There will be an interuption to service.

There has been a complaint to my employer by someone about some of the content of the blog, so with my best interests at heart I will not be posting about any new jobs until I have had chance to sit down with some managers and sort out the problem.

I shall been posting about Para-medicine and all related topics as I feel like it.

A friend of mine has a new book being released next month in print and electronic

Paramedico  A true and entertaining account of the paramedic author’s adventures working on ambulances around the world, from Mexico to South Africa, via Pakistan and Iceland.

I'll be going to the Sydney launch, if your in the city why don't you come too.


See you at the big One.

Taz

No two jobs the same this shift.

43M - Two of them got into a blew and the was a bit of blood but no real damage.
58F - Hypo, took awhile to correct and leave with family.
19M- Slip/fall in a beer garden. C/o central neck pain, not too drunk but all precautions taken.
91F - Worried about her BP. Reassurance really and spend some time for a chat.
38M - Had a bed in a hospital after some minor surgery. Told staff he was just going outside for a smoker and to catch up with someone. 13 hours later and twenty minute drive away he rings us to take him back to the hospital. I have to by the letter of my protocols but he went straight into the waiting room.
18M - Post ictal, known epileptic, left with friends.

See you at the big One.

Taz

An interesting mixed lot.

24M - Paranoid episode post cannabis.
28M - Electrical flash burn to upper face or eyes.
24F - Just a very pleasant homeless Lass who building security were concerned about. I don't have much of a handle on the emergency accommodation for females in my area and she didn't wish to come to the hospital for any social work but I did supply a couple of blankets.
74F - Buzzing in the ear, concern about BP. Got called of that for,
83F - Vita Call alarm activation. Scared the crap out of her as we entered her apartment with the security key from the lockbox outside. The alarm didn't seem to have been activated from her end and the main thing was that she was ok.
51M - Had a minor surgery 5/7 ago and had no bowel motions for the last 4.
94F - Haematemisis, diarrhoea (no melaena) congested chest, SpO2 of 90%, tachycardic and febrile.
91F - SOB of a cardiac insufficiency I believe.

See you at the big One.

Taz

Trauma straight out of the gate.

There were massive road closures today in the city for a 55km bicycle ride around our beautiful harbour shores.
I believe that the serious riders could go out early and complete the circuit but there were mud bikes, hybrid commuters, not so fit or fast road bikes, women in skirts with baskets on the front, Mums and Dads and kids with training wheels.
All the while our bikes sat idle in the plant room as we worked

55M - Took a bad bump and landed on the road with a # Clavicle.
87F - Post ictal with a slow recovery and an unclear cause as there is no epilepsy.
32F - Drowsy! No shit Sherlock, with Xanax, Rivitril, Serequal and Methadone on board what do you expect?
??M - Ring from a payphone wanting an ambulance but not sticking around for it - UTL.
25M - Ankle injury in the gym. Bad places those I always pick up injured people from there!
83M - Dislocated shoulder.
21F - IP
Assist another crew with extrication of a CVA pt with unknown down time.


See you at the big One.

Taz

What a diverse day!

First job,

Get coffee!

Having completed that and enjoying the company of the other two crews from station Control asks which of us will take the first job??? Well me of course!

60M - Fallen just over 2m or 6 foot from a ladder onto his hip. We find him prone on the floor with rain falling through the open skylight he was trying to close. There's deformity to the femur and maybe the pelvis so whilst he's stable and managing the pain in this position I'm going to leave him there after checking for other injuries. We needed backup from one of the other crews for this insanely steep and narrow staircase. 20ml of morph and we're at hospital.
?35M - On a building site and walked under an unsecured partially demolished masonry wall that at that very instant collapsed. Instantaneous dead with injuries incompatible with life. Not pretty.
36M - I observed him across the road from where we were parked a little while later trying to get the door open on a car before leaning on the side of the car and resting his head on the roof and falling asleep. He looked drug fuc*ed, we spun around and parked behind him and it took three attempts to wake him which I only tried after I had secured the car keys in my pocket. We talked I told him of my concerns that he might drive, he admitted to liquid E (GHB) and promised that he wouldn't!
I suggested that I drop the keys off at the local Cop Shop and he could collect them several hours later, he suggested that I drop then of at the local Hungry Jack's?? I won and drove around to the station where the duty crew on the counter couldn't believe what I had done and thanked us for saving all of us some work.
80M - Drowsy, from a Rehab hospital where he had been give sedatives to assist with sleeping as he hadn't for the last three nights. I did the maths and came up with 2 but the on duty Dr couldn't see the cumulative effects of the sedation is most probably to blame.
60M - Sciatic pain.
65F - Epigastric pain that I thought I was persuading her to see her LMO about but she wanted to see a Dr now and was totally pain free. 

See you at the big One.

Taz

Recruits Paramedics - The TV show.

I have just viewed the first episode of this program on http://www.ten.com.au/ and felt the need to comment.

I had no involvement other than one of the recruits was working at our station and the camera crews really did try to stay out of your way at shift change mostly.

Removing myself from the position of being a Qualified Paramedic and viewing it as a civilian I must say well done to all of the mentors and recruits.


See you at the big One.

Taz

Bathurst finished for another year.

Well done Garth Tander and the Toll Holden Dealer Team on their win but if there had been another lap,,,,,

17M - Who in the heat of an argument with the GF said things that can't be withdrawn and the Cops got called and so did we. While we are happy that this was all just angry words without intent, none of us wish to have to explain to his parents why we left him at home alone so we're going to transport to have a talk with the emergency psych staff (he does have a problem picking the right kind of girls and therefore troubled relationships, but don't they all at that age?) and his parents can collect him from there on their way back from the country. The Cops do a search (as a matter of protocol) of his person and backpack before we leave and Oops there's 5gms (.17oz) of weed! the night just gets better and better for him.
18F - In the central rail terminus she was roughed up by some of the locals and Police just asked us to check her out.
21M - Opiate OD in the toilet at another rail station. Staff there did an excellent job prior to our arrival and I made big about that. We didn't use Narcan as O2 alone provided a marked improvement, enough to get to the stretcher for Tx. 8 hrs later he's still in the same bed in the department.
??M - Cardiac Arrest, well not quite, updated notes dropped down as we're driving and as we arrive we witness the pt get up off the ground, shrug off the good samaritans and jump into a taxi! I bullshit you not!
Ask my partner!
52F - CA pt with multiple metastases and uncontrolled pain.
73M - SOB.

I have two traffic presentations and a shift swap during the days off and I collect my first pair of prescription glasses. The really small street names or drug information data was getting to difficult to read at night. 



See you at the big One.

Taz

I'm missing the Bathurst 1000.

The iconic Australian Motor Race. I'm not going to bore you with the detail but since I was able to sit on a lounge for a day I have watched it with my Father while I was still in Tasmania and even driven around it when I moved up here to the Nth Island.

27M - IP, not quite aware to make his own way home so needed a safe place to sober up from the 0.284 BAL he blew at hospital. He may have been related to a staff member whom I respect.
77M - Chest pain for the last 2 days.
32M - Arrives home pissed, has a vomit, passes out on the bed and moans a bit. Wife panics, we arrive, he become instantly more alert, amazing the effect our calm, confident, no bullshit and direct action will have on the intoxicated. I check him out more for her reassurance, discuss the unusual, bizarre and even common effects of alcohol on the body and behaviour allow them the option of management at home and depart.
72M - Angina after having to walk down stairs after a fire alarm went off in his motel. Pretty straight forward job, had grabbed all but the GTN on leaving and was quickly resolved with O2, GTN and rest. Interestingly for me he and the good wife are from Tassie and after the usual questions about address's and locations it took just three goes at 'Do you know?' before we had a connection and then the shared acquaintances grew. There are only 450,000 people in Tassie and I did have 40yrs to meet as many as I could.  
41M - Anxious, had a talk and he had the coping skills to handle himself but required tonight someone to verify them before he could action them. Left at home.
38M - Acute epigastric pain of an idiopathic nature.
??M - Assaulted, punched in the face, called off half way there for an closer car.

See you at the big One.

Taz

We all got coffee before the work started.

It was slow to start but picked up quantity but not quality.

32F - Had left the hospital 30 minutes earlier and was found by the Police drug effected again.
71M - Fell from bed in an Independent Housing facility. No injuries but he will need to be moved to higher care very soon. In 9 yrs I haven't smelt anything quite like his room.
Assist another car with extrication of a pt.
31M - A well known character who does have epilepsy and was actively seizing today. Midaz and transport.
27M - Ethnic background collapsed with a headache in a work place (not his) and was bunging it on, but due to the language barrier I wasn't going to call it until the Drs had a look. Diagnosis - Acute Muppetitis!
81M - Pushed the wrong pedal and hit a truck. No injuries.
28M - Has had some heroin and was enjoying the sunny afternoon from a doorway in an alley. If the caller had simply gone up to him and asked if he was Ok we wouldn't have attended.
24M - URI with cough for over one month.




See you at the big One.

Taz

Day 1, new roster.

As I said previously 'G' and I stay together from last roster to this.
43M - Assaulted, punched to the nose, no fracture but sore. Elects to self manage.
17F - Febrile 40.6C or 105.1F, on her way from LMO to path lab for bloods. Syncope and got me instead has a Hx of UTI's so lets get that treated.
90F - Increased confusion, considering a slow low UTI.
66M - Chest pain, no STEMI but multifocal PVC's.
56M - Abdo pain, got called off for,
54M - Chest pain, sinus rythym.
55F - Regular caller who may be having problems with an APOMORPHINE pump for Parkinson's disease.
35M - Infected knee not responding to him managing at home and mobility is now a problem.
2 car MVC nobody hurt everyone declined assessment.

See you at the big One.

Taz

Overtime!

This is the third weekend that I have scored o/t. All going to the trip in a few years to the US.

73F - Nausea & vomiting, recent abdo surgery not quite right.
27M - Chest pain, miles away we start the run to be called off after five minutes of high speeds to attend,
74M - Epistaxis, as I walk in there he sits with what looks to be half a box of tissues poked up each nostril all red and sodden. I jump straight on the nose pinching firmly in the Little's area and start the 15 min countdown. It didn't resolve so transport was needed particularly as the pt WAS NOT on blood thinners. Maintaining my grip on the nose off we drive with the blood backing up the tear ducts and making his eye appear to bleed. An hour later now on the hospital bed I release the nose and ,,,,,, nothing happened and it remained haemorrhage free till discharge five hours later.
23F - Respiratory Distress, hyperventilation. The job came down as chest pain but that was more from the generalised nature of the CAD (computer aided dispatch) questions and the ethnic background of the caller. It was nice to see this presentation in a normal person also rather than the moppets you normally do. There was no family fight, relationship problem, school/work stress or other recognised trigger. The pt had been asleep when the symptoms started, maybe it started with a dream? Who knows after twenty minutes of the Hudson mask without the oxygen and my calm and reassuring nature(ha, ha, ha) the pt was better, her family fully entertained and happy to stay at home.
43F - IP and drug effected with Police. I felt that they wanted to bum her off to me and the hospital rather than their cell. I cleared her on scene for them to be able to transport but that was not their plan.
88M - Ear lac and he was on blood thinners. Direct pressure wasn't working again either.
81F - Discharge from ED to a N/H.

See you at the big One.

Taz

Last day of the roster.

So as I've stated before we work a nine week roster of 2 days, 2 nights and 5 off.

My partner and I have only been together for the last two weeks as I was on holiday and changed line for my return meaning I got a new partner so we are carrying on into the new roster together which is cool just hope we get more work.

I get ridiculed for not insisting on taking a meal break and clearing for the next job ( you can have a break during the day between jobs).
I get told not to come running to them and complaining about getting flogged without a break!
Wake up numb nuts,
I complain when I Don't get flogged.
I don't need to sit around bitching about pt's, relationships, Dr's, other Paramedics, Nurses, Bank's, Management or the like.
I WANT TO WORK, bring it on (and no I don't mean just blood an' guts) anything just make it a mixed lot.

35F - We had been to this address last week after a phone call from a friend (interstate) reported concern for this persons welfare but were unable to locate the ?pt. The friend has flown in for other reasons and she wont answer her door to him so he rings us and the cops. Yes there is some mental health background with the pt (per him) but jesus this guy is annoying, hyper and jittery. So he leaves, we're still discussing options with the law (do we have enough cause to bust in her door,,,) when she finally opens the door!
Seems friend is paranoid about her health and she doesn't want anything to do with him. She has anxiety issues after a home invasion some time ago, totally acceptable but after a nice chat with the alleged pt she's straighter than the alleged friend.
78F - Aged Care Assessment Team from the Community Health Service had been at the home and requested us to transport the pt for confusion. I think dementia had snuck up and surprised her family.
30M - Nausea and vomiting, poor dude he has Leukaemia and performs his own chemo treatment at home.
76F - Asthma, her normal PEFR is about 350L right now it's 220L with an acceptable rate of 75% (calculated on her age and height) being 245L. Post two nebs of Salbutamol and Atrovent the PEFR had increased to a whopping 240L. The was more than just the normal asthma going on and the pt confirmed that it didn't feel like an asthma attack..
40Y - Claiming hip and leg pain post losing her dance with the Corrections Service officers in the local Court House. We were able very quickly to confirm their suspicions that the prisoner was faking it. We were less successful in getting the prisoner to understand that we were aware of their attempted deception and to cover everyone's arse the prisoner was transported for a Dr to sign a letter stating that the prisoner was full of it (after a full examination) and then able to continue her journey through the prison system.

See bugger all work but a good mixed bag.



See you at the big One.

Taz