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