle Bike and Quad competition this weekend. I will be down there all weekend.... watching... ha ha ha, don't worry... this girl wont be trying any freestyling. Play hard... get dirty.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
More rehab
I know some people do sustain injuries that incapacitate them life long... but working where I do, I have encountered my fair share of people milking the system. Now, after me being laid up for 2 months... I just don't know how they do it. I am going flippin NUTS sitting here at home! I want to go back to work... NOW! My therapist jokes that when I'm 50, I'm gonna wish I had taken half a year off. I severely doubt it. I don't care if I shovel shit at this point, I just need to do SOMETHING!
I feel clumsy at everything I do. This past weekend I went out to Durhamtown since my accident. Hung out with some friends and we planned on riding the quad, the bike and doing some fishing... mmmm... and maybe a little drinking. LOL. Lets just say that I had a good time fishing. I need to learn patience with myself. But I guess I had talked myself up in my head so much and being back out there... it was not fun.
I feel like the part of my spirit that was so "balls to the wall" wasn't there. Granted, the quad I was riding is 4x bigger than what I'm used to riding, but I felt like it was taking ME for a ride. The next day I rode the dirt bike and really didn't have a good time. Falling just simply was NOT an option that day. I felt out of control. I know a lot of that comes from my index finger still being broken and everything else on my hand being hyper-sensitive... but... BUT... I want to ride! I want my life back, dammit!
I've been thinking a lot over the last couple of days about being so skittish this past weekend. Ya know, before this accident, broken bones, sprains, abrasions.. whatever... yeah they hurt... but they HEAL. And since I wasn't doing anything spectacular when I crashed, I feel like.... crap, what happens when I fall again? Falls are just a part of the sport, they happen. Its just a mental block that I need to work through. And I just don't want to give up something that I love so much. I know... baby steps. That's like telling the Tasmanian Devil to slow down. I need to find something to be good at again! SOON! Frustration, awkwardness and clumsiness is running rampant right now. Hell it takes me 15 minutes just to put my hair in a ponytail!
If I can get back to work, even as the medic on the box, I'll be ecstatic. I can at least use my noggin and feel useful again. I am trying to talk my doctor into letting me go back to work... if I can go back soon, I'd be a good 3-4 months ahead of schedule. Therapy has been going well and almost every visit I have Dan shaking his head. LOL. Every week he creates new splints for me to improve mobility in my joints and tendons. So, we'll see.... stay tuned...
I feel clumsy at everything I do. This past weekend I went out to Durhamtown since my accident. Hung out with some friends and we planned on riding the quad, the bike and doing some fishing... mmmm... and maybe a little drinking. LOL. Lets just say that I had a good time fishing. I need to learn patience with myself. But I guess I had talked myself up in my head so much and being back out there... it was not fun.
I feel like the part of my spirit that was so "balls to the wall" wasn't there. Granted, the quad I was riding is 4x bigger than what I'm used to riding, but I felt like it was taking ME for a ride. The next day I rode the dirt bike and really didn't have a good time. Falling just simply was NOT an option that day. I felt out of control. I know a lot of that comes from my index finger still being broken and everything else on my hand being hyper-sensitive... but... BUT... I want to ride! I want my life back, dammit!
I've been thinking a lot over the last couple of days about being so skittish this past weekend. Ya know, before this accident, broken bones, sprains, abrasions.. whatever... yeah they hurt... but they HEAL. And since I wasn't doing anything spectacular when I crashed, I feel like.... crap, what happens when I fall again? Falls are just a part of the sport, they happen. Its just a mental block that I need to work through. And I just don't want to give up something that I love so much. I know... baby steps. That's like telling the Tasmanian Devil to slow down. I need to find something to be good at again! SOON! Frustration, awkwardness and clumsiness is running rampant right now. Hell it takes me 15 minutes just to put my hair in a ponytail!
If I can get back to work, even as the medic on the box, I'll be ecstatic. I can at least use my noggin and feel useful again. I am trying to talk my doctor into letting me go back to work... if I can go back soon, I'd be a good 3-4 months ahead of schedule. Therapy has been going well and almost every visit I have Dan shaking his head. LOL. Every week he creates new splints for me to improve mobility in my joints and tendons. So, we'll see.... stay tuned...
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Rehab
I am well underway into therapy and I think I have encountered almost every emotion. Since my last posting, I've seen my hand unwrapped and lost it. I've stiffened my upper lip, taken account of what I've lost, what I still have, met people who've lost more than me and have learned about true friends and what they're willing to do.
Shortly after writing my last entry, and letting the wounds start to heal from the skin graft surgery, I had my appointment to see my hand as it would be. My legs were continuing to burn and feel as if someone were stabbing me, my skin graft was not healing well and I was an all-around wreck. We added vsits to a neurologist to figure out why you couldnt even blow on my skin on my legs without me having a meltdown. Pain meds were maxed out and eating a sweet-tart had the same effect. Time is passing slowly. I oscillate pretty frequently between being all gung-ho and being frustrated and bitter.
Shortly after writing my last entry, and letting the wounds start to heal from the skin graft surgery, I had my appointment to see my hand as it would be. My legs were continuing to burn and feel as if someone were stabbing me, my skin graft was not healing well and I was an all-around wreck. We added vsits to a neurologist to figure out why you couldnt even blow on my skin on my legs without me having a meltdown. Pain meds were maxed out and eating a sweet-tart had the same effect. Time is passing slowly. I oscillate pretty frequently between being all gung-ho and being frustrated and bitter.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Injured
Bet you thought I'd never update this thing did you? Well neither did I for a while. Pretty much all of February I felt like everything I was running was so run of the mill. We had a few moments here and there that I wanted to jot down and right about but never did. But now its the beginning of April and so much has happened the last 3 weeks.
I was at my part time job where I work as a medic at a sportsman resort. You've read about Durhamtown and its where I have raced and ride as much as possible. Well Mark and I were out patrolling the trails and on the "B" trail there are these 2 hills/jumps that are blind doubles. They're meant for bikes, but if you're on an ATV and you hit it fast enough, you'll fly right over the 2nd one. Well, since we weren't riding hard, and when working we're on utility quads, I came over the first part and hit nose heavy in between the 1st and 2nd jumps. Instead of rolling right over the 2nd part, the quad bounced and me and the quad went rolling. After rolling about 40', and kind of taking inventory of everything, I realized my right hand was hurting.... a lot!!! I pulled my helmet off with my left and saw from the tears in my glove that my right hand was really messed up. I was able to pull my glove off (later you'll see how I don't understand how I could do this), and once my brain acknowledged that it was MY hand that I was looking at the wave of pain that washed over me was indescribable. I prayed to pass out but it never came. Mark finally realized I wasn't behind him, listened to me scream and ramble as he packaged me up, and I was off to the closest hospital which is about 50 minutes away. Unfortunately, the medic that I was with couldn't get a line so I had no pain relief while en route. The lidocaine block once in the ER was SO wonderful. They realized I need both a hand and vascular surgeon specialist, so I was shipped over to Atlanta. Thank goodness!!! I have been blessed with an amazing doctor!! So.... the outcome?
After the first surgery, which ended up being 8 hours instead of the expected 4, due to the damage and amount of dirt in the wounds, my doc grafted about 8" of veins from my forearm into my fingers in an effort to save them. After 2.5 days, and watching my middle and ring fingers turn black, they amputated them just past the last knuckle. The tip of my pinkie was lost in the incident. We're not sure what exactly crushed my fingers, but it sure was a doozy of an injury. You'll see in the xray pics that all four fingers had significant injury. But there is much to be thankful for. Even though I now only have nubs for 2 fingers, which gives me a permanent "rock on" hand sign, my thumb was not injured, my index finger was able to be saved, and the rest of me only received road rash.
My mom was able to come up for the last 2 weeks, and I've had some awesome and amazing friends by my side since minute one. My doc is stating 6-8 months for full recovery, I'm setting a personal goal of 5 months. Now that I'm not AS doped up on narcotics, its been good being at home to start setting a schedule for myself for physical therapy. My fourth surgery was yesterday, which they took skin grafts to cover my fingers and other wounds. Hopefully this will be the last one for a while. I have included pictures of the xrays, and links to the pics that are more descriptive in case those of you with weak stomachs don't want to see them. Sine I now have lots of time, I will try and keep this updated, albeit with PT stories instead of field stories for now.
I was at my part time job where I work as a medic at a sportsman resort. You've read about Durhamtown and its where I have raced and ride as much as possible. Well Mark and I were out patrolling the trails and on the "B" trail there are these 2 hills/jumps that are blind doubles. They're meant for bikes, but if you're on an ATV and you hit it fast enough, you'll fly right over the 2nd one. Well, since we weren't riding hard, and when working we're on utility quads, I came over the first part and hit nose heavy in between the 1st and 2nd jumps. Instead of rolling right over the 2nd part, the quad bounced and me and the quad went rolling. After rolling about 40', and kind of taking inventory of everything, I realized my right hand was hurting.... a lot!!! I pulled my helmet off with my left and saw from the tears in my glove that my right hand was really messed up. I was able to pull my glove off (later you'll see how I don't understand how I could do this), and once my brain acknowledged that it was MY hand that I was looking at the wave of pain that washed over me was indescribable. I prayed to pass out but it never came. Mark finally realized I wasn't behind him, listened to me scream and ramble as he packaged me up, and I was off to the closest hospital which is about 50 minutes away. Unfortunately, the medic that I was with couldn't get a line so I had no pain relief while en route. The lidocaine block once in the ER was SO wonderful. They realized I need both a hand and vascular surgeon specialist, so I was shipped over to Atlanta. Thank goodness!!! I have been blessed with an amazing doctor!! So.... the outcome?
After the first surgery, which ended up being 8 hours instead of the expected 4, due to the damage and amount of dirt in the wounds, my doc grafted about 8" of veins from my forearm into my fingers in an effort to save them. After 2.5 days, and watching my middle and ring fingers turn black, they amputated them just past the last knuckle. The tip of my pinkie was lost in the incident. We're not sure what exactly crushed my fingers, but it sure was a doozy of an injury. You'll see in the xray pics that all four fingers had significant injury. But there is much to be thankful for. Even though I now only have nubs for 2 fingers, which gives me a permanent "rock on" hand sign, my thumb was not injured, my index finger was able to be saved, and the rest of me only received road rash.
My mom was able to come up for the last 2 weeks, and I've had some awesome and amazing friends by my side since minute one. My doc is stating 6-8 months for full recovery, I'm setting a personal goal of 5 months. Now that I'm not AS doped up on narcotics, its been good being at home to start setting a schedule for myself for physical therapy. My fourth surgery was yesterday, which they took skin grafts to cover my fingers and other wounds. Hopefully this will be the last one for a while. I have included pictures of the xrays, and links to the pics that are more descriptive in case those of you with weak stomachs don't want to see them. Sine I now have lots of time, I will try and keep this updated, albeit with PT stories instead of field stories for now.
Here are the links to some pictures that I took once I had the lidocaine block as well as some the medic took for on my way to Atlanta. *** WARNING *** they're graphic.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h183/gaffmedic/injury015.jpg , http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h183/gaffmedic/injury013.jpg , http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h183/gaffmedic/injury014.jpg , http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h183/gaffmedic/pre-surgery.jpg , http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h183/gaffmedic/pre-surgery2.jpg , http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h183/gaffmedic/pre-surgery3.jpg , http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h183/gaffmedic/injury3003.jpg
So.... while this is definitely a challenge for me for the next few months, I'm up for it. So, play hard, and get dirty.
***** Update*****
Here are some pictures from the "now".... still getting used to it. Have good days and bad. Now that the weather is getting colder... you know how your extremities hurt when they're cold and you hit them on something. Yeah... it hurts even more when I hit my nubs on something. Have 2 more surgeries next year that we know for sure. Life has been busy with a baby on the way, so my concentration on my hand has been diverted, which is a good thing.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Allergic to... what?
Well if my goal of moving south was to be with a busier dept, I have certainly succeeded. Yesterday was madness, and my department certainly got its money's worth from us. Save for 45 minutes that I slept in the passenger seat of my rig, we ran a full 24 hours.
We ran a call for a woman in seizures. Apparently she was at a friends house and they witnessed 3 of them before calling us. No one could give any information on her and one woman sitting next to her would ramble on and on, but when asked a direct question, would just grin at us without saying a word. The patient was postictal to say the least, just staring at us.. and when trying to assess her, she grabs my fingers in one hand and my thumb in the other and starts pulling... hard! I get myself free and use the crew from th engine company to help get her out and in my rescue. It takes a good 10 minutes to get all the bystanders to back the heck off and once we get this very disoriented woman on the stretcher, she announces that she, "has to make a boo-boo." I'm hoping she can hold it til we get to the ER. While checking her into triage, we were repositioning her O2 mask and her wig comes flying off... she is still postictal and while getting her set-up on a hospital bed.. she starts informing me on her allergies... the last one.. the most emphatic... being K-Y Jelly. I dont expect the hospital to be using any of that on you ma'am.
Had a frustrating asthma call... couldnt get a line to save my life... was really wishing we had RSI.. and to top it off.. several of my judgements were questioned by chiefs in the field hearing radio traffic. Everything ended up fine... just glad when the shift was over
We ran a call for a woman in seizures. Apparently she was at a friends house and they witnessed 3 of them before calling us. No one could give any information on her and one woman sitting next to her would ramble on and on, but when asked a direct question, would just grin at us without saying a word. The patient was postictal to say the least, just staring at us.. and when trying to assess her, she grabs my fingers in one hand and my thumb in the other and starts pulling... hard! I get myself free and use the crew from th engine company to help get her out and in my rescue. It takes a good 10 minutes to get all the bystanders to back the heck off and once we get this very disoriented woman on the stretcher, she announces that she, "has to make a boo-boo." I'm hoping she can hold it til we get to the ER. While checking her into triage, we were repositioning her O2 mask and her wig comes flying off... she is still postictal and while getting her set-up on a hospital bed.. she starts informing me on her allergies... the last one.. the most emphatic... being K-Y Jelly. I dont expect the hospital to be using any of that on you ma'am.
Had a frustrating asthma call... couldnt get a line to save my life... was really wishing we had RSI.. and to top it off.. several of my judgements were questioned by chiefs in the field hearing radio traffic. Everything ended up fine... just glad when the shift was over
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
We've got orange!
Am finally getting back to work and am feeling better. Been staying busy. We've caught one if not 2-3 fires every shift lately. And the 2 other shifts have been just as busy as we have.
My partner and I were coming back from the hospital, waiting at a stop light, and watching one of those old VW vans starting to smoke. Looked like he was just burning some oil... then he's trying to start his engine... we pull on through the light and pull over to see if he's ok. I'm in the middle of texting someone on my phone and my partner hollers... "we've got orange on the
ground." The guy gets his dog out of the van and we use what we can with the water can and extinguisher. Its still starting to roll. We've already called for an engine, but it was funny only being able to stand there and watch it with our gear on.
Its been bitter cold here the last couple of days, makes the good calls that much more expeditious and the BS calls that much more frustrating.
Here are some pics from a fire we had recently along with some pics from
riding lately. Had two riders last weekend that won them trips to the ER with concussions. The first ride nailed a tree and couldn't tell us what day it was. He knew everything else but looked like he was still seeing lots of stars. Then his brother tells us its common for him to not know what day it is. Huh? Are you kidding? mmmm... ookkkkk. If you say so. 15 minutes later we get called to the big track for another rider who nose-dived after over jumping a tabletop. He definitely took a good hit. His brain was on a recorded loop. Helmets.. such wonderful things... it did its job. Told the guy I'd give him $20 towards a new jersey since I cut it off after 
only 3 hours of him buying it.
Yesterday seemed to be sweet old lady day. Had 3 patients in a row that were over the age of 95 and who all just seemed ready to pass. One had been taken in by her family, yet they let her lay in the same spot for over 4 days without moving her. The only time she uttered a sound was when we were moving her to the stretcher and the pain from her bedsores were to much for her to handle.
We ran a call for a woman down, called in by her 6-yr old son. Both us and the engine pulled up at the same time to also find Grandpa standing on the front porch with the boy and a 4-yr old girl. The little boy says he was playing in his room with with his sister while his mom was on the computer in the next room when they heard a pop. They go in to find mom laying on the floor. I was thinking a possible electrocution. We find her laying on the floor with a blood soaked chest. She is gone. We look but cant find a weapon. We then see a hole in the wall above the computer. We clear the house and call in PD to search the house for a possible assailant. We come to find out a neighbor was shooting a high-power rifle at branches... BRANCHES!!!... when a bullet hit her roof, richoceted through the walls and kills this woman doing nothing but sitting at a desk and working on a computer. It is tragic and heart-breaking. We find out later that not more than 5 minutes earlier the little girl had been sitting in her mothers lap. I cant stop thinking about these kids.
As for my incident that you guys know about, we are feeling better and getting healed up. As soon as I get pics from that fire, I'll post them.
My partner and I were coming back from the hospital, waiting at a stop light, and watching one of those old VW vans starting to smoke. Looked like he was just burning some oil... then he's trying to start his engine... we pull on through the light and pull over to see if he's ok. I'm in the middle of texting someone on my phone and my partner hollers... "we've got orange on the
ground." The guy gets his dog out of the van and we use what we can with the water can and extinguisher. Its still starting to roll. We've already called for an engine, but it was funny only being able to stand there and watch it with our gear on.Its been bitter cold here the last couple of days, makes the good calls that much more expeditious and the BS calls that much more frustrating.
Here are some pics from a fire we had recently along with some pics from
riding lately. Had two riders last weekend that won them trips to the ER with concussions. The first ride nailed a tree and couldn't tell us what day it was. He knew everything else but looked like he was still seeing lots of stars. Then his brother tells us its common for him to not know what day it is. Huh? Are you kidding? mmmm... ookkkkk. If you say so. 15 minutes later we get called to the big track for another rider who nose-dived after over jumping a tabletop. He definitely took a good hit. His brain was on a recorded loop. Helmets.. such wonderful things... it did its job. Told the guy I'd give him $20 towards a new jersey since I cut it off after 
only 3 hours of him buying it.Yesterday seemed to be sweet old lady day. Had 3 patients in a row that were over the age of 95 and who all just seemed ready to pass. One had been taken in by her family, yet they let her lay in the same spot for over 4 days without moving her. The only time she uttered a sound was when we were moving her to the stretcher and the pain from her bedsores were to much for her to handle.
We ran a call for a woman down, called in by her 6-yr old son. Both us and the engine pulled up at the same time to also find Grandpa standing on the front porch with the boy and a 4-yr old girl. The little boy says he was playing in his room with with his sister while his mom was on the computer in the next room when they heard a pop. They go in to find mom laying on the floor. I was thinking a possible electrocution. We find her laying on the floor with a blood soaked chest. She is gone. We look but cant find a weapon. We then see a hole in the wall above the computer. We clear the house and call in PD to search the house for a possible assailant. We come to find out a neighbor was shooting a high-power rifle at branches... BRANCHES!!!... when a bullet hit her roof, richoceted through the walls and kills this woman doing nothing but sitting at a desk and working on a computer. It is tragic and heart-breaking. We find out later that not more than 5 minutes earlier the little girl had been sitting in her mothers lap. I cant stop thinking about these kids.
As for my incident that you guys know about, we are feeling better and getting healed up. As soon as I get pics from that fire, I'll post them.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Eeewwww...
Ran a call late into the night for a person sick. Such a vague dispatch.. and to an address of an apartment tower of the geriatric age group. Enroute we get information that a grandson has something stuck in his ear. Hhmmm.. just what could we have here. To give you an accurate picture, most of the apartments in this tower are occupied by folks who have less than acceptable cleanliness standards. We walk in to find a 20-something young man in a chair with his head in his hands. He tells me he has a roach stuck in his ear. A roach!... stuck in his ear!!!! My partner and I cant see anything and at first I think.. no... please tell me no... maybe this kid has a crazy case of wax or something. Then I look at the dining room table and see a good 10-20 roaches crawling all over the place.. and as my eyes adjust to the low light... I see them all over the walls and ceiling. I want to bathe... NOW! We take him outside for better light and try to do our thing with no resolve. He says he can still feel it moving around. We take him on in and we use a potent lidocaine concoction to kill it and it floats out. ok... now I'm really ready for a bath.
Everything else was meat and potatoes... an arrest that should have been called in the field but since we couldn't get a line and dropped everything down the tube we transported. A bunch of basic calls where onset was 3-6 days earlier and now they were just "tired of feeling like this".
The next couple of days are set aside for chilling, working out, and doodling around the house. Next 2 weeks will be busy... see ya when I get back. Stay safe. Play hard. Get dirty.
Everything else was meat and potatoes... an arrest that should have been called in the field but since we couldn't get a line and dropped everything down the tube we transported. A bunch of basic calls where onset was 3-6 days earlier and now they were just "tired of feeling like this".
The next couple of days are set aside for chilling, working out, and doodling around the house. Next 2 weeks will be busy... see ya when I get back. Stay safe. Play hard. Get dirty.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Weather
The day started out pretty good... after musical driver for about an hour (seems every shift, after the roster has been made, we go through musical chair for about an hour while other stations call in needing an extra body)... it was me and the EMT I was assigned to for the day. I have had previous shifts with her before, but my day went from great to "oh shit" when she got moved over. I try not to gripe, but anyone can tell you.. you can handle practically anything on your shift if you have a good partner. But having a crappy partner can make even the most mundane calls a headache.
Definition of a crappy partner: someone who doesn't check off the truck efficiently, knowing that after you do your thing with drug checks and setting up your equipment the way you like it, you might as well go back and check the whole truck yourself cause your partner will only visually check the things that are in plain view. A crappy partner does only bare minimum, does a half-ass job at cleaning the back of the truck after a call and then sits in the front and plays solitaire while you do your thing and STILL SITS there while you are in the back putting everything back in order.
And for those of you who are saying, tell your partner to get off their lazy butt and do their job!, well... easier said than done. That's all I can say about it for now.
So we ran 2 calls in the morning and then got to catch up on some much needed sleep for a few hours. I had worked at my other job the day before and was sore and beat to hell and back. I rode my quad for a good 8 hours straight. I am certainly not complaining as its the BEST pt job out there. Lets see... I get paid almost what I'm getting at my full time job to ride my quad around the woods and my gas is paid for to boot! The weather was beautiful, the ground was perfect, and my baby was running good. So I rode hard... and so my body was hollering at me all day at work.
Watched the NFL playoffs for a bit before we caught a good house fire. Home owner apparently was cooking a mean fried fish meal and got a grease fire on the stove. Hint: what DON'T you use to put out a grease fire? Yeah.. guy brings in a garden hose to put it out. Ends up lighting up the whole kitchen and by the time we get called and get there, the roof, the garage, both cars are all lit up. We did some serious remodeling during overhaul. All the while it was 33 degrees and raining. Good times. 3 hours and fresh, dry clothes later, bed time.
Got up around 1am for a 24 yo woman with tingling in her arm which started up again while she was exercising. No other complaints, original onset was 2 months ago, no KNOWN history as she hasn't seen a doctor in over 10 yrs, and at 300 pounds exercising at 1am... I thought.. so we're your doctor, huh? Do you want to go the hospital or not? "I don't know.. what do you think?" What do I think?, Well I wouldn't have called 911 cause my finger tips were tingly. "Ok... well I'll go and get checked out, can you bring the stretcher to my front doorstep?" Are your legs tingly too? I ask. "No"..... well then... lets keep up your exercise regimen and WALK to the ambulance.
Until next time... stay safe, play hard... and get dirty.
Definition of a crappy partner: someone who doesn't check off the truck efficiently, knowing that after you do your thing with drug checks and setting up your equipment the way you like it, you might as well go back and check the whole truck yourself cause your partner will only visually check the things that are in plain view. A crappy partner does only bare minimum, does a half-ass job at cleaning the back of the truck after a call and then sits in the front and plays solitaire while you do your thing and STILL SITS there while you are in the back putting everything back in order.
And for those of you who are saying, tell your partner to get off their lazy butt and do their job!, well... easier said than done. That's all I can say about it for now.
So we ran 2 calls in the morning and then got to catch up on some much needed sleep for a few hours. I had worked at my other job the day before and was sore and beat to hell and back. I rode my quad for a good 8 hours straight. I am certainly not complaining as its the BEST pt job out there. Lets see... I get paid almost what I'm getting at my full time job to ride my quad around the woods and my gas is paid for to boot! The weather was beautiful, the ground was perfect, and my baby was running good. So I rode hard... and so my body was hollering at me all day at work.
Watched the NFL playoffs for a bit before we caught a good house fire. Home owner apparently was cooking a mean fried fish meal and got a grease fire on the stove. Hint: what DON'T you use to put out a grease fire? Yeah.. guy brings in a garden hose to put it out. Ends up lighting up the whole kitchen and by the time we get called and get there, the roof, the garage, both cars are all lit up. We did some serious remodeling during overhaul. All the while it was 33 degrees and raining. Good times. 3 hours and fresh, dry clothes later, bed time.
Got up around 1am for a 24 yo woman with tingling in her arm which started up again while she was exercising. No other complaints, original onset was 2 months ago, no KNOWN history as she hasn't seen a doctor in over 10 yrs, and at 300 pounds exercising at 1am... I thought.. so we're your doctor, huh? Do you want to go the hospital or not? "I don't know.. what do you think?" What do I think?, Well I wouldn't have called 911 cause my finger tips were tingly. "Ok... well I'll go and get checked out, can you bring the stretcher to my front doorstep?" Are your legs tingly too? I ask. "No"..... well then... lets keep up your exercise regimen and WALK to the ambulance.
Until next time... stay safe, play hard... and get dirty.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Cougar Bar
Another insanely long day on the box. Started about 45 minutes into our shift and we didn't get a breather at the station til about 4pm. And that only lasted about 15 minutes. Seems every time I have our rook on the box with me, we get slammed all day. Our rook is new to the fire service, but has been an EMT for about 4 yrs. But she is eager to learn and willing to work hard. We were cleaning up the box at the hospital and we were trading near miss stories. She's telling me how she almost lost a finger when someone threw a hydrant wrench at her while catching the plug and she starts talking about the cougar bar. I do a head tilt wondering what the heck a cougar bar is... I'm trying to figure out what she is talking about... and then she does an .. "oh.. I mean cheetah bar!".... and I start laughing so hard cause she's confident she really meant a cheetah bar... Its a CHEATER bar goofball! We get a good laugh and she's a good sport about it but begging me not to tell our senior guy. Are you kidding? Some of the best nicknames come about from doing silly rookie things. So now "Rook"... she is now "Cheetah".
We ran a woman in labor which I'm not sure what exactly it was... but lets just say that I was envious that my partner was stopped up and couldn't smell what I was smelling. She was in her early 50's giving birth to her 4th child. Ambitious woman.
Ran a call on an ALOC with significant ETOH history. When starting the line on him, went through 6 alcohol prep pads to get the area clean. His wife sitting up front was intent on trying to have a conversation with him while he was out of it in the back. While my partner drove we laughed the whole way since she was hard of hearing, but rambling on to him.. we're trying to get information from her on him.. and all he would do was just stare at me. Older couple who both seemed like they hadn't bathed in over a month. I wonder if this is because of old age our their situation. We weren't laughing at them... I really wish at times I had more power to help people in this environment... but that there were 2-3 conversations all going on at the same time and none of them meshed was candid camera-ish.
Had a call on the other side of the county from PD.. they found a guy laying in the woods on the opposite side of the guardrail, very... let me emphasize... very combative when approached. But would just lay there if left alone. By the time we got there, the engine company was on scene as well as the pt's mom. In the course of a few minutes, he tried to bite his mother, bite me, took a swing at one of the engine company guys... he was a workout. Restraints, Narcan, and Valium later... he was peacefully sleeping with an artificially induced SVT. The frustrating part was mom on scene. She refused... and not even by saying she refused.. she simply ignored any request for information or assistance regarding her son! "Name?... ma'am... what is his name?" Nothing. "Ma'am.. your son wants to be able to see you, can you stand over here?" Nothing. She would just look over my shoulder at him and start to walk away. Gggrrrrrr.... I wanted to shake a knot in her! It was a nice little bout of chaos.
We got back to the station between 4 and 5am. I just stayed in the passenger seat and slept. No point in going to bed. Oncoming crew woke me @ 0630, took my keys and radio and THEN I went to bed for a bit before heading home. Now I am home, got the laundry done and I'm taking the quad out to ride. It's cold but its at least not raining. Gonna get some good practice time in before working out there tomorrow. Its not as busy during the week and can play on the track easier. Stay safe... play hard... get dirty.
We ran a woman in labor which I'm not sure what exactly it was... but lets just say that I was envious that my partner was stopped up and couldn't smell what I was smelling. She was in her early 50's giving birth to her 4th child. Ambitious woman.
Ran a call on an ALOC with significant ETOH history. When starting the line on him, went through 6 alcohol prep pads to get the area clean. His wife sitting up front was intent on trying to have a conversation with him while he was out of it in the back. While my partner drove we laughed the whole way since she was hard of hearing, but rambling on to him.. we're trying to get information from her on him.. and all he would do was just stare at me. Older couple who both seemed like they hadn't bathed in over a month. I wonder if this is because of old age our their situation. We weren't laughing at them... I really wish at times I had more power to help people in this environment... but that there were 2-3 conversations all going on at the same time and none of them meshed was candid camera-ish.
Had a call on the other side of the county from PD.. they found a guy laying in the woods on the opposite side of the guardrail, very... let me emphasize... very combative when approached. But would just lay there if left alone. By the time we got there, the engine company was on scene as well as the pt's mom. In the course of a few minutes, he tried to bite his mother, bite me, took a swing at one of the engine company guys... he was a workout. Restraints, Narcan, and Valium later... he was peacefully sleeping with an artificially induced SVT. The frustrating part was mom on scene. She refused... and not even by saying she refused.. she simply ignored any request for information or assistance regarding her son! "Name?... ma'am... what is his name?" Nothing. "Ma'am.. your son wants to be able to see you, can you stand over here?" Nothing. She would just look over my shoulder at him and start to walk away. Gggrrrrrr.... I wanted to shake a knot in her! It was a nice little bout of chaos.
We got back to the station between 4 and 5am. I just stayed in the passenger seat and slept. No point in going to bed. Oncoming crew woke me @ 0630, took my keys and radio and THEN I went to bed for a bit before heading home. Now I am home, got the laundry done and I'm taking the quad out to ride. It's cold but its at least not raining. Gonna get some good practice time in before working out there tomorrow. Its not as busy during the week and can play on the track easier. Stay safe... play hard... get dirty.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Good day
Yesterday made for a good day on the engine. Much unlike last shift, the whole company got to get chores done and relax for the first part of the day. It was a welcome relief. Nothing much to speak of.. a car fire, a full arrest, a couple of MVA's with all the rain and a few others.
It was crazy unseasonably warm but I am certainly not complaining. It was a beautiful day. But as usual that is coming to an abrupt end. The cold weather has moved in overnight and I am gonna try and get in a couple hours of riding practice before it gets really bad today. Heard that by next shift we're gonna have a day of sleet and cold crappy weather. Guess winter finally decided to arrive. Well, off to do some riding and hopefully stretch out my back from last time.
It was crazy unseasonably warm but I am certainly not complaining. It was a beautiful day. But as usual that is coming to an abrupt end. The cold weather has moved in overnight and I am gonna try and get in a couple hours of riding practice before it gets really bad today. Heard that by next shift we're gonna have a day of sleet and cold crappy weather. Guess winter finally decided to arrive. Well, off to do some riding and hopefully stretch out my back from last time.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Status Quo
I haven't run a shift like yesterday in a while but having a good partner makes it bearable. We were at the station for an hour out of 24. Wished we just could have had a BLS truck tailing us since almost every call was a basic call and a few were just taxi rides.
On one call a basic wasn't available so we transported a repeat patient complaining of ab pain. While she states her pain is 10/10 she looks rather bored and only when she is not getting enough attention does she start with the moaning. I have picked her up before and she is known to have a hx that would warrant extra BSI, but she is random on whether she admits it. I advise my partner and drive on. We get to the ER and my partner cant remember the door code to get into the ER. I start to say it to her and THE PATIENT rattles it off to her! And when the charge nurse says she can go to the lobby triage, she pipes up, "Oh... and now I have chest pain." ...mmm-hhhmmmmm.
Everything else we ran was typical bread and butter stuff. AMS, dizzyness, fall off a bike, an ear infection in a toddler, and lots of difficulty breathings. We had a late call and the oncoming crew hadn't gotten to the station yet so it was 0715 by the time we got back. Have to leave the station by 0730 to get to my other job on time.So tired and running late make for a grumpy me. And I was having practice while out at the track. But it was a good day.
Another weekend of record numbers. Thankfully nothing major. A broken wrist after a guy ran his quad into a tree and a kid with some abrasions after laying down his bike off a big berm. While out patrolling came across 2 bikes that collided while merging on a trail and another rider comes up and his holding his neck. Apparently he was clothes-lined by a vine that had gotten pulled down. Pulled him right off his bike and left some nasty looking lines on his neck. Patched him up and he was off but I think it would have been a good time to call it a day.
Practice time was good... Improved my time on two of the trails by 1:12 and my time on the SuperMX track by 42 seconds. When I finally got home last night, after cracking a beer and soaking in the tub, I finally felt human again. Countdown to 6-hour HareScramble: 41 days.
On one call a basic wasn't available so we transported a repeat patient complaining of ab pain. While she states her pain is 10/10 she looks rather bored and only when she is not getting enough attention does she start with the moaning. I have picked her up before and she is known to have a hx that would warrant extra BSI, but she is random on whether she admits it. I advise my partner and drive on. We get to the ER and my partner cant remember the door code to get into the ER. I start to say it to her and THE PATIENT rattles it off to her! And when the charge nurse says she can go to the lobby triage, she pipes up, "Oh... and now I have chest pain." ...mmm-hhhmmmmm.
Everything else we ran was typical bread and butter stuff. AMS, dizzyness, fall off a bike, an ear infection in a toddler, and lots of difficulty breathings. We had a late call and the oncoming crew hadn't gotten to the station yet so it was 0715 by the time we got back. Have to leave the station by 0730 to get to my other job on time.So tired and running late make for a grumpy me. And I was having practice while out at the track. But it was a good day.
Another weekend of record numbers. Thankfully nothing major. A broken wrist after a guy ran his quad into a tree and a kid with some abrasions after laying down his bike off a big berm. While out patrolling came across 2 bikes that collided while merging on a trail and another rider comes up and his holding his neck. Apparently he was clothes-lined by a vine that had gotten pulled down. Pulled him right off his bike and left some nasty looking lines on his neck. Patched him up and he was off but I think it would have been a good time to call it a day.
Practice time was good... Improved my time on two of the trails by 1:12 and my time on the SuperMX track by 42 seconds. When I finally got home last night, after cracking a beer and soaking in the tub, I finally felt human again. Countdown to 6-hour HareScramble: 41 days.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
I'm still here
I've gotten a bunch or emails lately wondering if I'm still around... I am... I just hadn't realized how long its been since I've sat down to type anything. Goodness.. 3 weeks.. a lot has happened in 3 weeks. Christmas.. New Years... Hope everyone had a great New Years.
2006.. wow.. what a year of changes, risks, some with rewards and some with... well... lessons learned. In 2006 I got divorced, I moved to another state, I finally got the job I had been working so hard for, and I loved someone more than I thought possible. I've met some life-long friends, and have lost some people very close to me. I've reaffirmed that I am a strong smart chic who can make it on her own. I've started loving a new sport that I've jumped into with both feet. I have been through fire academy. I have saved some lives and saved some houses. I've watched a family's dreams go up in smoke on Christmas Day, and was thankful that my family was at least safe. I have tried in vain to save a 17 yr old who was driving to fast without a seat belt, and then comfort his mother while still at the hospital. I took in Granny Frinkett at 2350 and we celebrated New Years together in the back of the ambulance... (while I needed a hospital more than she - will get to that later.)
It has been a good year... heck... I'm still here. LOL! And 2007 has plenty to offer. Lots of traveling... I'm hitting the Jersey shore this summer, FDIC in Indy in the spring, riding as much as possible, skiing in a few weeks.. and whatever else my little heart desires.
So.. while I have felt like I've been hit by a train the last couple of days, I am renewed and refreshed. I was on shift New Years Eve night and dinner did not sit well for most of us. So around 2300, it was not a pretty picture. Bathroom.. Bedroom... Bathroom.. Bedroom... oh no... a call... are you kidding... lets hope we make it. By the time I was dropping off Granny Frinkett I was calling a time out. A friend of mine started a line for me at home. 2 bags later and I still didn't have to pee. Started feeling better this afternoon after getting lots of sleep.
Some memorable calls since the last post... medic boy and I got a call for an uncon/fainting pt. Its really a young guy who is complaining of ab pain, feeling like he must have eaten something "bad". Vitals are all good, no fever. Looks in great health, no history, no meds, no nothing. I call for a basic to transport him. He then starts touching between his legs saying it hurts and he moved just enough to notice a massive growth between his legs... and no I don't mean that one. After questioning and doing what we're supposed to do, his scrotum was the size of a nerf football. By the time we got to the hospital (yeah, I cancelled the basic) it was the size of a full size NFL football. He said he had been like this for 4 days. 4 days! Are you serious? And you weren't planning on telling us any of this while we're standing there? I figured he had herniated himself. Ran into the ER doc later and turns out he had torn a blood vessel.
Ran a call for an MVA with rollover on the highway, which is very common for our section of the interstate. Car landed right side up. Dad is in the front complaining of multiple injuries, slumped over into the passenger seat. The young child in the back.... very content, still playing his video game that is attached to the back of the front seat! He couldn't understand why.. since he wasn't hurt and "but I had my seat belt on" ... that we still immobilized him. He was an awesome little kid.
So.. for now that's the updates. Hope you and your families had a safe and happy time over the holidays. Hope you have a great new year in 2007. Make sure you live every day without any regret. Stay safe. Play hard... & get dirty.
2006.. wow.. what a year of changes, risks, some with rewards and some with... well... lessons learned. In 2006 I got divorced, I moved to another state, I finally got the job I had been working so hard for, and I loved someone more than I thought possible. I've met some life-long friends, and have lost some people very close to me. I've reaffirmed that I am a strong smart chic who can make it on her own. I've started loving a new sport that I've jumped into with both feet. I have been through fire academy. I have saved some lives and saved some houses. I've watched a family's dreams go up in smoke on Christmas Day, and was thankful that my family was at least safe. I have tried in vain to save a 17 yr old who was driving to fast without a seat belt, and then comfort his mother while still at the hospital. I took in Granny Frinkett at 2350 and we celebrated New Years together in the back of the ambulance... (while I needed a hospital more than she - will get to that later.)
It has been a good year... heck... I'm still here. LOL! And 2007 has plenty to offer. Lots of traveling... I'm hitting the Jersey shore this summer, FDIC in Indy in the spring, riding as much as possible, skiing in a few weeks.. and whatever else my little heart desires.
So.. while I have felt like I've been hit by a train the last couple of days, I am renewed and refreshed. I was on shift New Years Eve night and dinner did not sit well for most of us. So around 2300, it was not a pretty picture. Bathroom.. Bedroom... Bathroom.. Bedroom... oh no... a call... are you kidding... lets hope we make it. By the time I was dropping off Granny Frinkett I was calling a time out. A friend of mine started a line for me at home. 2 bags later and I still didn't have to pee. Started feeling better this afternoon after getting lots of sleep.
Some memorable calls since the last post... medic boy and I got a call for an uncon/fainting pt. Its really a young guy who is complaining of ab pain, feeling like he must have eaten something "bad". Vitals are all good, no fever. Looks in great health, no history, no meds, no nothing. I call for a basic to transport him. He then starts touching between his legs saying it hurts and he moved just enough to notice a massive growth between his legs... and no I don't mean that one. After questioning and doing what we're supposed to do, his scrotum was the size of a nerf football. By the time we got to the hospital (yeah, I cancelled the basic) it was the size of a full size NFL football. He said he had been like this for 4 days. 4 days! Are you serious? And you weren't planning on telling us any of this while we're standing there? I figured he had herniated himself. Ran into the ER doc later and turns out he had torn a blood vessel.
Ran a call for an MVA with rollover on the highway, which is very common for our section of the interstate. Car landed right side up. Dad is in the front complaining of multiple injuries, slumped over into the passenger seat. The young child in the back.... very content, still playing his video game that is attached to the back of the front seat! He couldn't understand why.. since he wasn't hurt and "but I had my seat belt on" ... that we still immobilized him. He was an awesome little kid.
So.. for now that's the updates. Hope you and your families had a safe and happy time over the holidays. Hope you have a great new year in 2007. Make sure you live every day without any regret. Stay safe. Play hard... & get dirty.
Monday, December 11, 2006
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.
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.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
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....
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....
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Change is in the air
Its late November and I cant get over how warm the weather is. Maybe it just hasnt set in that I'm living back in the South and it just doesnt get as winter-y looking as it does up north. Not to much to write... just been out riding as much as I can... playing.. etc. I think I've either sprained or fractured my wrist while I was out playing a few days ago.
Have caught a few good house fires lately... the busy season is approaching with make-shift warmers being created by folks just trying not to freeze. Atlanta had a bad fire on Thanksgiving and one of their own was caught in a flashover. FF Steve Solomon got caught in the flashover and is in critical condition. Please add him and his family to your prayers.
Have caught a few good house fires lately... the busy season is approaching with make-shift warmers being created by folks just trying not to freeze. Atlanta had a bad fire on Thanksgiving and one of their own was caught in a flashover. FF Steve Solomon got caught in the flashover and is in critical condition. Please add him and his family to your prayers.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Turkey Eve
I am sore and have a heck of a cold starting to get settled into my chest. All I want to do is curl up into bed and sleep. Am hoping that with the holiday and everyone's family being in town, people don't get all rowdy and start shooting each other.
First call of the morning was for a medical alarm. No other information.. enroute advised also the burglar alarm is activated. PK and I go trotting up to the front door... we dont hear anything.. looks like a few lights are on inside. No one is answering the front door. I'm starting to get that "ohhh boy" feeling. I go around the side and a sweet elderly man is looking out the side door very surprised to see us. He starts to say something when the elderly woman in the back room hits a button on the alarm panel which sends the home fire alarm into a tizzy. They are blivious to the wailing alarm as we try and get her to come away from the box and tell us the code. After "What dear?"-ing us 6 times she finally tells us that this is her daughters house and she doesnt
know the code to disarm the alarm. PK and I are laughing so hard we can barely keep from rolling on the floor. The old man has retired to the living room for us to figure this thing out on our own. We finally get the daughter on the phone and get it disarmed with the right code. PK and I are now as deaf as the elderly couple as we leave them to their own devices.. unattended for the day in a stange house on Thanksgiving Eve.
Get called for a 23yo M who was last seen A/O last night. Unresponsive to everything, pinpoint pupils, tachy into the 190's. Family says he is only on Seroquel but is known to use Ectasy. One hit of narcan with no response. Monitor shows a nice SVT. First two rounds of Adenosine do nothing. Third round dropped him to 113 but by the time we got him into the ER he was back up to 160. Baby Doc inside decides to look at 3 seconds of a strip about 3' long and announces "well no wonder he didnt convert, he is in Sinus Tach... this is not SVT..." and proceeds to go off on me. We had a little pow-wow right then and there.. and while I certainly am no para-god, I know SVT when I see it. I love it when 2nd and 3rd year residents try to puff out their chest and beat on it to impress the 1st year baby docs by trying to embarass someone else... and then stick their foot in their mouth and look like an ass.
Text book stroke patient which was one of those calls where everything just went beautifully. Dispatched for numbness and tingling. Found a 59yo woman slumped in a chair.. family said just 10 minutes ago she was standing, talking, no deficeits. Now she is slurring her words, cant stand, and incontinent. Complaining of severe headache on her right side with Pronator Drift and all other deficeits on her left. BGL of 180. BP 230/160. Dispatch to delivery to the Stroke Team at the ER in 21 minutes. Sweet. Hung out for a bit with the Neuro doc to confirm her brain bleed. Watched the charge nurse and one her baby docs go toe to toe over him wanting to intubate our pt on the way to CT. You can tell the who wears the pants in this ER... and its not the resident.
The night wears on with me getting sicker and more cranky. Poor PK puts up with me crawling into the cab for a call, sleeping til we get on scene, making my way through the call and then crashing til we get back to the station. I am praying for just 5 minutes of relief. Maybe my 2 days off for Thanksgiving will be easy. I will certainly be thankful for a job, a roof over my head, friends to get full with and a family who loves me even though they are far far away.
First call of the morning was for a medical alarm. No other information.. enroute advised also the burglar alarm is activated. PK and I go trotting up to the front door... we dont hear anything.. looks like a few lights are on inside. No one is answering the front door. I'm starting to get that "ohhh boy" feeling. I go around the side and a sweet elderly man is looking out the side door very surprised to see us. He starts to say something when the elderly woman in the back room hits a button on the alarm panel which sends the home fire alarm into a tizzy. They are blivious to the wailing alarm as we try and get her to come away from the box and tell us the code. After "What dear?"-ing us 6 times she finally tells us that this is her daughters house and she doesnt
know the code to disarm the alarm. PK and I are laughing so hard we can barely keep from rolling on the floor. The old man has retired to the living room for us to figure this thing out on our own. We finally get the daughter on the phone and get it disarmed with the right code. PK and I are now as deaf as the elderly couple as we leave them to their own devices.. unattended for the day in a stange house on Thanksgiving Eve.
Get called for a 23yo M who was last seen A/O last night. Unresponsive to everything, pinpoint pupils, tachy into the 190's. Family says he is only on Seroquel but is known to use Ectasy. One hit of narcan with no response. Monitor shows a nice SVT. First two rounds of Adenosine do nothing. Third round dropped him to 113 but by the time we got him into the ER he was back up to 160. Baby Doc inside decides to look at 3 seconds of a strip about 3' long and announces "well no wonder he didnt convert, he is in Sinus Tach... this is not SVT..." and proceeds to go off on me. We had a little pow-wow right then and there.. and while I certainly am no para-god, I know SVT when I see it. I love it when 2nd and 3rd year residents try to puff out their chest and beat on it to impress the 1st year baby docs by trying to embarass someone else... and then stick their foot in their mouth and look like an ass.
Text book stroke patient which was one of those calls where everything just went beautifully. Dispatched for numbness and tingling. Found a 59yo woman slumped in a chair.. family said just 10 minutes ago she was standing, talking, no deficeits. Now she is slurring her words, cant stand, and incontinent. Complaining of severe headache on her right side with Pronator Drift and all other deficeits on her left. BGL of 180. BP 230/160. Dispatch to delivery to the Stroke Team at the ER in 21 minutes. Sweet. Hung out for a bit with the Neuro doc to confirm her brain bleed. Watched the charge nurse and one her baby docs go toe to toe over him wanting to intubate our pt on the way to CT. You can tell the who wears the pants in this ER... and its not the resident.
The night wears on with me getting sicker and more cranky. Poor PK puts up with me crawling into the cab for a call, sleeping til we get on scene, making my way through the call and then crashing til we get back to the station. I am praying for just 5 minutes of relief. Maybe my 2 days off for Thanksgiving will be easy. I will certainly be thankful for a job, a roof over my head, friends to get full with and a family who loves me even though they are far far away.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Trauma, Life in the woods.
Its been a great few days. After work last week, headed back over to GA to visit friends and go riding. Went to the FD vs SO football game up in Banks County, it so reminded me of home.. Good game... SO kicked the fire guys all over the field. Retribution for the past 2 years.
Worked at the plantation on Sat, had a kid who was riding his atv in the woods and got his leg caught between the back tire and a tree and then hit the gas. At first we thought it was a compound fracture but after looking at it and the flesh left on the tree, he split the back of his leg open. He hollered more over getting a line started than his injury. Bad part was he was from a city 200 miles away, was there with a friend and his dad, and the friends dad had no information on him. No easy access to his parents phone number, no history on him... nothing. It also didnt help that the kid was wearing sneakers instead of riding boots. If he had any ALOC we would have flown him, but we was taken straight into surgery once at the ER. Ran a couple of other calls, a broken clavicle and a sprained LCL/MCL injury. Considering we had a hare scramble race and an all day race we did good with no significant injuries.
Then went riding and had a blast. The weather wasn't bad so I went through some serious mud. Met up with some new folks and took them back on the trails. Until next time...
Work was pretty steady yesterday. Ran a call on a pt with nausea/vomiting / heart problem. Walk into the nursing home to find a 59yo woman, alert and oriented,.. but pasty white and a pulse of 23! Hx of CHF, hyperkalemia, acute renal failure and DB. Couldn't get a line for nothing. She was compensating very well considering, but both EJ's, and 3 tries on the arms gave us nothing. Tried pacing and but couldnt get capture. We're trying to get a standing order to give Epi sub-q for cases like this...
Ran a call for chest pain.. the guy was NSR and his 12-lead was normal.. but he LOOKED sick. he looked like he was having an MI in front of us but he flat out refused everything. After trying to convince him to go, and him still refusing, his wife announced she would take him against his will to the ER. He had another MI as they were walking in... and while in the ER was still refusing care. Guess stupid is as stupid does.
Worked at the plantation on Sat, had a kid who was riding his atv in the woods and got his leg caught between the back tire and a tree and then hit the gas. At first we thought it was a compound fracture but after looking at it and the flesh left on the tree, he split the back of his leg open. He hollered more over getting a line started than his injury. Bad part was he was from a city 200 miles away, was there with a friend and his dad, and the friends dad had no information on him. No easy access to his parents phone number, no history on him... nothing. It also didnt help that the kid was wearing sneakers instead of riding boots. If he had any ALOC we would have flown him, but we was taken straight into surgery once at the ER. Ran a couple of other calls, a broken clavicle and a sprained LCL/MCL injury. Considering we had a hare scramble race and an all day race we did good with no significant injuries.
Then went riding and had a blast. The weather wasn't bad so I went through some serious mud. Met up with some new folks and took them back on the trails. Until next time...
Work was pretty steady yesterday. Ran a call on a pt with nausea/vomiting / heart problem. Walk into the nursing home to find a 59yo woman, alert and oriented,.. but pasty white and a pulse of 23! Hx of CHF, hyperkalemia, acute renal failure and DB. Couldn't get a line for nothing. She was compensating very well considering, but both EJ's, and 3 tries on the arms gave us nothing. Tried pacing and but couldnt get capture. We're trying to get a standing order to give Epi sub-q for cases like this...
Ran a call for chest pain.. the guy was NSR and his 12-lead was normal.. but he LOOKED sick. he looked like he was having an MI in front of us but he flat out refused everything. After trying to convince him to go, and him still refusing, his wife announced she would take him against his will to the ER. He had another MI as they were walking in... and while in the ER was still refusing care. Guess stupid is as stupid does.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Everyone should have a Kelly.
Life is good. Last shift was fine... again another case of Murphy's Law coming to bite us in the butt. Our rescue is one of the top 3 busiest rescues in the county. And my partner is in medic school so he is itchin to learn and put to use the stuff he is learning. He's a great guy and we have a blast. We're both good coffee addicts so we spend our time out and about hitting the java shops in Little Five Points. Well... our rescue didnt turn a wheel until 3:30pm. Now I'm certainly not complaining, but its just one of those... you just know.. for every minute of peace you get during the day, you gonna pay double for running your butt off at night.
We ran a call on a deaf/mute who seized and did a face plant in the grocery store. We tried.. but I'm sure it was comical watching us trying to do pseudo-sign language. I need to refresh my sign skills. Ran another call for a woman stabbed. She took a steak knife to the lateral scapula area. We were dispatched that she was stabbed by a family member, but she tells us that she was cooking, toko some sleeping pills and rolled onto the knife. Yeah lady, right. Sure. She didnt need a decompression, but baby doc in the ER put in a chest tube. We proceeded to run the rest of the night with taxi rides into the ER.
Spent the weekend out at the plantation and had a blast. Took the atv's out on the trails to go muddin and watched these awesome little kids doing 360's with their motorcross bikes on the jumps.
We ran a call on a deaf/mute who seized and did a face plant in the grocery store. We tried.. but I'm sure it was comical watching us trying to do pseudo-sign language. I need to refresh my sign skills. Ran another call for a woman stabbed. She took a steak knife to the lateral scapula area. We were dispatched that she was stabbed by a family member, but she tells us that she was cooking, toko some sleeping pills and rolled onto the knife. Yeah lady, right. Sure. She didnt need a decompression, but baby doc in the ER put in a chest tube. We proceeded to run the rest of the night with taxi rides into the ER.
Spent the weekend out at the plantation and had a blast. Took the atv's out on the trails to go muddin and watched these awesome little kids doing 360's with their motorcross bikes on the jumps.
These kids rock! A buddy of mine works part-time out there and hung out with some of the other medics who also used to work at my dept. We had talked about it earlier but we finally got everything in the works to work out there PT. I'm gonna be driving the wheels off my truck with mileage. Durhamtown has miles and miles of trails... hit a few jumps accompanied by the pucker factor as my front end was coming down before it should have... but I didnt break anything. The close course is a trail that is about handle bar wide, so there were a few times of, "shit, shit.. there's a tree.. turn, turn, .... whew! That was close" LOL ! ! ! So, I've found my new toy. If you're ever looking for a fun place to play, check out Durhamtown Plantation. Had great weather while we were riding but once we're on the pad to hose off the machines, a torrential downpour came through. Its been a great weekend. I'm sore, but it's all good. ATV's and paintball will do that to ya. Kelly days are such a wonderful thing. Life is good.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Truckie for a day
Havent posted in a while but there really hasnt been much worth while to post. Have been pretty busy the past few weeks but more with life stuff than work. So if I repeat anything that I've already posted, just read it again and enjoy the moment!
Last weekend was the much awaited FOOLS Convention 2006 in Chicago. Had a blast! Hung out with old friends and met some new brothers, learned some great lessons from the wise seasoned leaders up in Chicago (EE and Mac) and partaked in the fun and foolishness of the nightlife up there. Having our band of pipe players follow us to each bar on the pub crawl and play was awesome. Nothing like having an entire club that we invaded raise their glasses while our boys played. We honored our fallen brother Bill Craddock during the seminar portion of the convention and everytime the guys played you just knew he was there, sitting on the edge of the stage with a beer in his hand, big grin on his face, raising a glass with us.
Last weekend was the much awaited FOOLS Convention 2006 in Chicago. Had a blast! Hung out with old friends and met some new brothers, learned some great lessons from the wise seasoned leaders up in Chicago (EE and Mac) and partaked in the fun and foolishness of the nightlife up there. Having our band of pipe players follow us to each bar on the pub crawl and play was awesome. Nothing like having an entire club that we invaded raise their glasses while our boys played. We honored our fallen brother Bill Craddock during the seminar portion of the convention and everytime the guys played you just knew he was there, sitting on the edge of the stage with a beer in his hand, big grin on his face, raising a glass with us.
Shanti, Tristen and Chris and I were there from GA. The FOOLS from FL, NJ, NY, CA, KS, MI, IL, and IN were all there. There is just no better group of people who define, reaffirm and practice brotherhood! Cant wait for next year!!!
Now... came back.. dehydrated and pumped up. We're on the engine yesterday on the way to an MVC in the middle of a downpour and the damn thing just dies right on the highway. Right on the entrance ramp on I-20. Well, what are ya gonna do but just call the chief and wait for a tow from motor maintenance? 7 hours.. yep, 7 hours later we were finally swapping out into a squirt. Chief had taken off, motor maintenance was closed, we're starving for dinner (its about 1930), we've finally found a place for everything on a rig that has about 30% less space and... it wont start!! After another 25 minutes of trying to swipe a jump box we finally headed back to the house. And as usual karma is a bitch as we ran our butts off all night for BS.
Now... came back.. dehydrated and pumped up. We're on the engine yesterday on the way to an MVC in the middle of a downpour and the damn thing just dies right on the highway. Right on the entrance ramp on I-20. Well, what are ya gonna do but just call the chief and wait for a tow from motor maintenance? 7 hours.. yep, 7 hours later we were finally swapping out into a squirt. Chief had taken off, motor maintenance was closed, we're starving for dinner (its about 1930), we've finally found a place for everything on a rig that has about 30% less space and... it wont start!! After another 25 minutes of trying to swipe a jump box we finally headed back to the house. And as usual karma is a bitch as we ran our butts off all night for BS.
Ran a call for a 19yo unconscious, recently assaulted. What's recent? 2 days ago? Yesterday? Just now? We wait for PD and finally get cleared to enter an apartment with characters that Jerry Springer would drool over. This girl has gotten bopped upside the head by her SISTER by a little plastic snow globe. The drama was nauseating and didnt sit well with my lack of patience for such nonsense. Pt is groggy and does in fact have a lump on the side of her head but with a little whiff of amonia, Who'la! is right there with us. Left her with the ambulance crew who would then wait for a BLS truck. Ran another call for a drama ladden woman who said she didnt hurt now and felt fine, but woke with vomiting and tingling in her hands. She says she has poor circulation in her hands (really?! shocking!) but wants a ride in to "get a full examination of my possible ailments" to the farthest hospital that we transport to. Nevermind that there are 6 other adults in the house and 4 cars in the driveway. I feel for the ambulance crew as we head back to the house.
So.. thats my update for now. Life is awesome as just 3 weeks ago I was in FL... last weekend in Chicago and this next week is my liberty day again. Hhhmmm... what sounds good?
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Not to much...
I havent posted anything in the last couple of weeks. I've been fortunate enough to be on the engine for most of the past few shifts. Havent had any good fire calls... just the usual bells and smells. We've done our share of inspections and hydrants lately though.
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