Suicide Monday never came.

That's what some call it, the Monday after a BIG weekend of partying and that's what Mardi Gras is about.
So Monday, the parties have stopped and the drugs are wearing off and the high is crashing. Usual to expect an increase in drug related calls and depression but it just didn't seem to manifest this year. This may have had something to do with the 3 litres of GHB (Gamma-hydroxybutyrate) seized by Police the night before the Mardi Gras Parade as well as the heightened police presence in the City.

After waiting nearly three!!!!! hours for our first job, and I jump another crew for it, our day was like this,

81F - May have ascites but she wanted to go to hospital rather than seeing her own Dr.

51M - PR bleed and found it difficult to stand??? maybe the lack of blood inside your veins and arteries .

66M - Started a new medication TWO WEEKS ago and called today because his feet felt cold (in 25 degree Celsius), his family thought it may have been a reaction to the meds??? but he was better when we arrived after he had laid down for awhile. They had even spoken to his Dr who still said get the ambulance. After reviewing all the numerous facts and using sound clinical knowledge we left him at home.

51M - Chest pain, in Police custody! you know this has quality written all over it but!
Indigenous background, well documented to be prone to cardiac problems.
Diabetic, type 2 and well controlled per him.
Has had a triple bypass, 6 yrs ago.
3 Lead showed nothing and right there and then he was much too emotional with the police (he wasn't a bad crook but he had broken several laws and was going to be going to see the judge for them) in the cells it just wasn't going to be useful to get a 12 lead.
Out in the car with him calming down there was some elevation in the septal leads but nothing else. We had already started basic cardiac care with O2, aspirin & nitrate for the 5/10 pain reducing with treatment and en route we left it at that with two more ECGs. Hx from Pt was that he also had further partial occluded vessels but until he gave up smoking surgery wouldn't happen. Anxiety, that was my diagnosis, yes underlying cardiac Hx but he wasn't having an arrest, he was having a good old plain panic attack and with my new authorised 12 lead ability I can justify it.

66F - Fell backwards of a ladder in a shop bruises on the central spine. Nil motor loss but some 'tingling' in the lower legs. Collar, transport.

And that was the end of the day, five jobs and we still didn't get an official meal break with delays in the hospitals.



See you at the big One.

Taz