I'm Back!!!!!!!!!!!!

At work!

About eight jobs I'll post them later.

Arrived home too later to make the 2100hrs Fireworks on Sydney Harbour so I'm going to have to wait up and take Tracy and our visitor up for the Midnight Show.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

ART.

No,

Not paintings an' sculpture an' edumicated fancy stuff.

Ambulance Relief Team! I got offered one of these shifts even though I hadn't put in for it.

The basic idea is whether it's from Bed Block, Ramping, Code Red or what ever your local health service might call it the Emergency Departments can get chocked with ambulance crews.

Here in NSW we have off duty crews who will be called in for an ART shift at O/t rates.
They have not an ambulance but a covered utility vehicle that may contain as many as six stretchers.
They are tasked to an ED that is experiencing delays.
On arrival they will, after meeting some criteria move pts to their stretcher thereby releasing the ambulance crew.

The pts must be non monitored but may have active treatment under way, ie; fluids etc.

To some it may sound like we're just making the problem worse by putting the crews back out there to just bring in more pts!!!!

True but it also can give crews a break rather than spending long hours standing in the glare of the hallway and a pts relatives.

The reason for the delays themselves?

Well I'm sure we all have our opinion and could solve it just like that if we were in charge.
And enough said.


Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

No phone calls yet!

I've been back available from holidays for,,,,Twenty One hours and no calls for O/t yet.

I even went to work today.

Just to pick up a copy of the next roster so I could put it into the computer calendar and to collect my snail mail and deal with anything before I actually go back to work.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

They're over!

My holidays that is.

Or will be in another twenty minutes.

I'm back on the available list, if I so wish to put my hand up.

So our working week starts on the Saturday and my position on the roster has me with five days off, Great!

So I'll just chuck my hat in the ring for any O/t that might be about.

I hope everyone who visits this blog have had an enjoyable, safe and relaxed Christmas day or will be at the end of their shifts.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

The 2010 Hair ribbons

The six I had looked tired and limp so during the holiday I have been mulling over what I could have on some new ones.

So they're printed up and tomorrow I'll get the new ribbon and complete the manufacture.

We also have a house guest arriving tomorrow from Hobart to spend Christmas with us.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

We dun shopping!

One of those tent things rather than an umbrella for the outdoor table, a citronella lamp to keep the bugs away and some rubber pads to protect the wooden table legs when it's on the grass.

Better for more outdoor time.

And on the other side of things only five more sleeps until I can return to work.

Just to remind you what a sick puppy I am.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

I just saw my first 3D movie!

WOW!!!!

It was AVATAR a very good action film it is too.

Note to self sit mid cinema or further back next time and you got to keep the shades???
They weren't the blue and red things I expected but kind of a poor man's Blues Brothers looking thing.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Riden about 160kl.

And that's it really.

I have dropped into work but that was whilst out riding today and it was really to cool down and re-hydrate.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

What have I done the most of?

This holiday period that is.

You would be correct with sleeping extra.

But I have had three visits to the dentist, the last being today for the final clean.
Not something you would expect to find on a holiday itinerary?


It's zoomed in but this was the warm up act Jessica Mauboy.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Love those Winery Concerts.

We got some complimentary tickets for one at Wyndham Estate in the Hunter Valley.
Featuring an Australian lass, Jessica Mauboy and main artists Human Nature with Motowns Smokey Robinson.

The entertainment was great,
The alcohol tent was great, very quick and not too expensive,
The toilets were clean and numerous,

There was not enough food with most sold before halftime,
The vehicular access was poorly thought out and very inadequate for the numbers that attempted to attend.

The promoters had over sold and closed the gates with many paid ticket holders left outside. There was also some problem with too many complimentary tickets being given out.

Anyway we or more Ambowife enjoyed herself, the accommodation at the Mid City Motor Inn in Singleton was fantastic as was the service provided by Rover Coaches in collecting you and returning you post concert, inebriated but safe!

We'll be doing more of these events for sure with.


Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Holiday Update.

Donated some Plasma and Platelets to the Red Cross,
Had a few rides,
Done only a little extra sleeping,
Checked work emails daily,
Had random conversations with the Ambowife.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Whats wrong with a Nana nap?

I had to be at the dentist at 0800hrs.
The stitch he had put in the hole were my wisdom tooth had been had come undone and fallen/pulled out on Friday so it was just a check and plan for further work.

Nothing left to do when I got home. The bike would not be ready to collect from the shop where it was having it's three month service (1600klm or 1000ml ridden in the last three months.

So I went and laid down around 0930hrs.

I am on holidays!

The NSWP bicycle boys.
I'd be up for this if ASNSW did it!


Part of the days entertainment was a bicycle Criterion Cycle event.
Lap speeds were not as quick but in the heat then were really working.


Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

First thing I did on Holiday.

On the last day before my holidays I worked on Special Event Coverage at the V8 Supercars practise day at the Sydney Olympic venue, Homebush.

Saturday, Tracy and I went to the first day of racing. Tracy took just under 700 photographs that she is even now editing.

The end of the day was a massive concert with Grinspoon, The Living End and Cold Chisel. The video is from our seat.

We got home around half midnight, totally stuffed but knowing we had had a good day.




Sunday spent on the couch watching the second race.

I'm not really on holiday yet!

The roster has me with three days off before the three weeks of holiday actually start.

Before I turn off (difficult as that will be) for the holiday I have managed to land a spot at the V8 races in Sydney. With my luck I'll end up outside the track on the general ambulance but the whole event should be great as we do have tickets to attend the race for one of the other days I'll be able to do a reconnaissance first.

The last three shifts were nothing much in general except for this really good pedestrian v Car.
Nasty Tib/Fib fracture, humerus and shoulder fractures also.
Everything else checked Ok on site and again at hospital after a complete examination with only the initial injuries we detected.

Of course it's never nice when someone is injured but the job ran smooth and we were just outside the optimal twenty minutes scene time with primary survey, pain management and packaging.

I'm still a little timid to hit someone up with too much opiate analgesia and use the minimum repeat dose and that lead to a longer time to splint the leg.

It's an experience thing, true professional self evaluation and revision of each and every job will change that and considering that they gave more opiate in the Resus bay than I had in total for the job helps me develop my understanding.

I will be posting during the holidays just not operational stuff.

So if you don't drop by for three weeks, have a very merry Christmas and be safe out there!

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

The night before work sleepless again.

In fact I got up at 0330 an hour before the alarm.
Watched a video, had a longer slower breakfast and left on time.

So what did I do on the fourth last shift before the holidays?

UTL.
28F - ?? Psych, personality disorders, Dr shopping.
75F - Increasing falls, poor health unlikely to improve, assessment needed for hospice.
58M - Chest Pain, had the history, rapid AF to NSR.
94F - Got wrong footed in the kitchen and took a fall, fracture wrist, don't know where she got the wrong feet from??????
18F - IP, a big dance party on today and she peaked way too early!
Called off job.
59M - knee pain,,,,, big girls blouse.
25M - IP, we got him a cab.
23F - Can't talk about it because the Police are involved.
37F - Hyperventilation/Migraine, she refused transport.

All this with a very annoying stitch in my right upper gum where my wisdom tooth was yesterday!

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Days Off.

I brought all my kit home but just never got around to putting in for O/t.

Had some catch up drinks with an officer who went bush and I've been to see my LMO about some blood tests results, nothing wrong LFT is reducing and comfirmed my status of clear on Heps and immunity to B.

Done a ride or two,
Donated some plasma,
Ordered some more ear pieces from ebay for the work portable radios,
Got my stethoscope/utility pouch repaired - needed a press stud.

Looks like I'm the only one posting too at the moment, at least on the blogs I follow.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Saturday Night as it should be!

Busy I mean.

69M - SOB, Asthma. I've picked him up before and it's real.
45M - Chest pain, reserve my diagnosis but I treated as stated.
22F - Sad story as they usually are. I got her to the best help.
Assist another car.
30M - PFO, someone else called and told him he should stay on the footpath until the ambulance arrives. If their not going to come with me why did they stay there on the say so of a bystander?
Assist another car.
50-60F - found on footpath grazed and blooding after developing a very sudden case of intoxis-legwobblis. People said she had been to a Christmas party in the street and lived by herself also in the same street. She's so pissed out of her gourd that she believes I've broken into her apartment while I'm talking to her on the street.
Duty of care says I have to take her but do I really have to have this vile, poison mouth for the entire trip. Hospital copped some also but then they just knocked her out.
85F - Hopspital to hospital transfer.
26M - Drug effected.
29F - either an inner ear problem or gastro. My promethazine reduced all symptoms but still not sure were the little bit of diarrhoea came into it.
25m - Pissed and sleeping. Caller thought he was dead, good grief!!!
45M - driver in an MVA declined transport.

The next night was dead boring so I'll not bore you with it, besides I forgot to write them down.


Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

A hot day in Sydney.

The mercury was touching 36C or 96F today and our first three patients were elderly.

81F - Dizzy and anxious. A talk, a cup of tea and some air conditioning had her feeling much better.

82M - Uninjured fall answering the door for his home care community nurse. Transport was for further aged care assessment and possible n/h or self care hostel placement because he can't continue to live alone safely.

??M - Sulking in his apartment. His sister rang because he wouldn't answer her calls. When he ran the building concierge to tell us to go away, it was enough for me, we left.

94M - Discharge to N/h after three weeks in hospital.

35M - Deceased. No obvious cause, treated it as suspicious.

45M - Metho drinker who hadn't had a drink in eighteen hours, post ictal.

25M - Fall on some stairs, lower flank pain. There were signs of injury to be totally fair.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Not much to start,

But it got better.

83M - Regular dialysis.
50M - Heroin OD, was talking so he just came with us to hospital to enjoy the trip safely.
13F - Epistaxis, reportedly has them quite regularly but has never had it looked at.
81M - Had a stumble at a dermatologists clinic and the Dr wanted the pt to be observed?
75F - Takeaways, hospital to hospital transfer.
91M - GI haemorrhage, a whole day of melaena and haematemisis. Last I saw of him he had had my fluids, a bag of gel and two units of blood. You have to go sometime.
51F - Frequent flyer spent the day at the cricket before wanting to go to hospital with her gross cellulitis.
78M - fell over in town dropped by a medical centre and they put a stitch or two in his head and then rang us to transport him to a hospital for we don't really know.
57M - Slipped on a shop floor hurting wrist and then has a syncopal episode. Pale, diaphoretic, shit BP 60/40, Pulse 45-50 just, ST depression by two little boxes on average, managed to get the BP up with posture and some fluids and gave half a 600mcg GTN along with the Aspirin and O2. Infarcting, triage liked what we had and we went to resus.

Another life saved.


Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

So what did I do on the O/t shift.

21F - Passenger in a small MVA, got a small knock on the head from the window and wanted to be checked at the hospital.

30M - Knee pain. Does anyone know were you can get those really big suppositories of 'Toughen the Fuck Up' or even the generic 'Stop being a girl' 'cause this guy needed them too!

77M - A happy Demented pt discharged after an IDC was replaced. If the shadow of dementia was to sneak up on me this is the type I'd want.

22F - Normal people, six hours of lethargy and palpitations. No drugs or even coffee. Monitored rate 120-130 and had that scoop from the end of the QRS to the T wave that would usually indicate something like a Digitalis toxicity.

UTL the first call to the gent below.

18M - with a good sized lac to the back of the ear from a bottle?????

27M - has been out on the tiles (drinking) but is not feeling normal. He looked like crap and was happy to accept a large qty of liquor drunk but no drugs. Got him in the back and put the dots on,,, Rapid AF of about 150bpm. Lucky catch.

35M - in the police cells after having assaulted a train carriage. Well the whole story was there had been a domestic incident and he then turned around and hit the train. There was good movement but it needed an x-ray, that could wait till after the police were done. I gave some simple analgesia and an Icepak.



Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Lookout Overtime

That will be three nights straight,

Lovin' it.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Second night of the new roster.

And what a busy interesting night it was.
Much more to my liking.

Highlight for the night was our first job.

61F - Medical Centre, chest pain. It's one of our local centres and the Drs do commence treatment before we arrive (I'm sad to say that a few don't), ECG, Aspirin, GTN, Oxygen.
A block and a half transport, MI confirmed, thrombolised, off to the Cath Lab and she crashes at the end of it.
Peritoneal haemorrhage! Rushed to surgery.
How awful. Just popped over to visit her son, felt sick, goes to Dr, bang bang bang in surgery with life threatening condition she knew nothing about. Tread softly and enjoy each day!

68M - Odd behaviour per hostel staff. Had been discharges back to this aged care hostel today after an alteration to his schizophrenia meds but of course it will take a day or two for them to take hold. This was explained and they (staff) were happy.

?30M - Pissed Backpacker, sleeping in someone's enclosed front yard. Nearly made it to his dorm just around the corner. We walked him there.

25F - Drink spiking, well something had been ingested 'cause she was pinging off the walls. Unusual location though, restaurant with a large party of friends, pt occasionally has social drinks so pill popping is not her thing???? They took her home to stay with her for the night.

54F - Psychiatric case, the story kept changing but enough to say pt had run out of meds for the last week, was hearing dead relatives call her to them and was so sick of it that she wanted to throw herself in front of a train. As we were at Central Rail Station we took her away.

18F - Another one who almost made it home. Woke her up and walked with her the extra 100 metres/yards to the front door.

23M - What was needed here was a very large suppository of 'Toughen the Fuck Up' maybe with a repeat dose for the few scratches on his face. What a big girls blouse.

54F - Psych transfer. Yes that's her, the same one. While she has been Dr shopping over the last week with presentations at various hospitals with a similar story, nobody but our guys stopped to look further and actually treat. She was a little ticked off about the fact that I had put a Mental Health Section on her and not told her, she didn't think Ambos could do that. Little did she know.

23F -Your pissed and stoned what do you want?
For your friends to take you home and care for you!
So we let them.

?22M - Want a be, gangster, Wog Boy. Fell over after an argument with G/f and his mum called us because his arm hurt. On arrival he seems to have toughened up and puts a show on for us. Shoulders rolled forward like they do when they trying to look tough, rapper talk, grabbing his crutch (these types must have really small penises to have to check that it's still there so often),
posturing. It would have been funny if he hadn't believed his own hype.
We left him there, not even our worst hospital deserved him. Last seen still feeling for that small willy.

22F - French student, went for an after midnight skinny dip in a pool in a local park with a boy she had met that night. Yes the pool is fenced off and after security arriving and them trying to climb the fence to avoid them she received a large soft tissue laceration on the underside of her upper arm. The pair got away with a warning from the Police and she got a dozen stitches.

To close the night down a 71M with urinary retention.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

First night of new roster.

There is a theme here,

First job a scooter rider down!
As with me on the treadly a bloody motorist had just pulled straight out in front of her.
30F - Very very lucky, abrasions on the ankle only, primary survey, obs, sign here and off she went.

70M - Left deficit from a progressive condition, a simple mechanical fall. His spectacles frames gave a nice lac to the forehead that needed stitching.

66M - Neighbour saw him entering the units with blood on his face and called us. Primary survey, obs, sign here, off we went.

47F - 'PFO' She admitted it, and kept admitting it like twenty times. Two nose lacs and a chipped incisor.

24F - Sacrum pain post MVA.

21M - King hit and again this guy was an innocent victim. Resolved epistaxis and a few lip lacs. One however went all the way through, weird it was up under the nostril penetrating where the gum meets the inner lip inside the mouth. The 'perp' may have had a ring on?

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Second day of the new roster.

I work with two different partners this roster one on first day and night and another on second day and night.
They are both level two officers, meaning I don't have to watch them all the time.
They can care for a pt by themselves.

This will be different.

80F - Chest infection, no doubt about that.

24F - Vertigo, ? inner ear infection.

22F - ? Hypo, a family history. Refused transport but going to see own Dr.

61M - Courthouse job, Chest Pain, real chest pain. Large ST depression, BBB, QRS complex 0.16sec. Jumped about Five other crews as we had bat called this pt.

30F - in the local Psych ward, ? unconscious.
Don't pull this shit with city ambos, this is an area we excel in, the unconscious pt, so you better be unconscious or I will ridicule you for bunging it on.
One minute after our arrival the pt had stood up unassisted, walked to the stretcher unassisted and we transported for medical clearance.

41M - Chest pain. Had a motorbike accident a week ago and the ribs hit the handle bars???

33M - Lost control of his scooter and got his right leg caught under it. Fracture Tib/Fib. Interestingly he got 25mg of IV Morph and it didn't touch the sides. He told me a similar experience with Morphine with a past injury. This is the second person I have met that has this response or rather lack of response to Morphine.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

First Day, New Roster.

Our regular dialysis pt.

79F - Lower leg pain. Sight unseen their Dr told them to ring for an emergency ambulance. So having us travel with excess speed to someone with arthritis endangering members of the public and ourselves. Lucky our Pro QA questions didn't make it a hot response.

31M - Courthouse job, gent going to court today checked his BP early this morning and decided that 140 SYS was high and he should double dose his BP meds. Need I say more.

67M - Hypo, friend also recognised the signs and took action, we arrived and really just did some obs, got a signature and left them alone.

70F - Chronic nausea, haematuria.

41F - Weak and dizzy. On perscription opiate analgesia and psych meds and is bunging it on.

52M - C/o chest pain.

8M - Face planted of the handle bars of the bike. No obvious major injury but skin missing of nearly every pointy bit of his anterior body. Ouch++++


Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

How embarrrassment!

So I got to and from work the other night without a problem.

I've slacked off the pedals so maybe I can tighten up half a turn.

Went for a ride to the shops this morning,,,, no problem with either cleat.
Maybe I can tighten them another half turn.

'I'm just popping out to test the cleats', Ambowife rolls her eyes.

Half an hour later I return with sand up one side of me, a bit of skin missing off the left leg,, you get the drift.

'What happened?' as I'm called to explain my presentation.

I had one foot unclipped to pull up at some lights but the footpath ran short and I bogged it in some sand,,,, and fell to the wrong side!

I don't think this really counts as my first cleat fall, it pulled up real quick I was going to go over no matter if I did have the leg out.

Got myself up, pushed the button, remounted and clipped in and waited for the light to change not looking at any of the twenty odd cars also at the lights. If I don't acknowledge it it didn't really happen.


Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Ok, so I got some overtime.

So I had fitted the pedals to the bike, adjusted the cleats as lose as possible and been for a ride to practise unclipping with out crashing. All seemed ok.

Get the call, do I want to work in the city that night. Do I? and I can ride in!!!!!!

So got to work without mishap and this is what we did.

50F - Non-specific unwell and looks it. Nausea, vomiting and does appear ??? jaundice.

42F - Syncope, same thing at work two days ago, describes it as still being able to hear but not communicate????

75M - Angio Oedema (huge lips). Appears to be from chocolate in the AM had some and felt some throat tightening. Had some more in the PM and the lips blow up without threatening the throat. Has Left Ventricular failure so I drew up the adrenaline but didn't use it.

20F - Young lass locked out of her backpacker accommodation. I used ambo door knock and got someone to open the front door!?!?!?!?

23M - Drag Queen who might have forgotten when the theatrics should stop and got his friends all concerned. Patted his hand, told him to pick his moments better and left him there.

28M - Who in trying to break up a fight between mates got struck suffering a head laceration.

83F - Abdo Pain.

79F Pulmonary Oedema.

31M - Acute appendicitis. Transfer to bigger hospital.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

I'm on a really long break.

Between the end of the last roster and when I start back again on the new roster I have about seven days off, that's why I haven't posted.

So I went for a ride today, to get out of the house maybe, to definitely stretch the legs and to check out a few shops for their prices on upgrading to cleats on the bike (clip-less pedals and shoes).

At the local outdoors shop I found shoes and pedals for less than shoes at most of the bike shops so I bought them there and then.

A bit of a impulse purchase but I was going to do it with the next service in December. Their Shimano Mountain Bike shoes and pedals with a cage around them so you can still ride with just normal shoes on.

I'll have to zip up to the local Auto shop to get an open ended spanner to take the old pedals off and fit the new tomorrow and then start to practise uncleating myself before I have to ride for real with them.

I'm told that's the most embarrassing thing, not being able to get your foot out as you pull up at the traffic lights!

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Our last night together.

He moves to a more suburban station out western Sydney near the largest Ikea store in the southern hemisphere.

Have you ever seen an electric stove cooking element explode?

Well that was our first job. It came down as a Burns/Explosion but there really hadn't been any heat involved.
As she turned on the electricity the coil element arched or exploded under the pan sitting on top of it and in doing so tripped all the circuit breakers. Pt was completely uninjured but shaken.

Some prick of a neighbour thought it would be funny to prank call this dear 74F with a suicide armed with weapon call. Nine Police in the apartment! then two Ambos for nothing. I hope they contact the caller and give them a serve.

37F - current problem a bad case of the beginnings of the 'DTs' on day one of alcohol detox. Respectable, well off family but the story was not right, way too many prescription opiate analgesia meds in the bedroom (chronic pain), too many of the right phrases with dosage amounts. The hospital quietly told us about the alerts they had for drug seeking presentations and it confirmed what we had already figured out for ourselves.

22F - I smoke cannabis four to five times a day. I've only had one shot of Heroin today and this is my second packet of cigarettes -can you take me to hospital to check that my baby's ok (unborn second child).
I'm not a bigot, nor a racist but I hang my head in shame.

49M - very low speed car crash, uninjured but the Heroin that made him fall asleep and let the car roll off the road was a problem but easy to fix. Much easier than his car and the troubles he will be in with the Courts.

How funny would it be if he is required to attend Traffic Offender programs like the one I do for the PCYC???

80M - Chest pain, transport for investigation.

Had a beer with the Padawan wished him well, which he doesn't need because he is going to be a good officer and came home to sleep or try to in the 35C (95F) temperature today.




Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

First nights work.

Posting again from the phone at the hospital near the horse race track waiting to unload.

79F - deep wound on the shin.

31M - intoxicated and abusive, we escorted him from the hospital on arrival.

58F - Who has a Hx of cellulitis with hospital admission usually required for aggressive treatment.

43M - intoxicated at home. Fell asleep with the TV up loud and the neighbours called the Cops, who called us because he was unconscious. He eventually heard out ???? knocking, answered some questions and we left him there.

25M - Psych transfer.

30M - Altered LOC. Denied drugs but symptoms and the alley behind the well known night club SHOUTED different.

Well we're unloaded now, I hope we get some better work for the Padawans last shift in the City.

From the PC at Home.

That was interesting posting from the Phone yesterday.
It's an HTC Diamond Touch phone and you use a stylus to type, combined with sitting on the wall out the front of said Sydney hospital 'that has its own television show' with the notepad open in a slight breeze. Enough that I'm seated at the desk in the study right now.

First job yesterday was an obstetrics in nature. Lets say a few weeks short of the 20/40 gestation period before they are really viable and our patient is spontaneously aborting in the middle of the city. Not nice and the first spontaneous abortion I've ever done. I believe it is much more common at earlier say like during the first trimester. Anyway I wasn't overly chipper after the job.

88F - Abdo pain. As I search around the apartment I find more and more discharge letters and GI clinic appointment to provide a mosaic of this chronic idiopathic complaint. I would have given some analgesia if the spot of pain didn't keep moving. But the Padawans hand seemed to make the patient feel much better.

54F - Hosp to Hosp transfer via Air Ambulance pt discovered to have a brain tumour.

28M - Had a dustup (fight) with his mate and suffered a very minor scalp wound. Refused all assistance, GCS was 15, Not pissed or drug affected just didn't want a bar or us.

8F - Unresponsive, found sitting on a couch with a pile of vomit beside her with an absent stare. HR too fast - 120, BP too high - 150/90, BGL ok, Pupils =, Resp ok, Afebrile, no response to BGL lancet or cannulation.
Midazolam if it is a seizure but there is no Hx, no meds at home to have been taken and was until found a happy, healthy little girl.

I asked for Intensive Care Paramedic backup on this job and was told I had done everything right and just continue supportive measures and they would block traffic at the intersections for us.

I'm following this one up with the ED staff.

64M - Has suffered a brain injury from early treatment for HIV post a needle stick injury in the 1970's pt was a health professional. Anyway coordination gets to be a problem some times and today was one of them. Just an assist up.

61M - From local Psych ward with chest pain, manipulative, attempting to dominate both of use, NO ECG changes and it looks a beautiful normal sinus rhythm.
Problem is there is a cardiac Hx and he's a IDDM. Transport and treat per protocol and don't let him in your head.

Right I'm off to bed for some more sleep before night shift.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Yesterdays work.

Sitting outside the hospital with it's own TV show looking at yesterday,
67F - fractured Wrist.
94M - Discharge to home.
30M - Anxiety Attack, don't do Ice!
50F - Bystander called in a dead person and they were sleeping.
51M - thought he was having a heart attack from deltoid shouler pain after an hour playing computer games?
20F - Reflux.
54M - SVT @ 200bpm.
Assist another crew with analgesia and extraction.
18mthF - fall onto head.
90F - nursing home staff thought it was a CVA, did blood sugar but it was wrong. 1.8 with me. Dextrose fixed her up.

Happy anniversary!

Tracy reminded me last night. It's the anniversary of my commencement of training to be a Paramedic. Seven years ago myself and forty nine others entered the classroom for the first time. Not all of us made it but Happy Anniversary those that did.

Now that was more like a Saturday Night.

Warm weather and lots of people.

My Padawan didn't turn up and I had the pleasure of another P1 officer from the Station in Redfern.

47F - IDDM who hasn't taken her insulin yet because she doesn't feel well??? A normally very well controlled Diabetic who also has a cold starting. Took her jab, signed a card, stayed at home.

41F - Headache all day, Nausea with two vomits before our arrival. Hx of Migraines. Transport.

39M - Psychiatric transport for Police, cuffed and with an escort.

21F - Syncope, was at dinner, had been out in the sun all day, normally healthy, was healthy when we check, signed the card and stayed with her husband for the remainder of they first wedding anniversary night.

UTL

31M - Groom who didn't survive his bucks night.

19M - IP but can't walk and we did try our special ambo tricks to get him up so off to the pissed lounge at the hospital.

22M - Psychiatric transport for Police again. This guy may very well have Mental Health Issues but I'm not convinced that he doesn't use them as an excuse to be a prick & princess.

26M - Sore throat after having some teeth out two days ago. No airway involvement, SOB or anything really that you would expect a normal person to be bothered with.

?40M - Cut on palm inside the local police cells. They cut him lose to get treatment and outside he pissed off.

OC spray decontamination that had already washed themselves and left.

18F - celebrating being 18 and showing her friends what a truly disgusting person she is drunk.

29M - Lac on elbow and wants to go to hospital. Who also was at the last Traffic Offenders presentation I did and recognised me and was a bit chuffed about it????

So there you go, Thirteen jobs in twelve hours

Found these on my locker too.
I have a shower after my ride in and complain if there are none in the linen locker.

Thanks guys



Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

What a strange Friday night!

No stupid drunks,
No fights,
No needless vomiting,

This is what we had,

The same IP living in the park near station, do-gooder saw him and was concerned about him being there!!!! what are the ambulance going to do????

26M x 2, Tourists arrived yesterday from Europe and got some bad takeaway for dinner, vomiting and diarrhoea, but with a proper reason not just the booze!

30F - repeated seizures, Midazolam got them under control and transport.

44M - IP sleeping another do-gooder, if your that concerned bend down and talk to them, maybe you could take them home and give them a proper bed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

91F - Came in on Air Ambulance with a Subdural Haemorrhage.

Hoax call.

35M - emotional distress, a recent death had brought his world crashing down.

42F - Psych transfer.

56M - Opiate OD in a brothel. Padawan was concerned when most of the girls were saying 'hello' and 'nice to see you again' to me, I explained before he came to the area I had done several jobs in this establishment and that's why they know me.

Anywho this dude to 2mg of Naloxone before he could walk so I got him up to hospital and he was still there two hours later.

69M - Respiratory Distress. RR=40, SpO2=74%, Paraplegic, 40% lung capacity, Polio, chronic Broncho Spasms. non re-breathers and NEBs on a IPPV bag.

Some good work, interesting and looking forward to tonight.

Bring it on!!!!


Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

My day to drive, day two.

Starts with one of our three local dialysis pts, 82M.

46M - Gastro, squirts and upchucks for about four hours now, didn't want to manage at home.

76F - Nausea.

28M - IP in a park, was in the flowerbed when we arrived having a leak! Left him not an ambulance job.

30M - We've met this dude before for ODs and psych transfers but today he was making a spectacle at a Bank when we got called. He had a few minor cuts that we used to focus his attention on and remove him from the Bank.

Basically he's just out of Rehab and is going to a local refuge, his key card is lost and the Public Guardians Office allot him only so much money. We got his $50.00 and gave him a lift to the refuge.

Assist one of our Patient Transport Service vehicles to unload.

77F - Hx of bowel blockage and similar symptoms now.

45F - Wrist injury, I'm not even going to call it a fracture.

Very late finish because I had some things to do with the Police that I discovered only at the end of the shift and needed to be do right now!
Them's the breaks.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Second Oldest person I've ever met!

The ACAP shop at our Education Centre had run out of my Trainee Question books so I delivered another fifty yesterday by bicycle about 28klm or 17 mile in very hot conditions.

Work today consisted of;

90F - Feels like her legs are burning, nothing obvious that I can see and while I'm not familiar with this pt the hospital said she came in nearly very second day.

74M - Uninjured, needs assistance off the floor, leave at home.

102F - Lives by herself, walks very well with a walker but felt a bit SOB. Royal treatment all the way for this lovely lady.

68M - Decreased appetite and social issues.

45M - His mate got taken away by an ambulance so this one rang because he thought he needed a check up too!!! And it pisses me off that if they ask, I have to take.

42M - Very drowsy, Diazapam use. Still had all his faculties and just wanted to sleep. Despite the families wishes it's assault if I force him.

24M - Much to young to be presenting with the DTs (Dry Terrors) or Alcohol Withdrawal symptoms.

55M - The do-gooder with a mobile phone. The guys just sleeping in a patch off sun.
What on earth made them believe he was dead!!!!!!!!!!!

67M - Assist of floor onto his wheelchair. He's recently strained a should and can't get himself up off the floor currently. Nice simple job to complete the day.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

190 photos in 45 minutes!

That's how many Ambowife took with her new wizz bang camera when we visited the E.G. Waterhouse Camellia Garden at Caringbah.

On the way there I had got two calls about O/t first at Australia's best known beach which I accepted but then they changed it to my home station because they know me so well!

So with forty six kilometres or twenty nine miles already ridden we got home, I had some tea and then rode to work, didn't work with a Padawan but with a new level two and this is what we did;

79F - a below knee amputee (BKA) whom I have had the pleasure to meet several times. While she takes care of her normal daily need sometimes she slips off and requires some assistance.

The first time I attended she had been on the floor for many hours attempting to get up herself before ringing a friend who just rang us. She knows my name and we have a lovely chat while I complete the paperwork and she now is happy to try for five minutes herself and then to call us.

21/12M - Look I'm not a from birth father but I'd have to describe this a just a fussy baby syndrome. Mum alone with two under four kids. Young master woke up and cried for nearly two hours and she couldn't calm him down. Their staying in a hostel, no immediate support systems, come on mum lets go and try and get some help.

23M - Chest pain. Started left scapula, moved to central retro sternal,,, just left a bit, obs good, maybe a little clammy hard to tell it was a warm room at his work, during transport post O2, aspirin and half a GTN tab the pain radiated left neck and scapula?
Wasn't there a few hours later so guess it must have been non cardiac.

52M - IP, head lac, dressed and released.

52M - IP, very well known, last time called me some very nasty names but was in a bad way tonight with exposure, and withdrawal seizure activity.

25M - Injury to right zygoma, assault victim. During primary survey, after identifying myself as a Paramedic and him appearing to understand he grabbed both my arms and pushed me away with instructions to have sexual relations with myself.

Knowing this to be impossible I watched him melt back into the crowd and I returned to the vehicle and the paperwork. Guess who we saw up at the hospital three - four hours later.
A quick 'Hello so you did come to hospital' which he didn't understand and his G/f asked how we knew him and a quick description of our encounter that he didn't believe but the G/f did and we left him with her giving him a serve about being a rude prick to the Ambos.

38M - Had a few to drink but slipped on a very wet footpath and had a HUGH haematoma on the forehead. Lovely gent how accepted our advice to have it checked out.

20M - clipped by a taxi at low speed and c/o rib pain and SOB. On other injuries, some analgesia and O2 and transport for x-rays. Had a seizure in the Resus Bay after the x-ray?????? PMHx of struck to the head five years ago and has had episodes of severe headache since with increase of late???

19M - IP with minor head lac that needed a few stitches.

20M - Lip lac post assault. It didn't look much until you pulled it apart and saw it went through the whole lip, that'll need some stitches too.

54M - Hx of asthma but no real wheeze but respiratory distress. High as a kite and denying anything only other Hx Ventricular Septal Defect that was repaired four years ago but he described his current symptom like he was drowning. Was due to fly out today but I convinced him that 30,000 feet up was not the place for this to re-occur and he came quietly.

A busy night and one I got close to hitting the wall without any pre-sleep.
It was a very nice day to ride home but I really didn't notice just concentrated on getting home and arose from bed around 1930hrs that night.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Webber wins again.

But now to continue the post about our second night.

37F - Colles fracture.

44M - Minor head lacs after a bit of a fight, refused transport.

26M - Dislocated shoulder (fifth time).

25F - Friend called because he couldn't understand what the shaking, vomiting and crying were about. The couple of Mixer drink bottles and then the half empty Johnny Walker bottle gave me a fair clue. I explained, he agreed to keep an eye one her and we left.

30M - Psychiatric transfer. We do a lot of this work from our local hospital. Their psych ward is not actually on the grounds it's two blocks away and their Security aren't always available.

30-40M - Asleep on footpath near a Kebab packet. We arrived just before the police and even though I could wake him up he wasn't making much verbal sense. When looking for ID we found three different ones, so they took interest and offered to look after him for us, aren't they lovely boys.

?50M - Also in Police care, they just asked us to have a quick look at him before they took further care of him. He was fine.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Now for my favourite shifts, nights.

58M - IP (intoxicated person) who had managed to walk/stumble/weave & crawl to the footpath outside his home. Behind that door is his family, his bed and safety. I don't really want to take him to hospital but I have to convince his possibly long suffering wife that home is the best place.

35F - Severe abdo pain and just for interest she is ten weeks pregnant! Stay and get that pain under control and transport (it ended up not being anything to do with the fetus).

Assist another car with (and I still get blown away by this) advanced clinical skill and knowledge and just another set of older eyes.

42M - Unconscious at a Police Station and he was. Wearing a suit and had been talking to the taxi driver one minute normally and then just became unresponsive so the driver dropped him off at the Cop Shop??????????
Turns out the guy has a long history of white collar drug abuse, this was confirmed by the small amber bottle I found in the suit pocket - GHB (Gamma Hydroxybutyrate).

39M - Psychiatric transfer.

35F - Cancelled on the way. Seems the fractured leg could still walk.

23F - There had been a fight in the Cross and although there are multiple victims/pts from that this girl just collapses and appears to have had no connection with it.
Best GCS on scene is a 7 (E=1, V=1, M=5) and had not improved at triage. Suspect Drug use.

83M assist of the floor, uninjured.

Assist another car with a NOF fracture.

Random question why do some officers still use a floppy twisty carry sheet to carry a broken bone rather than a scoop stretcher. No need to answer.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

And then there was Twisted Tuesday

The hospitals hadn't caught up.

The work for the day went like this.

Taxi Driver allegedly assaulted - Found the Police who were also looking for the job. The driver had left the scene to chase the offender.

84M - Fallen, cause unknown but suspecting TIA.

84F - Unseen diagnosis over the phone by LMO of Pneumonia.

85M - Lac over Tibia after falling as the bus slowed.

8M - Colles fracture, a very brave lad.

80F - Post Op DVT transferred to Sydney via air ambulance.

28M - Post ictal. A backpacker who basically was fatigued, in need of a good feed and a day or two rest. After following my CARe protocol we dropped him off at the hostel he was staying at.

85M - Another Post Op haemorrhage. Basal Cell Carcinoma had been removed six or so hours earlier and just one end of the wound was bleeding.

71M - Hospital to Hospital transfer.

Then it was time to go home and sleep


Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

A Mad Monday

Work going off all over the city and this is what we caught!

77 F - Regular caller, seems to ring 000 after her son leaves for work. Have a chat and leave at home to have a cup of tea.

45M - Vertigo and Hypertension. Alcohol abuse transport from detox unit and put in a waiting room chair.

55M - Successful suicide. Enough said.

82M - inappropriate use of emergency service and I told them so, to difficult to get to own Dr so call the ambulance for a lights and sirens response. We're no better for having responded to the call.

20F - PV bleed,,,, like for sixteen days!!!

55F - Floppy nearly fainted. Talk to her Dr from the bedroom and he would see her later today and he said he wasn't worried. All obs came back fine when I examined her.

35M - Possible torn hernia repair,,,, ouch!



Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

And the last night to complete the block.

41M - decreased LOC. Picked up from a local men's hostel detox unit, under close supervision but had smuggled something. E=2, V=2, M=5.

79M - Wound care. Gent had an Angiogram today and the site was,,, oozing blood. He is being treated for a DVT and so has the clotting ability of a wet sponge (don't really know the clotting factor of a wet sponge). I applied some direct pressure to what is really a very difficult spot to bandage while Padawan took obs and Hx from Pt.

He didn't want to go to the ED and after twenty minutes it was still oozing but look if I had to estimate how much,,,,0.4ml per minute????. I made some new bandaging to try and apply continued pressure to the site by taping from (as only we can with a complete stranger) the scrotum laterally and superior in line with the pelvic fossa. If that makes sense.
Treat as another CARe job and leave at home with instructions.

UnconsciousM(Asian) on George St near vomit and surrounded by Bicardi Breezers! - Unable to Locate.

2M - Croup, Padawan has two, now adult, childern but neither suffered from croup so this was his first pt with it. I started treatment while he was talking I use a neb of normal saline for three reasons, 1) it simulates steam just like mums have used for years but is not hot, 2) introduces the pt to this strange misting thing that hisses while not wasting any of the adrenaline, 3) is real quick to set up and allows me more time/less urgency to draw up the glass ampules of adrenaline without cutting or stabbing myself.

Anywho worked a treat and pt had his first ride in an Ambulance.

30F - Non-compliant, Alcoholic, Schizophrenic, Depressed, will not help themselves pt.

80F - Dialysis pt.

No O/t these days off. The work social club is having a BBQ on Thursday and of course it's Bathurst Sat and Sun!!!!!!


Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Night shift after the second day shift.

Sick person alert.

37F - In car on the way, notes coming in on the job like, tingling in arms, unusual breathing, etc, you get were I'm going with this???? what we now have to refer to as a respiritory distress rather than hyperventilation.

Conscious, alert, orientated, pale, diaphoretic, weak pulse. Under investigation for uncontrollable hypertension, a tumor on the adrenal gland is suspected, at random while resting it will jump to 215/115 and return to 130/80 sometimes without meds sometimes only with meds.
Dropped an 18g in the Cube while Padawan got the stretcher, Aspirin and O2 also and en route she described that choking feeling in the neck that allowed me to give 1/2 a GTN tab under the AMI/Angina protocol and that got the BP down.

As usual this pt kept apologising all the way to hospital for being sick and calling us.

47F - Unwell, well you tied one on yesterday for the grand final, drank like a fish and choofed weed all night as well. It's your body saying STOP!!!!!!!!

18M - Interesting, the Cops called us because the driver at a random breath test claimed the passenger needed urgent medical assistance for ??? appendicitis. Passenger was very confused when we arrived and asked to check him out?? He hadn't been let in on the story by the driver and was in complete good health.

13M - Capsicum spray or Pepper spray is used by the Police to disable an offender.
20 or more youths fighting. The spray was just shot at anyone who didn't stop fighting on Police command.
Quick wash of the eyes, some instructions on how to avoid re-contamination and he and his mates pissed off at the first opportunity.

48M - Hypothermic at 33.7C or 92.6F and I checked it three time at different points.


Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

And the day after day one.

Would be day two.
Just wanted to clear that point up.

It started with a call for a 75M at a strip joint at 0700hrs for vomiting and diarrhoea?
I don't understand 'em, I just respond.

21M - Tooth pain after being in a fight, no missing teeth or trauma, so under our Clinical Assessment & Referral (CARe) program in which I've been trained, I was able to provide some simple but very effective analgesia and written instructions and not transport the pt for what would have been the same treatment by a Dr after many hours wait in an ED.

69M - Same one from yesterday, dropping bum nuggets and wanting us to take him up to the hospital for a shower and change.

75F - Mechanical fall with shoulder pain. No obvious # but a very frail lady with a complex and extensive medical Hx so she got the offer and took the ride.

Do you wonder sometimes about the pt who rings for the ambulance and then looks at you as if Your queer when you ask if they want to go to the hospital. You know the opposite to the BP+ pt who meets you at the door with their bag packed (bp) and pension card at the ready (+) nearly knocking you over in their rush to get into the ambulance.

75M - Discharge to home.

20M from one of the Dance Parties held in Sydney this long weekend. No self control had three pills (MDMA or Ecstasy) just for himself the pig.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

And on the fiirst day I did?

83M - regular dialysis pt.

22M - with police, took some pills 6-7 hrs age and was witnessed to be kicking cars and shop fronts on a street. Claimed it was LSD ???? if they were just MDMA or Ekkies they were shit quality,,, Oh but there is no quality control with illicit drug manufacturer is there!!!!

91F - thought I had another NOF# here but just turned out to be age pain, but after that job on first night shift last week you can't not suspect.

29F - Knee Injury, at a GYM! well I never, this exercise stuff can cause injury but it's usually shoulders for some reason.

77M - Nursing home staff state pt going BERSERK!!!!!!!!! What I've got is a Dementia pt with a BGL of 2.1, who stands a foot taller than me and comes from an Eastern European background that has men as the dominate one in everything. With the sugars fixed he was alright but he still had this constant inappropriate language with female hospital staff.

69M - Regular, know by just about everyone in the city hospitals and ambos. Seems to be developing a faecal incontinence problem. And thinks that hospital is an appropriate place to shower, get new duds from the St Vincent's bin and go back out. Don't know what we'er going to do about this in the long term.

69M - Concerned bystanders that he couldn't walk. What they don't seem to realise is that's normal for him when he's this pissed! They even told me he was intoxicated like it's unusual? Where do some of these people come from?
So we took him away out of their sight to somewhere safe for them.

My arm's a bit sore, got my H1N1 vaccine the other day and Ambowife seems to keep forgetting which arm it is! Or is she???????


Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

I can't knock back all the O/t.

So I got the call and went to the Shire today.

51M - Unwell, Alcoholic drying out.

85F - Sciatic Pain.

37M - Possible PE (Pulmonary Embolism), has a post op DVT????

59F - Epigastric/Chest Pain, it's a grey area, could be cardiac, could be an ulcer or the Pancreas?

Assist another car on a job.

86F - has a Hb count of 41, just a bit on the white as a sheet side. GP book us to transport.

50M - Intoxicated, unable to take care of self and there is no such thing as a drunk tank any more.

84F - Discharge to hostel without the #NOF that was feared.

A very pleasant day in the suburbs.


Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

A day of recover.

I woke up in my bed, that was a good start.
I woke up with my wife, bonus.
I was hung over and really wished that I hadn't woken up at all!

We had a very nice meal at the Basement last night and way to much red wine.

Candye Kane was excellent and I got a CD and Hug.

I was so crook today but!

I was on the porcelain phone making a call to god an hour or so after I got up.

I have even knocked back O/t but I'm getting better and I'm watching Hey Hey! on the Box.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Sleepy ol' Sunday night.

Four jobs, three refused transport. The guy we did take sat on the seat.

Who cares.

Tracy and I are off to take in a Dinner and Show at the Basement night club here in Sydney Town.
Going to see a Blues Diva call Candye Kane.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Now the first night.

The Padawan and I were re-united and looking for a good nights work.

75M - Having just discharged himself from hospital after presenting with a possible TIA, this pt collapsed walking from the car to the house. Back you go.

18M - just a quick medical check on this fella at the Police cells before transfer to the Corrective Services cells. He stated that he had been doing Methamphetamine and MDMA for the last two days??? seemed very calm for that, everything was very normal and he was moved to his new destination shortly after our visit.

54F - Medical Centre, Asthma, three nebs given by the Dr, IHD, IDDM & Renal Failure were associated Hx, two more nebs by us and we went straight to the Resus Bay.

17M - Well to do area, party in the very nice house. This young fellow was on the front verandah so he wouldn't vomit inside. Had comsumed about a litre of vodka!!, trip to hospital for mum and dad to collect.

88F - Simple trip and fall going to the toilet. Lac to the rear of head that had stopped bleeding on our arrival even with the pt on Warfarin?. C/o groin pain but states this is normal just worse now. Age, Warfarin and pain indicate a trip that revealed a hip fracture.

29F - Asthma, 15yr history with little problem but very distressed now. Time to use the Peak Expiratory Flow Rate metre. Age and size indicated a normal score of 365 l/min, best first score pre neb = 100! Post a neb of Ventolin/Atrovent score = 200. 75% (275) and I can think about leaving the pt. With me telling the pt the possible fatal outcome of not coming with me I managed to get acceptance of my transport offer.

25M - Brawl, missing teeth. The fight was still in progress when we arrived so called on the boys and girls in blue to hurry up. Victim, very intoxicated (If a follower of his religion, he shouldn't have been but we don't stone people in Australia for alcohol use) wanting to carry on the fight with friends, Police and ourselves was at last calmed enough for us to take.

I hadn't got a good look in his mouth, what with him not understanding that I didn't want his blood all over me as he talked/shouted and spat. At hospital he washed some of it away in the toilet (leaving it splattered over the wall like a bad slasher film set) and as I took the jaw in my hand to pull down the lip I felt and saw it move as two bits.

Nothing could be done with him until the booze had worn off and he still kept up being a twat for hours!

35M - Intoxicated and ran into a closed patio door. Had a headache. Given analgesia and left.

40M - Woken from sleep with 'cramp' like chest pain. One vomit on scene, hyperventilation and apologised for calling us for a panic attack. Saw some elevation on the three lead monitor, convinced he to come to hospital. STEMI was confirmed.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Day Two.

76M - Booked transport to normal dialysis.

50F - OD, antidepressants last night and has had a change of heart this morning, She'll have to see if the effects of the medication allows for that change.

30M - Motor Bike rider swerved to miss a car and dropped the bike at 40kmh (25mph). Lots of road rash some quite good, but he had an open face helmet on (think you look cool?) and now he has teeth missing!

3M - Seizure, he appeared post ictal. No Hx of similar. Was febrile so lets hope that's the cause.

UTL - should mean the same no matter which service your in Unable To Locate.

37M - Intoxicated, his safety or he was going to end up a car hood ornament!

66M - Hypertension, the Dr at the medical centre was so concerned that he just left and went to lunch without writing any letter or recording any obs.

13/12F - Suspect closed head injury, fell ?2m or 6f onto a wood floor. Cried at first but became more and more listless. Eyes pearl all the way but a mighty powerful vomit just before putting her onto the Resus bed. Going to follow this one up.

47M - Chest pain. Went to a medical centre today, they took bloods, did a four lead ECG and told him it was gastric reflux. His friend called us though. Pt not SOB, not Diaphoretic, not crushing central pain more sharp, constant with sharp spikes in pain with exertion and slight numbness in his left arm. Look if he had said to us I don't want to go, we would have accepted that, but for what ever reason we did transport and treated it as cardiac in cause and that's what the twelve lead showed an infarct. Didn't get any details they kind of rushed him off but our treatment was spot on and so was the instinct of the pts friend.

We do stick it to the ??friend who calls us out to the pissed or man cold or other such 'stupid' job but if you stop and think about it that's our job to serve the public. We don't want smart pts because they ask lots of questions about your qualification and treatment.

So be kind to the friend, sometime they get it right.

27M - cut, no knicked, no scratched finger with a knife, as we arrived the job got cancelled.

41F - Enjoying a wine in the VIP lounge at the airport and dropped the glass and snatched at it as it shattered resulting in two good finger lacs.

So as you can see a very busy day and all done without my Padawan.

He was sent off to be trained on the near to be rolled out Lifpak defibs and we just never got teamed up so I had the pleasure of working with a Peer and fellow station officer.

The comment was made during the shift about it's nice to work with a qualified officer, you don't have to think for them as well. While I have said I have had some very good Padawans and I meant it, as the senior officer and their trainer you still have to consider every move they make because in the end it's your arse on the line.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Regular Scheduled day shift.

26F - Abdo Pain, she was. Transport.

87F - Vomiting, Max and transport.

78M - Friend concerned, hasn't see pt for a week. Well he wasn't home when the Cops and I came calling.

60M - Schizophrenia pt rang because he was lonely and wanted transport???

43F Hops to Hosp transfer.

38M - Syncope after seeing own blood.

53M - Got into a fight and ended up with some glass cuts, first aid onlt.

95F - Unable to weight bear post fall but no typical NOF signs.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

What more overtime?

Well Ok.

At the station near where Jeff Fenech (boxer) grew up.

35F - Hx of seizures, ETOH abuse, found unresponsive outside a suburban home by the owner who called us. Post Ictal, transported.

20mthF - Woke up screaming, was fast asleep when we arrived, sounds like a nightmare. Examination found a normal temp, no medical Hx, woke slightly and smiled at me (not common with me and kids). First time mum declined offer of transport.

40M - Claimed kidney stones, was doing a very good show but something was not quite right and a Northern crew who just happened to be out of area and at the hospital we went to recognised him even though he denied it! I gave him analgesia just not Morphine.

74F - Discharge to hostel post treatment.

Four hours sleep then before cleaning out the car, signing over the drugs and going home.
I know that I don't normally sleep on night shifts but Tracy and I had gone and bought a new Front Loader washing machine and then had a 30k ride and I had not had any pre-sleep.

As it was they ran me for a shift the next night and that would have been three, one for each of my 2nd, 3rd & 4th days off and that would have been just silly.


Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Overtime?

Now that the shifts are the same length I see no difference between day or night.
Before a fourteen hour night was more money for time I would have been only sleeping anyway so I had a preference for nights. Now I don't care.

Sunday Day at the station new the race course.

60F - Syncope, vomiting and diarrhoea.

28F - Sydney had a fun run (never seen any of them smiling) heat stress, cool in the Air Con cab and she refused any other treatment.

30M - Apartment fire, burnt hand on bedroom door handle and moderate smoke inhalation. The water fairies had a garden hose on the burns but the pain was still present so we had to wait to cool that. Good well maintained with polish boots kept my feet dry even though I was being well splashed by the hose! See there is method behind my madness about polished boots.

And before anyone starts on about the smoke inhalation the main evidence was soot on his outer face and some singed hair no immediate decrease in lung sounds or difficulty breathing and I was six blocks from the hospital so I treated his immediate concern which was the burns.

87F - Hip pain post a fall, able to weight bear and walk but had pressed the med alert button, I'm happy to attend this kind of job. We know how dangerous this injury could have been. Refused transport.

79M - Swollen knee, fell on it yesterday. Stated right up front that he called us because ambulance could get him in and x-rayed quicker!!!! I soon put paid to that theory.

34M - Pissed and has a rash on his arms. Looked more like poor personal hygiene didn't want to come, I didn't push the matter.

31F - Bronchitis Hx, has a good wheeze, some nebs en route and transport.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Second Night.

Ten jobs all up,

13M - Concussion with rubber legs and spinning vision after a head butt during a rugby game.

67M - Wife described a five minute episode that sounded like a TIA. She also dobbed him in on having had a previous episode nearly a year ago.

31M - Rapidly becoming a regular pt, he doesn't call, he can't he's too pissed. Nasty side is he gets violent when sobering up, were are all the drunk tanks when you need them.

38M - King Hit, LOC, Amnesia, no neck pain, little trauma.
Didn't want to go.
I thought he should.
Blah, blah, blah.
First thing said to triage was 'I don't want to be here'!
Triage has plenty of people who do (sick or not).
There's the door.

20F - Intoxicated, not caring who could see what she had for breakfast so I tried to pull her skirt down. Nope that's it, it's that short. Transport only for safety.

25F - Birthday celebrations (hers) over and now the vomiting from alcohol. With four friends in a motel room (from out of the city). Nobody is really wasted, in fact if not for the vomiting and the slightly raised volume you wouldn't know.
Doesn't really want to go to hospital because she says that she's not sick but after an hour of vomiting or trying to vomit the chest is hurting, and she is really getting fatigued by it all.
10mg IMI of Metoclopramide to the rescue. Happily given and happily received. All other obs were great and vomiting had ceased by the time we left.

39M - Sciatic pain that included ???? numbness in the lower leg.

30ishF - Thinking George street in the CBD was a good place to have a sleep.

20ishM - Floppy Asian syndrome caused by too much alcohol!!!! They were all good young people who were trying to get their mate home but he kept falling asleep.
Sternal Rub and finger in the armpit while you help steady him were quickly taught and put to good use with their mate.

88M - Suspected NOF, over an hour on scene for pain control, the fluffy pillows from morphine are wonderful. Narrow internal staircase with a 18o degree corner another crew would not have helped due to lack of room. External stairs three flights!
Lucky for us that pt weighed in at about 45kg (99lb)

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

From the past. Non Ambulance.

There I am at the very front on the left as you look at it!

1997, July I think, in some street in Calgary Canada.
The Derwent Valley Concert Band from New Norfolk in Tasmania had been accepted to perform at the Calgary Stampede but they were required to also march, a thing they didn't know how to do.

I was approached having experience with marching bands to not only teach them but to also lead as the Drum Major.

Twelve years ago,,,,, another life time ago.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

6mths to 82yrs, everyone gets sick.

Some just sicker than others and of course there are the accidents, like this first one.

A new Mum had baby in her arms and baby has just started to squirm and wriggle and slipped out of said mothers arms.
Face down onto a tiled floor.
Us in the business know the tried and true adage -
Babies bounce and a noisy baby is a good baby but that didn't help Mum feel any better.

35M - Major heart surgery a few weeks ago, got an infection and had some IV treatment but when I caught up with him. BP 88/46, HR 140bpm, Temp 39.7C (103.5F) and looked like shit!

49M - Psych transfer with three, count them THREE escort, two were security.

82F - At an inner city Cop Shop C/o palpitations???? Nothing wrong that I could find but I was getting a feeling that there were more social/mental issues involved.
She was very well dressed if you didn't look to carefully and she had one of those Nana shopping bags on wheels which was new but seemed to contain a careful selection of her life???

38M - Headache, now car talk on the way was heading towards Man Cold stuff but be professional when you arrive and give the pt a chance to not be a dropkick.
CT scans done two days ago showed multiple 'clusters' that may have been Sub Dural Haemorrhages. Nice, anyway the call to us was because the analgesia prescribed was not working so 5mg IVI of Morphine took the edge away and we transported for a management plan to be constructed.

20F - C/t uncounscious, seemed to be enjoying the attention of all her friends until big bad me stepped in and showed them that she wasn't 'unconscious'. Sternal Rub or pressure point you've got to lov'em.

17M - Asthma in the Police cells. As you may have guessed this was an Oxygen Thief and I left him in the tender care of my friend the NSWP. Very shallow end of the gene pool this boy.

Finished up with a,

81F - Nausea and vomiting,
PMHx - Past Medical History!
IHD - Iscaemic Heart Disease,
IDDM - Insulin Dependant Diabetes Mellitus,
CABg x 4 - Coronary Artery Bypass Graft by 4,
AAA - well everyone knows this one,

she didn't get to stay at home.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Second Day.

General transport all day.

Absolutely nothing to write about.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

First Day

55F - Psychiatric Emergency, call from police, the pt is a bit crackers and requests transport by the time we had arrived she was hallucinating with voice and vision and just got crazier as time went by. All I know for sure it she was scheduled under the Mental Health Act.

28M - Relationship problems so he took 10 200mg Ibuuprofen. He wont have a headache for a while!

89F - Transport for respite.

25M - Epistaxis that the G/f caused. Get over it!

17M - Vomiting and headache after butting heads with another player on a basketball court.

73F - Chest Pain.

74M - Chest pain or maybe abdo pain he couldn't figure out which so I treated as chest pain.

88F - Abdo Pain.


Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Right Back in the saddle.

I'm normal (many may argue with that), my sleep patterns are not!

Four hours of restless slow rolling, semi consciousness.

And what's with the right arm pain, am I writing Pt Health Care Records(PHCRs) in my sleep.

Sometimes I think I should just get up, ride in to work and see if I can catch a few hours there after the exercise.


Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Twas the night before work,,,,

Tracy and I didn't go for a ride at all these days off.

Two of them were our first 30+ (86F+) temperatures and Tracy developed a left hip/thigh pain/strain/cramp so there was no way I could have convinced her that a ride would have worked out!

We saw even less of our son than we expected due to his inability to catch a plane and late return from visiting the G/f before leaving to fly home (about an hour).

In Thirty years of catching aircraft for my self I have only missed two.

1983 - Adelaide Airport in South Australia, I was returning to Hobart with the Hobart City Brass Band after a very successful appearance at the South Australian Band Championships.
We were sponsored by a wine company, even back then there were rules to be obeyed to catch a commercial flight and being more plastered than those ducks you hang on a wall didn't cut it!

2005 - Sydney Airport, I was returning to Hobart via one of the cheaper airlines and I swear I never heard them call for passengers on that flight to step up to the express counter.

So we will see if I suffer from the normal poor sleep I have the night before returning to work



Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

A night at the beach!

There are no cameras on the beach at the moment and the beach itself is pretty quiet.
Well it is night.

What we did?

18M - back a single officer for this dislocated shoulder. He's done it before so really only had to managed the pain en route to hospital.

15F - C/t someone screaming in one of three possible parks with a dental injury???????
We found this charmer in the back of a Police paddy wagon they knew her of old.
The language, violence, I'm reminder of a post I read on Outback Ambos blog.
Part of me would have been happy to leave her in the back of their truck.

20F - Sprained ankle to be treated at home.

59M - Epistaxis, first time ever. A trickle of dried blood on the pillow about half the length of my pen. All obs good left at home in wife's care.

You know what I did hear all night long?

My crews from my home station getting a flogging while I'm sitting on my arse.

It just goes to remind me what I love about the City and where I work.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Night Two.

It looked like the Padawan was going to have a night full of intoxicated persons.

58M - Regular, currently has a fractured forearm that is a shabby cast, will not stay in the waiting room unless he is allowed to drink booze. I'm sorry to say that this person is just a straight out burden on the health system and the social security system. Mine and your tax money is going to him getting the Red an' White taxi company to transport him, it's supplying him with booze before food but I don't know any solution.

38M - IP, in a fight neck pain, transport with spinal precautions due to intoxication.
39M - IP, in same fight lac above eyebrow, declined transport.

30M - Opiate OD, I bagged this guy that well that he started to come up before the Naloxone but under instruction the Padawan got 800mcg into him. Allow some time and GCS is 15 and he denies Heroin use, but I say the other guys took the needle away before we arrived why lie?

20F - 'Fitting', No, she's pissed. Transported because so was everyone else.

53F - OD Mersyndol, or Paracetamol = 11.5g and Codeine = 253mg. Why? Because the love of her life had not shown up and her heart was hurting from being broken.
And yes there were prints on the walls of American Indians, Wolves and Dream Catchers.

The night finished with a street person being accosted by a member of the general public who thought they were dead and he better call an ambulance. Shoeless, toothless and smelly told me my fortune real quick and I left.

Got an O/t on Friday night at the best known beach in Australia.



Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Night 1.

We're a crew down throughout this roster so O/t is getting a thrashing just at our station alone.

Not that we needed a third car this night.

42F - Regular caller, lives at a homeless shelter, knows too many AOs, knows too much of the lingo of both the Ambulance Service and the ED. Tonight was Abdo pain with a dose of the scours as my Grandad use to call it or Diarrhoea for us Professional folk. She wasn't interested in staying there and seeing the local clinic in the morning even though she was able to tolerate oral intake.

62M - Regular caller, sometimes known as Geronimo or the fifth Beatle (local jokes). Tonight it was SOB, pain in legs and yes he would like a lift to the hospital. He knows the drill, straight into the waiting room after triage (because he does suffer pneumonia on occasions) and asks for a cup of tea, a sandwich, a blanket and is that the only channel on the TV.

67M - Very. Very bad ascites from chronic liver failure, resp rate of 50 with SpO2 of 87%. Breath sounds did not exist in either of the lower lobes. A very nice gent who was fully accepting of this as a consequence of years of hitting the bottle.

28M - 'Alleged Assault' yes there was a bump on his head, yes his mate said that the other two guys had hit him, yes I didn't have a xray or CT with me to confirm any internal injury but there is a certain amount of experience we gain from all the 'shit' we see and this was a case of male dying swan syndrome. Triage agreed.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

The son is coming to visit again!

Well that's not exactly correct.

He's coming to visit the G/f in Wagga and borrowing a car, we may get to see him for four or five hours. For any Mums who read this you'll appreciate that Ambowife would like more but will happily accept even just that short time.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Day 2

First thing exchange shoe phone numbers, now the Padawan and I can contact each other.
A different thing about this Padawan is that he is only five years younger than me so a lot of our mental processes are very similar. Our work load today was;

29M - Abdo pain.

58M - Chest pain, ECG variations.

32M - Abdo pain, being a sook.

47M - Drunk, got king hit and has neck pain. He arched up in the back en route and the extra life experience worked well for the Padawan. In the end he tore off the collar undid the spine board straps and walked out of hospital. I know from other crews that he was transported again twice more and did similar each time.
I mean when do you think enough is enough.
In our job I guess we just have to try and do the best despite the the patients apparent self destructive efforts.

65F - Fall, possible NOF or Femur hard to tell. The worst was time started to rain and I mean heavy as we planned extraction so we got the pain under control and waited twenty minutes for it to stop.


Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Day 1 of a new roster.

So that means a new Padawan only he doesn't show!

Of course we hadn't exchanged shoe phone numbers yet so he couldn't contact me out of courtesy.

So I had a single Padawan from another station who was in his second roster on road and we did;

8M - making breakfast for Dad and was using a big knife! you can guess the rest. Dad was a Shrink so knew about the body but wasn't handling the stress very well. Young Master was having a grand time when he didn't see Dad Freaking.

79F - Had a simple fall and got a head lac for her trouble.

63M - SVT. It hasn't been his first experience but it was his longest (three hours). I got the impression he was a stubborn man but this episode had put the wind up him. Oh the rate was only around the 130.

85F - Who was standing at the front of the Bus waiting for it to stop. Then there was the car that pulled up in front of the Bus and then there was the Garfield the Cat impersonation she did on the Bus window.
She had a wonderful outlook on life and I stopped by several times to check on her and enjoyed that.

64M - The job read like a pre-arrest SOB. It was renal colic, known diagnosis even.

56F - Decreased LOC ??? polypharmacy, unknown, GCS e=3, v=2, m=5 for a total of 10. There were just a whole heap of unknowns about the job. Her partner was less than forthcoming with info and there was nothing in the apartment to suggest chemical use. So transport for investigation.

Now about the Padawan, not from a medical background, been on road for just nine weeks and impressed me so much that I emailed his first and only mentor and cc'ed our Education people to tell them what I thought of him. Well Done is all I'll write here.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Night 2

2M - cut to lip, called off as we pulled up outside.

3osomething M - victim of a carjacking, haven't done one of these before. No injuries but we had a good talk about Traumatic Events and the stress that can occur and how to deal with it.

2 X 20M&F - got a bad case of the head spins after smoking a Turkish pipe with ??? camel dung as tobacco. Patted them on the head said there, there and sent them on their way.

34F - allergy to sesame seed, no airway involvement but very distressing abdo pain, the girl I saw after analgesia looked nothing like the one I first saw.

41M - Opiate OD, two lots of Naloxone with poor effect so he got transported. The interesting thing was on arrival two members of the general public where attending him and I could tell as we walked up that they were not just firstaiders! One A&E Dr on the train with the pt, one from another hospitals A&E waiting on the platform. We worked as a great team and they appeared to be having fun in a very different environment.

51M - Blisters on feet and can't swallow???? Looks like we have a new time waster, even went so far as to tell my Padawan that he didn't need to take a BP as we were just there to drive him to hospital. Had arrived that day from Queensland to stay and I informed him in no unclear terms that Q.A.S. don't work that way and neither did ASNSW. Not doubt about the rules now, we got a complete set of obs before even turning a wheel.

90M - Chest pain, nothing hard about this.

And that was the last shift with my Padawan. Four days only off this time as the roster changes and I'm back a day early with another Padawan but first we celebrate Ambowife's Fortieth Birthday.

I love you my darling and hope you are pleased with the meagre gifts of worship I have for you.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Night 1

Two separate jobs with 50ish Ms pissed and unable to take care of themselves or just being a hindrance to the good general public.

Fair enough on the one that had walked into the restaurant, ordered and paid for the food.
Eaten it and then passed out at the table. The staff didn't know what to do so they rang us.

After I had examined the pt, concluded the diagnosis, directed Padawan to arrange extrication cause this dude was not going anywhere under his own power. I then had the pleasure of translating from Pissedinese to English several comments the pt had about the staff and the food, he recommended both.

72F- Collies Wrist fracture, didn't need xray for this one.

40M - OD, I still don't understand why you would have some gear (Heroin) when your doin' the deed with a escort (Hooker). This guy was lucky not to have been dumped in an alley with no wallet and hoping that we'd find him.



Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Day 2

78M - Lives alone, been increasingly unwell for two months, has seen LMO who wanted a chest xray done but ?? pt didn't want to know what he had wrong because it scared him. Decreased oral intake because nothing seemed to go down, rather pt described it as it felt it got blocked and then he would vomit. I think he has some possible tumor or such anyway transported for investigation.

Public assistance call to help a 47M back into his wheelchair.

63M - Dizzy, vague, big cardiac history, stents, AMI, saw a PHCR the next day for another crew transporting him for the same presentation???

2M - sundden onset of abdo pain. Panicking Mum, equally panicking Granma', he was picking up on it and getting upset, gave him a trauma teddy played some games and he was fine all the way to the kids hospital.

F - called for assistance with breathing difficulty after ? being hit in the head. Police were dispatched also and we found the pt very distressed not wanting to talk to us and then breaking down again. Put her in the back for privacy and the Padawan and even a female cop couldn't get her to open up so I had a try. Low submissive posture, deep penetrating blue eye contact, soft voice - her old man was hitting her, their not Anglo and have a strong dominate male supremacy culture and she had no family here in Australia.

It's not our primary role but I had to do something for her, a hospital was to public but the are a number of refuges around that deal with this so I convinced her to at least come with me to one and have a talk to the staff, I mean good as I was to get that much detail I'm still a male.

It made me ashamed to be a man again and angry also, to offset that I was proud that we had maybe started her on the correct path to help.

And to finish off the day a transfer of a pt with Gastro from an ED at a big hospital to and Isolation room at a small one.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Day 1

76F - International Medical Retrieval Team from airport to hospital. I like this job because the aircraft comes into a private company hanger and they have soft comfy chairs, a proper coffee machine and biscuits in the lounge while you wait. Oh triple vessel disease!

40F - Sprained ankle last night and its starting to hurt heaps now, discussed management and analgesia and she was happy not to go to hospital.

57F - MS pt with an unexplained decreased LOC.

82M - Witnessed LOC, AMI two weeks ago.

24M - Spinal pain post MVA, side collision to his car at ???50kph.

23F - Passenger is same with lateral neck pain.

82F - simple slip fall at the cinema, management called pt without injury went home after examination.

Easy day fourth last of the roster.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

A Reply for Coloneldom.

Last week in day two one of the pts was described as having an opiate overdose and coloneldom has asked whether I administered Naloxone (Narcan). Lets review firstly the job as I posted it.

'40F, OD on opiates, interesting because it's not her fault in my opinion. She has been prescribed by the one GP over ninety milligrams of a pain killer daily and therefore some days depending on her metabolism, other medication use and even stimulants like coffee she appears to OD.'

Naloxone Opioid Antagonist, reverses respiratory depression, sedation and hypotension caused by opioid analgesia.

Apart from the reversal of say Heroin ODs it can also be used to just back off on Opioid Pain relief with Pts.

My choice as a Qualified (the buck stops with you unless you call for Intensive Care Paramedics [Frogs - because everything they touch croaks]) Paramedic was not to give any Naloxone.

1. Pt was conscious.
2. Pt was fully ambulant.
3. Pt was not, while with us, in any life threatening danger.
4. Pt had refused transport and treatment initially which was her legal right as a pt who may have been under the influence of drugs but did display a competency and capacity to make decisions, even a bad one.
5. Pt only changed her mind after a short discussion with a staff member of the sanctuary she was was staying in. I did not hear any of the content but I believe it may have been coercion, but not by me.
6. I didn't wish to expose the Pt to possible infection from an IMI.
7. I didn't wish to expose myself to a possible needle-stick injury.
8. I wanted the Triage and ED Registrar to see with their own eyes the Pts true condition for assessment also of the GPs medication regimen.

Some of our allied Health Staff don't always believe what 'we saw' on the scene once a nicely package Pt is presented in the calm, controlled, well light, post any interventions by us, triage corridor.

So there you have it,

Simple short answer NO which doesn't explain the thought process to arrive at that answer.
It leaves me open to some prick thinking that I'm just a slack arsed ambo.
And doesn't provide direction to any Padawan reading the post.

I'm off back to bed for night shift tonight.

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

For Jinx.

Hello Jinx,

Welcome to the world of Aussie Ambo Blogging.

F.A.S. now this is not a cultural slurr but you will notice that with some of our patients from this ethnic background they just go floppy on you after their family member tells you about their current illness.

Now I've observed this to happen after vomiting and diarrhoea as well as non de script sore legs and sore finger and all kinds of other stupid conditions.

Beware they will also walk for about half the hallway and then collapse causing a sudden rush of family to pat, stroke and fan the patient.

I have also seen plenty of others deny the pain that is obvious to me and struggle to assist with their loading even though it pains me to see them do it..

With the transgender I communicate to them in the preferred style (feminine) but the paperwork I do ask the straight up, 'what sex are you legally?' and record that.

Hope this makes sense to you, we only did a normal twelve hour shift today that I will post about later but one of my dear friends and peers from station is moving to the quiet life up the cost and we had drinks after work and I'm a bit blurred!!!!!!

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

What did I do on the days off?

Not much,

We had visitors from Tassie for three days.

Ambowife's birthday is coming up and I have to get something (can't say too much because she reads this to check that I'm telling her all the things I have on my mind), So I went off on the bike on day four to do some shopping or browsing.

Day five was a beautiful day so we hopped on the bikes and went for a ride together, she even did some of the pace setting. Quicker than we have done this ride before, the final stats are;

Distance of 45km or 28m
Time moving of 2h, 44m.
Ave speed of 16kph or 10mph

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz

Night Two.

Hospital to Hospital transfer of a young one in the child capsule with Grandma escort.

94F, Head Lac, those damn throw rugs on slippery tile floors.

Unable to locate.

Some Floppy Asian Syndrome (FAS) with abdo pain.

43M, Psych transfer, nice fella just lost all idea of who he was!

52M/F, Transgender, a legend around my patch whom I had never had the pleasure to attend. We, as I was to learn, were the third crew to have responded to the pt this evening. The pt had been escorted from A&E previously for verbal abuse to staff and other normal pts.
At two AM when we were responded to the same pt again, I must say I slipped the angry ambo suit on. A direct, blunt instruction and dressing down of the alleged pt occurred until the pt had indicated three times that they understood.
We then transported them to the next nearest hospital for their abdo pain.
Pts main fluid intake is Metho.


So 7.25 pts on average for the four shifts

Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz