The Older women were after me today.

One patient only under 72 all day.

89F - Weak and lethargic. She has a pacemaker and it doesn't appear to be doing it's job.
81F - Dislocated her false hip bending down to put on sock.
90F - From yesterday with the gastro, wasn't better so I told her there was no choice today I was taking her to hospital.
40F - Complex emotional problems.
72F - Sudden onset of diarrhoea in a public place with a near syncope, helped her home and gave some self care advise.
75F - Mechanical fall and hip or femur #.



Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

Taz

Tried not to transport anybody today!

Unless they needed it, the hospitals are choked up with some sick patients and unless you need to be there I will try to talk you out of it with simple and common sense solutions.

49M - Needed a psych ward badly.
92F - Accidental alarm activation.
44M - Been feeling off, unwell for a few days, last time he felt this way about two years ago the gave him two cardiac grafts, Him we took.
74M - Respiratory Hx, slowly increasing SOB, he got a ride too.
45M - Known condition of AF but multiple rhythms today including ventricular.
90F - 30hrs of gastro, doesn't want to go to hospital but an after hours Dr said she should. I disagree. I can give IV antiemetics and fluid in the home and see how that goes. All parties happy.
35M - Been drinking and now sleeping, in a park. Moved him on.
86F - Respiratory distress, cause unknown but I called for backup.



Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One! Taz

My last shift before Christmas.

43M - Withdrawing form Methadone, feels unwell but I think there were other issues undisclosed
Called off someone fallen
Called off a Psych
30F - Anxiety, calmed and left
Called off another person fallen
30M - Who thought that one of the 15 large beers  or 5 vodka shots he admits to drinking (and the rest please) must have been spiked because he felt ill!!!!!
There was no talking him out of it, I felt so ashamed to be a man.
Called off an intoxicated person
25M - Overseas backpacker who was pissed and wouldn't rather than couldn't talk, so I had his phone, I called his parents for details.
25M - Aggressive drug effected with whom we needed to have Police assistance, transport for Mental Health reasons, he was a danger to the public and himself
78M - Abdo pain.

And that's me I'm spending Christmas in the country with family and relaxing before the NYE fun starts, and yes I'm working that night by request.

Have a safe and pleasant break.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

 Taz

First night shift before Christmas.

??M - A graze of his forehead, someone travelling past in a car called it in
42F - From a Medical Centre to hospital for assessment of a deep lac
40M - IP who appeared to be having absence seizure activity for the first time??
30M - Standing funny at a Pub (I shit you not) again someone else made the call and he decline examination.
73M - Anxiety
27F - Hypogastric pain
70M - Odd thoughts, he was certain he was dead, I couldn't persuade him otherwise
20M - Punched in the neck, he'll live
20M - Failed the work Xmas party and was found lying on a footpath to pissed to walk. Points to him however because he did provide a phone to call a cousin to come and collect so we just waited for him to arrive.


Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

 Taz

Last day shift before Christmas

I should have posted these sooner because I've had too much turkey, ham and the works and can't work up the energy to do more than list them.

54M - alleged assault
35F - SOB
31M - Opiate OD
58F - Abdo pain
84M - To a hospice from home
48M - Angry - can't fix that
46M - Minor scalp wound but it happened at work so we transported.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

 Taz

The city is buzzing with shoppers.

But not all of them need us.

70M - Going home from hospital in time for Christmas.
85M - Who felt weak in the humidity but didn't want to go to hospital.
52F - With abdo pain for three days and couldn't bear it today.
40M - Near syncope event, the second recently but everything looked ok.
76M - A Scheduled patient from his own home for his welfare, sad.
46F - With her first every ankle sprain.
33M - Dislocated shoulder.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

 Taz

To help a brother.

One of our own was found to have Corrosion in the guts as one Wit put it or Cancer as we call it.
He seems to have been around for ever.
Known to all and Loved by all.
When he was on the radio in Co-Ord it was his own private radio station with word of the shift, weather forecasts and other gems to make you laugh and forget about the grind of each new job he gave you and you worked hard just for him.
It was found late and the going's been rough and bills where stacking up so some of us challenged our workmates to sponsor us on a bike ride.
150km

 It was bloody cold at 0600hrs

Seven left on this 150km trek.
Five did the lot.
We by physical force showed our love for our Brother.

Be strong Andy

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

 Taz

A STEMI a day,

Keeps you on your toes.
If only they were all STEMI's

56M - 2 witnessed LOC, no radial pulse sitting up, sweating heaps, pale, C/o dizzyness, nausea, numbness in neck, admits to lots of alcohol, 2 lines of Nose Candy and a little Mary Jane but that's not out of the ordinary for him and ECG confirmed STEMI but it wasn't that clear to see. Ran the job on presentation and transmitted to the hospital the ECG and their ECG returned a negative STEMI. Waiting on a followup on this pt.
81M - Advanced Parkinsons suffered a fall without injury. A bit close to the mark this one because he reminded me so much of my Pop.
28M - At a Music Festival thought dancing on a chair seemed like a good idea. Dislocated shoulder with a # humerus proved otherwise.
1M - Febrile convulsion transfer from small inner city hospital to Kids hospital.
79M - From dialysis centre to nursing home.
Cardiac Arrest - First crew called it before we arrived.
16F - with abdo pain and 25 weeks gestation.
23M - Drug effected.
25F - No official diagnosis but sounds like the way she has felt over the last six months it will be depression.

And that will be me for the week.
Another short one as I'm taking the last night off so I can participate in a charity ride for one of my own Ambo Brothers.


Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

 Taz

The sex was more even today.

Yes I am a big child at times and I do laugh at fart jokes etc.
The title should of course read the sexes were more even today but what the heck..

30M - Sad really, I talked quite a bit to his parents, currently suffering a severe paranoid delusion for the first time and from unknown causes. Hx of depression and they are seeking treatment privately and so are unknown to the local mental health system. Today he has kicked out the first floor wind jumped out, got caught by the roof gutter on the rib section similar to where a chest tube would be inserted but looking like it was done with a chainsaw. Come off the gutter landed on a fence and then slid of landing on the ground before running into the neighbours place. To the best of our knowledge no major damage other than the chest and that didn't penetrate but was a massive wound.
33M - Work incident, slipped and drove the whole weight of his body down on one knee that caught the edge of a piece of metal plate on the medial aspect of the joint. Large three sided penetrating wound but he could bear weight and move it some what.
64M - Sweating like a leaking tap, pale, nausea and vomiting, witnessed syncope, inconclusive ECG but treated as cardiac of course.
56M - Chronic Hx of nausea
64F - A very nasty bed sore that is not responding to home care nursing visits.
3/12F - Opiate baby, foster Mum says that while she has been fully weaned off it she has apnea events and today she felt the need to provide rescue breaths and chest compress ions. One brave and emotionally strong lady that.
69F - With Catheter issues.
30M - Who chose a public park bench to sleep is off.
Really the Cops and I don't mind but Mr & Mrs Average walking past you will call us to come help you. Yes we know you don't want any help but they who pay our wages have this expectation that you do.
He decided to move to the grass next to the napping office worker.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!


 Taz

One Male Patient All Day!

81F - LMO had seen her a few days ago and written a letter to the A&E then for her admission then but they had not acted on it until her birthday had been celebrated, yesterday. A good family that don't want her assessed for assisted care placement but just to get better and then come home to them. Not that common in Australia.
74F - I can't begin to describe how cluttered this tiny backyard was other than to say we were in danger just trying to walk in to her. She's tripped (Dah!) and landed on some pot plants and can't get up. That was it in the end, she just couldn't get herself up so with a shovel and sweat I cleared a path and also around her (thought my landscaping days were behind me) and then helped to her feet. She still wanted to go to hospital so we took her.
48M - The bottle has it's hooks into him and he was doing well but had a moment and we're transporting him to a detox from a clinic.
37F - with Law enforcement to whom she stated that it was difficult to breath. It is also 30hr + post her last heroin hit and really she is doing the withdrawal well so far. There's nothing I can do and they have an RN at remand who can give Valium so that was my recommendation.
68F - prolonged near syncope episode for like 20 minutes, BP remained very low (never better than 95 sys) denies pain of any kind and the ECG is very good unless you looked at it tilted slightly and maybe , just maybe there could have been a small square of ST elevation. Asymptomatic when we arrived and while with us. Troponin levels indicated otherwise and she went straight to the Cath Lab.
96F - Doesn't fall but has three times in the last 24hrs. No injury but to have this sudden drop of independence it needs to be followed up in a safe environment with 24hr care.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

 Taz

Only one night shift this week.

Got some personal stuff to attend to.
Ambowife and I are taking a train trip with our bikes to the country to attend a double christening of a pair of  8 mth old boys. Close friends from the first year I was here from interstate and important people to us, so a shift swap was done leaving just this for the one shift.

38M - Yep you have been punched in the face and I guess there is a bloody good chance that orbit (eye socket) is fractured, better come with us for an x-ray.
42M/F - Drunk, wounded by a similar, no idea about 'indoor voice' or stop flapping your lips will I'm trying to look at the size of the wound. It needed stitches anyway.
34F - Fainted twice. Everything came back fine so we discussed it an agreed that it must have been the alignment of the stars that caused it and she went home.
41M - Cyclist without a helmet (yes he did cop a serve from me) who face planted over the handle bars. Concussion, transported for observation.
26M - Sick, like really sick. Febrile, nausea and vomiting, been going on for more than four days, weight loss because of the nausea and decreased appetite. Not a well lad at all.
39F - who claimed to have been randomly drugged and released.
86F - Regular dialysis pt.  

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

 Taz

One patient only not born in December.

Funny how those things stand out or like the pt's birthday is the same as yours!

44M - Friends were jumping straight to a stroke for a very localised paralysis but I'm going a very bad nerve pinch.
86F - Sounds like she had doubled up on her anti-hypertensives and with the expected reaction, fainted. Poor outcome as it was in the bathroom and apart from the significant hole in her scalp there was later found the occcipital # and a subarachnoid and subdural bleeding.
77M - Only one lung after CA saw it removed 11yrs ago and looks like a mild chest infection but for him that's worse.
84M - Possible bowel obstruction.
3F - Head butt with a set of open draws drew a little blood but enough to have Mummy calling us. All good smiley faces draw on her hands and left in Mums care.
93M - Wife says he's drowsy and wants him seen, never looked it all the time with us or when we say them several hrs later.
88F - Knee injury post mechanical fall and high care dementia pt who has reverted to her native tongue but no obvious injury transported for imaging.
40F With a rare angio-oedema condition not associated with anaphylaxis.
56F - MS sufferer who says in full and complete sentences that she has shortness of breath. Fully bed ridden, bariatric pt nearly by her girth, it's right on shift change and we're two sectors away from home and the local crew just got stood down after sign-on but when asked they are needed for cover as the sector is short staffed. We got the job done, it strained our bodies and minds and we knocked off three hours late.

That's the way of things some days.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

 Taz

So many jobs and we missed the Big One.

Well the big one for this week anyway.
A construction site had an incident and we were about a km away and got diverted onto something lame.
What we did get during the shift was;

37M - Post Ictal, recovered well not needing hospital.
28M - IVDU with an infected injection site on his hand that has got infected and is one of the nastiest looking cellulitic limbs I've seen in a long time. Transfer to the hand hospital for specialist treatment and he left shortly there after to find a hit.
Construction site fire&*^%$%*&^%$$$$
46F - Abdo pain but there are a host of mental health issues happening as well.
32M - Came home pissed and their relationship is rocky and he shot his mouth off (remembering what they think are throw away remarks are phrases that we use to transport for Mental Health assessment), anywho after a nice chat I was happy not to transport him and damn sure he'll think before shooting his trap off next time.
45M - Dislocated shoulder, called off that for,
93F - Who was tired, the husband has been ill for several days and she has been having little sleep, he's gone to hospital this morning and her careers wanted some one to confirm that she was just tired. Who hires these people?
90F - Dementia sufferer who had said she was unwell to her son but denied it to me. All other obs were really good so between us we decided to leave her at home.
47M - Transfer from a small hospital (more like a clinic really) to a large hospital with a presentation of chest pain now resolved post nitrates etc.
61M - Keeps taking his BP every 5 min and it's getting higher. Never did get an answer as to why he was taking it, denied any symptoms appears to have a morbid fixation about it. Of course it wasn't high when I took it after talking calmly for 15 minutes but there was no talking him out of transport.
45M - Transfer to a Detox facility.
Paediatric transfer, diverted.
Unknown problem, diverted.
20F - abdo pain and spontaneous bleeding 3/52 post a planned termination.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

 Taz

Keeping the future safe.

So those that visit regularly know that I bleat on about a couple of driver re-education courses that I participate in. Well one is for adults who have done wrong and been caught while the other is run by Rotary and is directed at High School students in the year that they are going to either get their learners or provisional licenses.

An interesting aside to this was, several month ago at a rural township where I was presenting the adult session one of the participants asked a few extra questions about the course and any version suitable for schools. I told him what I knew and directed him to Rotary and our Media Dept.

This kind of community education isn't core business and is not well supported by the Service. It's not discouraged either and the value to community is acknowledged but not much. If you want to do it, do it on your own time and I do.

Anywho this gent is directed back to me asking if I'll consider coming back to the town (5hr drive inland) and present to the year 10 and 11 students at the local High School and while he doesn't have any school aged children his business will cover my expenses!

Ambowife and I went there a week or so ago now.
Three lessons per day approx 180 young adults in total.
Impromptu lessons with the Teachers in the staff room at breaks about drugs, alcohol, driving & behaviour.
A counselling session with three young ladies who had known someone in a recent fatal car crash and with whom I had touched a very raw nerve but they sort me out to sit down and discuss it and when we all left that room the boxes of tissues stayed behind and they seemed to walk a little straighter and smiled more.

I couldn't tell you if he has paid me, I haven't looked and don't care.
I've been paid in full by the way we and our message were received.

We hoping to go back next year.  


Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

 Taz

Don't have a niffy title for this post.

77F - One of the nastiest skin tears I have ever seen the whole elbow basically.
62M - Yes he has a cardiac Hx but he is also a pest caller who has just returned to the area, Chest pain for the fourth transport in 24hrs.
??F - Seen by good Samaritan drunk in company of drunk males and holding her leg. Yes she was and they were also but her leg was not sore. We left them, all adults to party.
72M - Requesting Detox.
26M - British backpacker in Australia day one and already being carted to hospital pissed and making a public nuisance of himself.
50F - Heroin OD but not down enough to Narcan and to late to hope she'll walk it off so we had to Tx.
24M - Irish backpacker pissed, left by his mates and a tad angry about it. Tripped and scuffed his head.
88M - Increasing generalised mobility issues that he should of had resolved before discharging himself from hospital and then we wouldn't be carrying him out and back to hospital.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

 Taz

A mixed lot

20M - Gastro like symptoms, a third party called and after some advice he opted to self manage at home.
45F - Sleeping in her BMW in between vomiting, I mean she was that pissed when we did get her to hospital she was incompetent to blow a reading on the breathalyser!
77M - Shoulder pain for thelast three days is keeping him awake.
24M - Febrile, he does have a significant Hx and has been trying to reduce the fever with medication administered correctly, but I can't explain why he or one of the three flatmates didn't drive to the hospital themselves in their flash cars.
22F - Crying, abnormal behaviour, really pissed and very annoying. 
80F - inside the Pub at 5AM preaching to the sinners at the bar, we convinced her to stop bothering the patrons and God together with a lift home.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

Taz

NOFing to write about.

It'll become clearer as you read.
86F - Fell at home, has missed a few days of her Parkinsons meds and a little unsteady. Left at home, uninjured and family told to ensure the meds are taken.
57F - Anxiety attack. Everything checked out fine and is so often the case just by our very presence she felt well enough to stay at work.
91F - Mechanical fall on a carpeted floor with instant pain, shortening and external rotation. We know what that means! Confirmed NOF later that shift.
33M - Dislocated shoulder.
75M - CVA with near total left paralysis attempting to shift from chair to bed unaided landed on hip and complained of pain. Because of the paralysis the staff wanted him x-rayed as he was not able to move anyway and had altered sensory response from that leg. It wasn't.
69F - To palliative care.
56F - Well known Pt for whom I have a soft spot (we have the same birthday [month and day]) increasing psych problems because of necessary prescribed drugs.
36F - Cyclist who saw the car door open and stacked it by herself without hitting the car.
25M - Told us to FUCK OFF. Drowsy post heroin but obviously not that drowsy.
??M - Seen sleeping on the ground by a passer-by who thought they might be dead and called us rather than talk to them. We were told to fuck off again.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

Taz 

Two Police Jobs in the first hour,

That had us worried but the rest of the day proved satisfying.

??M x 3 for Decontamination post pepper spray, all refused.
23M - Severe anxiety that builds to a rage, came to have a talk to the Psych Team.
38F - Carers requesting an assessment of this chronic alcoholic but she doesn't want a bar (pardon the pun) of us.
48M - Abdo hernia complications.
8M - Collies #
51M - Fall from above 3m, major trauma criteria.
47M - Non traumatic back pain.
7M - stabbed himself, accidentally in the leg, it's going to need stitches too.

Gave back pain the full vial of Fentanyl 600mcg by IN.
# arm took some of the second vial I carry.
Hernia and Trauma fall took three vials of Morphine leaving me only two that I didn't need for the balance of the shift.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

 Taz

Nothing special really

78M - Chest pain, his angina playing up.
95M - Discharged to N/h.
40F - Well know to all tried to cut her throat but it's not suicide rather self harm, she never cuts deep unless its accidental or she slipped.
34M - OD, heroin, Narc'd him. First day out after 4mths Rehab!!
72M - N/h thinks he has a #Hip. I doubt it, more likely a sore one from the fall but he has full motion but they want it x-rayed now at 3AM.
34M - Tourist with Gastro, has already been in our hospital and discharged two days ago but it's returned with a vengeance.
78M - Dialysis regular.

Look at that, started and finished with the same aged patient!

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

 Taz

The Police took care of most of them!

Well most of the calls came from them anyway.

40F - Anxious post smoking Weed, Da! She was slowing down anyway by the time we arrived, no need for a hospital you can stay with them.
37M - IP who was refusing to give details, you don't need a hospital either, a nice cell will bring those details out and this end this silly game.
70M - Yep we'll take him Officer, an IP I don't recognise.
71M - Chest pain, got enough Hx but I am leaning towards GORD that he also has a Hx of.
30M - Skyped a friend overseas and complained about how he felt and they rang our emergency number from off-shore!!!!!! I got dispatched anyway and god love my dispatcher they called the 'alleged' patient who didn't know we had been called and he got better real quick and cancelled us.
47F - Fell off some killer heels 6hrs earlier plastered and is now sobering up. Has walked on it, I can't see much swelling, there was good ROM, but her tiara is crooked but she wanted to go to hospital.
39F - Alleged assault with fist to her face, not a fricking mark, you can stay her with them and complete your statement.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

 Taz

It's not always better to be older,

We dream of it when we're young but getting just old is a drag to most.

67M - Regular dialysis.
38F - With a non traumatic back pain, we got called off for,
96F - With everything failing and hurting.
28M - Alcohol seizures.
92F - May of had a faint in the dining room chair at the home but otherwise well and fit when we examined, so she didn't want to go to hospital and we didn't want to take her so she stayed.
87F - Dementia pt who wanders and had a fall and suffered and small lac to her head and family wanted her seen.
81F - Lung disease with exacerbation of SOB.

And that was all we did for the day.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

 Taz

Had to get one Psych job in.

But it took us until the last job of the day,

78M - Dialysis.
48F - Haematuria, called off for,
??M - Intoxicated and just lying on the footpath, got called off for,
52F - Airline staff member with some minor respiratory irritation.
71F - Peripheral Vascular Disease Hx and there is no blood in one of those feet when we arrived but en route we discovered that the occlusion was not total and with certain posture of the limb circulation would return.
60F - Minor posterior neck lacerations from a glass door shattering, very lucky lady. Nothing really that an A&E would do and she was totally capable of self management of the wounds.
49F - MS who just needed a hand.
??M - At a medical centre with what sounds like an inner ear complaint, we got called off for,
46F - C/o sciatic pain but also presenting as a septic pt.
47M - Wants to kill himself and lunges for a Police Officers weapon, twice. He is boozed up but there is more than the drink talking.


Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

 Taz

More testing out the new bike.

From a ride with the Trouble and Strife.

Not too close, your not supposed to recognise me.

This site was used to junk old ships.

Her bike.

And mine.

That's her.

Look I think we found the African Queen, but where's Bogie?

Ah, my Queen photographing the African Queen.

Look at the sunshine, it got to 30C and we clocked up 65km in just under 4 hours.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

 Taz

One year ago,

Ambowife and I had our last cigarette.
Never been tempted.
Never back slid.
Never faulted.

But not easy.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

 Taz

And in complete contrast,

The next night was quiet and had seemed to have done to the dogs!

Another of those 'I think they're unconscious but I'm not going to stay with them' calls and once again the unconscious have risen and departed,,,, like are no longer with us,,,, you know BUGGERED OFF!
68F - Who it seems knows that loud noise and crowds seem to make her nauseous/vomit and faint (you jump straight to inner ear don't you) so WTF is she doing out on a harbour cruise at night with lots of drunk party goers??? The Capt had to make an emergency docking and off load her after which she got better.
37M - Dog attack, yep it was too. wounds to upper arm, abdo and both legs. A second victim that we didn't transport had a small chunk out of her lower leg. After spending time with the owner who was the alleged victim the dog should have its stomach pumped and be given an award, some people should not breed, be in relationships with normal people or own pets.
71M - Depressed, it's sad really, he has an acquired brain injury, (>50yrs) and every day is harder and more lonely than the last and he has lost direction. Not something we can help at 2 AM on a weekend. He wanted help and all we could do was complete a job sheet and leave a note for his carer's to make a Dr's appointment and try and get him out some more.
27M - Behavioural and drug effected.
24F - Would make Mummy and Daddy proud, got drunk and vomited, can walk and did up two flights of stairs and does a very graceful impersonation of a dying swan and needs to go to hospital and couldn't be told reason.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

 Taz

Only two needed and deserved transport.

The others?

54F - Chronic alcoholic, currently intoxicated makes a comment about having a belly ache and a headache so then wants to go to hospital which as I have said before once they make that statement my hands are kind if tied. I give her some simple analgesia en route and she walks out of the waiting room. Why bother?
54F - Intoxicated in her motel room, this is what I read in-between the lines of their story. Had a meal across the road at the pub, had a few drinks and came back to the room. She's doing a little dance for him before they retire to the bedroom and slips and bangs her head on the coffee table. All innocent and it's just a scalp lac that is more embarrassing than dangerous.
21M - Birthday Boy won't remember tonight but before his mates take him home the pub security called us to give him the once over? Yep his pissed and they say he's taken a pill, he's had a chuck (normal) and they appear straight (not drug effected) and are stepping up to the plate to look after him, bloody good mates.
Your right boys take him away.
30M - Has taken usual meds that have an occasional side effect of a mild dystonic reaction of his eyes rolling up. Tonight it's lasting longer than before and becoming a little painful so he called us. I've got nothing so we transport. Having just left he rings his Mummy and she says come to my place because all they apparently do at hospital is give him some Valium and it stops. She lives in the next street, we drop him off because frankly he needs his Mummy more than us.
25M - Who security at the Pub where he was drinking, said was drunk (dah!) didn't want to wait so left. UTL
31F - If the equipment isn't yours DON'T TOUCH!

This image from the web is similar to her finger that got sliced by an oscillating fan she tried to move at a bar. It was a clean cut that took some of the bone too and was hanging on by just a strip on flesh.

25M - A multi-victim brawl on the street left this one with a # wrist, everyone else were just scraps and bruises

30M - Found in a back alley in the red light area refusing to give Police details of what happened. Again this is my take between the lines. Rather than pay for a short stay motel room (by the half hour) he wanders into the alley for a quick game of hide the sausage and gets robbed possibly by the prostitute judging by the relative minor nature of his injuries. He's fine just wants to get the hell out of here and forget the whole thing and make sure his girlfriend doesn't find out.

25M - Attention seeking self harmer who's playing games with the Cops and us, UTL.

45M - No officer he's not mental he's just pissed and angry and if he wants to sit but naked on the tiled bathroom floor of his hobo dive hotel and rant, I'm happy to leave him. In fact after I had shut the door and we were making our way door stairs I think I heard him go back to his room. See the audience had left.

25M - Yep officer this one is a Mental Health pt. Jayz (sorry if I got that wrong) the rapper leaves white minivans on the street with evil messages on them so the pt has to smash them up but Barack has told him that it's ok and he just wishes that Taylor Swift would understand that their relationship is over and they can only ever be friends and unless you get him onto these topics he is an intelligent high functioning individual. Scary how normal they can be. He was a violent threat to white minivans and possibly anyone he saw in them and I saw the destruction he had caused to the one up the road, that's why the cops were there in the first place.        

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

 Taz

Search your patients!

39F - Headache, tourist just in yesterday, not responsive to simple analgesia, transported to a little hospital close to the tour groups hotel. Transferred later to a big hospital for management for the aneurysm that had ruptured possibly due to the long haul flight.
93M - Fell while making his porridge. Didn't hurt himself and wanted a chat but we left him at home with the wife.
53F - Abdo pain.
57F - Fell down the front of a ladder giving herself a nasty lac anterior proximal tibia, fleshy spot on the top of the shin.
54F - Homicidal, yep that's not a typo!

From a GPs rooms after she became concerned by the pts conversation and had phoned the pts psychiatrist who agreed she should be scheduled and transported to hospital, she also informed the GP of the pts Hx of carrying knives. Pt told her she didn't have any on her,,, PATIENTS LIE! 1st rule of House.

When I asked her why she had it, quite calmly she told me to kill people, most likely former work mates, she was planning to go US Postal! Take care out there it can be very dangerous from the most unlikely places.

64F - Transfer hospital to hospital.

90M - Respiratory distress, his lungs are shot what more can I say, it's just a matter of time.

50M - Who stupidly took drugs and drove. The collision brought him to the attention of the Police and his decreased GCS got him tasked to us. While I can usually pick what they've taken I'm going to follow this one up because his cocktail wasn't clear. 

One last word on the safety issue people,

We are hyer-vigilant on the clear threats but the little 19F who had snorted half a pill and her friends couldn't handle so they called us and then she attacked and scratched my partners face wasn't seen as a threat to person. 

The seemingly normal 45F who has a long mental health Hx usually of self harm, who came to the Red Light area in which I do a lot of work armed with a 12" fillet knife hoping that someone dangerous here would kill her with it, looked and spoke like a suburban house wife.

Do you get my drift?

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

 Taz

Rode the new bike to work.

For the first time, I mean that's what it's for, riding to work.
39M - Chest pain he says, a night on the booze and smoking he says, plus all the stuff I know he's not telling me. He decided to go home and sleep it off.
25M - Found sleeeping in the gutter. Woke up well and I told him to go home and he did.
30M - Agitated person, call from Police to assess. Yep he's agitated, that's what doing drugs (Crystal Meth) does to you. It a permanent condition that's part of his normal day. He just wanted to be left alone to rant at the world.
45M - Back pain.
90M - Abdo pain.
35F - Syncope.
40M - Another request from Cops to assess. He's fine too.
98M - Large skin tear on arm.
76F - Hospital to Hospital transfer.

And then I rode it home.


Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

Taz

I have a new ride.

So the work ride broke up and with the age and current cost to repair and the desire to have a new one I do!

Another Trek, a 7.5FX.
Better running gear, lighter, lets see how many km this one does.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

 Taz

Another fun ride!

And I do mean fun.
Unlike the alleged fun runs where I've never seen anyone smile, cycling is fun and a lot of conversation and joking goes on.

This time it was in Sydney for the Spring Cycle Classic 50km.
We opted for the intermediate start at 0700 meaning we were on the road at 0600 to get there well before that.

We mill around and chat to those we know or make new friends.
We ready ourselves with sunscreen and adjust the lycra.

And some of us reflect on what the hell we're doing here because 'I'm not a morning person!'

And then we're off!

Sydney's Iconic Harbour Bridge was partially closed. 

Other major roads too!

The halfway point

The line for water and the toilets

 The finish

 A chance to sit on something wider than a saddle!

 Look how many.

Pull back some more!

Over 9000 cyclist!

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!


 Taz

'He's never been sick!'

Since I've been back at work from holiday I have,
Completed 13 twelve hour shifts during which we saw,
93 possible incidents, this averages to 7.1 per shift.
Of these 93 incidents most of them did in fact have a patient or someone there.
Plus their families or workmates, friends, associates, other agencies, good samaritans, general busy bodies and rubber neckers. Some helping, most not, or making it worse.

Not all were transported!
One attacked my partner physically and while not causing any real harm the emotional distress was more damaging.
One gave me his 'stash' from down the front of his pants of synth cocaine, in between the severe dystonic spasms for which we had been called. I took it to the Cops later and handed it in as unknown from an unknown person for destruction.
One pushed a few of my buttons unknowingly about a past relationship with someone with mental health problems that weren't then diagnosed and I wasn't a Paramedic back then, I didn't know!

And then there was,
78M - Feeling a bit strange in the chest. After having played his first of two 18 hole rounds of golf for the week had returned home and taken a late afternoon stroll with the wife as is normal for them. On arrival back at home he had complained (very unusual for him) of a tight funny feeling central chest, weakened, diaphoretic, pale and dizzy.
We arrived about 30 minutes after the initial onset of symptoms or 5 minutes after they called 000.
Supine on bed, pale, diaphoretic, bounding pulse, perfect BP and no major or insignificant medical history to report even turned up to work when he had a broken arm, never took a 'sickie'.
The 12 lead ECG clearly indicated an Anterior Infarct even without the machine diagnostic prediction, shit a blind man without his white cane could have seen it. I transmit to the hospital and the Dr calls back while we prep him with aspirin, nitrates and 02 to confirm and get the patient details and we're off.

Now we see it all the time, the patient's handling the news and associated fuss very well and is calm but the family (wife) is starting to fray around the edges. We just told her that her Rock is having a heart attack right now in front of her, in some part of her mind is the memory of people die from heart attacks and this adds to the turmoil of her emotions. We need to manage her needs and treat her anxiety to maintain the patients well being.

It's never just the patient, there are always other players on the stage of each and every job we attend and we must always look after them as well because,

We Are The Paramedics.   



Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

Taz

Not a good way to start the week.

I'm a MAMIL.

Middle
Aged
Man
In
Licra

I'm a cyclist, it's the first option I think of for transportation as well as for recreation.
I cycle to work on my nearly 10 year old Trek that has more than 10,000km travelled and this week there was this strange pulse when I was braking approaching the station at the begining of my rostered shifts and when I pulled up to open the door my rear wheel ruptured and burst.

 I don't abuse vehicles or equipment and treat them as my own so this must have just been wear and tear.

So do I repair/replace the wheel or do I consider buying a new bike?

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

Taz

So where have I been?

Well the answer is nowhere really.

I have been back at work for three weeks and really there started off as nothing to tell you about and remains pretty much that.

Sorry.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

Taz

First stack on the Madone!

The Madone is my full carbon fibre bike from TREK a Madone 4.5. Purchased as my reward for giving up the smokes last year.
I picked it up on the 19th of January and have ridden about 2400km or 1500m since. My older Trek 7100 hybrid has well over 10,000km or 6200m and today saw the first time the lazy motorist not looking before and during them opening their door get me.
A bit of bark off the knee, swollen finger, sore hand and a 5cm lac on the forearm.
I had only just pushed off so didn't have any speed up yet.
The driver was nice and concerned and accepted blame which I wasn't proportioning out, the bike looked ok and I rode it home but I'll keep and eye on it and so after 400km (250m) ridden while on holidays on the last day and within 3km of home I had my first stack.

Hold off on the get well cards I'll be fine and while the holidays are officially over rostering doesn't have me returning to duty until Wednesday, sweet.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

Taz

Ride 4 Epilepsy

At the end of my 1st week of holidays I had three things to do.
Complete and submit two assignments to Uni and to ride with the wife in a 6hr charity event.

The venue was Calder Park Raceway with a combination of the disused AUSCAR (NASCAR) track and the classic race circuit to give a total lap of 4.21km (2.62m) for the Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria.
Why?
Because I don't know if I can!

Look at the banked track behind me (3hr in to the race)

So with 112 other competitors we set off at 0800hrs to complete as many laps as we could in 6 hours. There were also 100k, 40k and 20k rides to compete in and 153 riders did.
From the very serious adult rider to children, roadies to BMX and mums on their mountain bike to families with child seats on the back.

Ambowife flying down the start/finish straight.

Results
Me, 38th overall, 31st male, 6th in my age group with 108.34km
Ambowife, 51st, 11th female, 3rd in her age group with 95.84km

We finished and could still smile and walk.

If rostering allows I'll do it again next year and try to get other ambo's to come along and do something different, uncomfortable and community minded.
They'll be richer for the experience.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

 Taz

OMG!

It's been nearly two weeks since I last posted!

We do see some really F%#ked up stuff and watching on TV ain't nothing like being in there amongst it!
We get told the most sick and deviant lies that are very obvious to us.
We are verbally and sometimes physically assaulted by even those we are there to help and save.
Sometimes there is no understanding of management and their workings.
The pay could be better, maybe a City Penalty Rate, it costs more to live here and we do more jobs?
But we love the job even with these and many other drawbacks.
We love it with a passion from the bottom of our soul.
And the odd hours we work are part of our love
Cause we get 2 x 3 weeks holidays AND I"M ON SOME!

Sorry for shouting



Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

Taz

See tonight's busier.

48M - Alleged assault.
Unconscious male, sitting upright in the middle of some steps when we arrived. Tired and resting.
58M - IP, depressed who has a Hx of sporting large knives on his person. None tonight thankfully,
52F - Feeling nauseous.
46F - Feeling anxious.
22F - Who wouldn't believe me that you're supposed to feel funny after smokin' weed and she wanted to go to the hospital to continue feeling funny!
34M - Who called us because someone slapped him in the face, we double checked yes slapped him.
65M - Discharge post CABg.

There was more work but that's all.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

Taz

I thought it was quiet!

MVC - Without any patients.
Choking - But they then managed to swallow and cancelled us.
28M - Homeless and there is no hostel beds in the city so he just caught a train up the coast.
58F - Asthmatic who's anxious and SOB, I calmed her down and her breathing got better.
26F - Emotional and just having a good ol' fashion cry, nothing more serious than that but her sister overseas thought there was.
68M - Awoken from sleep with what he thought correctly was AF. He has had an episode about 20yrs ago but this one is not resolving and indeed it was still running around 140bpm hours later.
68F - Laryngeal spasm, she has a Hx for the same but this episode lasted longer and panicked her.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

Taz

We are the Mental Health Bus!

63F - Lives in a hostel and was in a local facility for a few weeks suffering manic episodes and they've hit again. She claims to be taking her meds??
53M - Absconded yesterday from a facility and found by Police today for us to return.
68F - Found by Police living at the bottom of someones backyard? sounds like a fairytale but it isn't! Poor love she's homeless and suffers dementia, there are several journals with repetitive writings and drawings I don't know how long she has slipped through the cracks but hopefully we have caught her now.
26F - Known epileptic but an unwitnessed seizure in the bathroom and falling in the tub resulting in two facial injuries meant that I did push the point of transport before her GCS really improved too much.
18mthM - Croup, very good, thinking, common sense parents. We don't see enough of it.
81F - Gastro and as the carer for her husband needed the care of a hospital while a family member tried to cope with him. Pardon the pun but a shit awful way to spent your 81st birthday!
68F - Flu, fever, fainted this panicked the husband but with advice she stayed at home.
61F - Mechanical fall with a resulting swollen lip but she is on aspirin.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

Taz

No time to rest at work.

20M - Concern for welfare after a long night drinking. 'Yes it will get better trust me!' And they think they're so tough and worldly.
72M - With increasing mobility issue and today the Misses can't get him out of bed. We talk about long term treatment options and home services and leave them to it as neither wish to come to hospital for this chronic problem.
73F - Social issues that don't require an ambulance.
Unknown - the address is a phone box, there's no-one there so call it UTL.
55M - Well known IP and threatening self harm as he does when he is!
Backup at the Casino for someone fallen down the escalator, cancelled.
Cardiac Arrest that turned out to be a mistaken call and not a medical incident at all.
45M - Spinning a very long and convoluted story that came to the same spot 'I need pain relief' We took him to the hospital and let them give him the bad news. You don't need any.
66M - Septic is a good bet.
89M - End stage CA and becoming acopic at home.


Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

Taz

Did I say I had some down time?

I get the first day to sleep, then I have five hours to perform in a scenario for a Youth Road Trauma Expo before driving 2 hrs to give my Adult Traffic Offenders Intervention Program presentation and then drive home and sleep another day before driving 5 hrs to stay overnight before doing another presentation before driving back and then going to work the next day!

Yep I'll be well and rested.
And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

Taz

Last shift for this block.

And I don't mind telling you I'm a little stuffed.
It takes a lot of energy to be bouncy and upbeat all the time, but I've done it and can now have a few day rest.
29M - Inter hospital transfer, one of three we'll do tonight.
31M - Abdo pain and again like last night I believe this guy, my guess, because we didn't go back to that hospital that night was a stomach ulcer.
41F - Claiming back pain. I've not seen her before but knew the story at a glance. A person who lives in a group home but with minimal supervision and is allowed to come and go as she wishes. She rides on trains to other cities and then claims some illness to get a bed for the night in hospital before returning home the next day. All this was confirmed by the after hours contact number she supplied. We directed her to catch the next train before we gave her to the Police for being a Public Nuisance (as directed by the carer's).
81F & 86F in a two for one hospital transfer.
48M - Homeless Man who looked crook.
2F - Has a fever (known to have had contact with other children who are sick) and had a little vomit. Advice given to Mum of caring for her at home and to ring back if anything changes.
37F - Admits to excessive drug use in the last 24 hours but thinks someone has spiked her with more.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

Taz

I don't have a protocol for this.

The bane of all of us I suspect, the hang up job.
For the non ambo's, a call is made to the emergency number and maybe a few words are said or not and then it is hung up. We get sent to see if we are needed. the address details are only those of the phone as it is mostly a payphone (if a mobile the address of the owner is the best you get) and you arrive to search for a 'possible' patient.
O/a we are directed by some youths whom we asked if they had seem anyone behaving abnormal to a location around the corner and are confronted by several persons enjoying the contents of a brown paper bag and singing really really badly. Yep that's them, someone rang to complain about their singing!
We I don't have anything in by bag for that and so we left them to it.
5M - Has a toothache and a little vomit. We assessed and talked it over with Mum and they stayed behind.
57F - Laryngitis, self care at home.
43M - Anxiety.
48M - Abdo pain and very severe, one of those few that the experienced clinician recognises as a genuine case. Rigid with some deformity to his umbilical turned out to have been a strangulated hernia.
49M - Long fall unwitnessed with a closed head injury.
42M - Witnessed to collapse in a dance club and denied any drug use, yeah right. Fessed up later that there was Ketamine and pills on board. 

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

Taz

Third day shift.

And the work keep coming.

Start the day off with one of our Dialysis patients.
71F - Negative Ottawa exam but she would like an x-ray of her ankle.
30M - With a Hx of migraines panicking about a headache, it wasn't a sub-arachnoid bleed after all. 
56F - Nausea and diarrhoea, just wanted the symptoms gone and to stay at home. I gave her some anti emetics and advice but she called back six hours later.
Then we had to go back to collect my stethoscope from this job.
Attend a MVC that had no patients.
Take a 67F from the GP to a hospital for cellulitis in the arm because you get seen quicker by ambulance! That's what the GP told her.
Our local Cop Shop had someone who was in custody who wanted the methadone dose he had missed by being in custody. We got diverted to,
79F - Confused, lost in fact. With no obvious ID and not an English speaker we did some detective work and took a few leaps of faith and found she had been missing for 10hrs from her nursing home and was an Alzheimer pt, we returned her home.
43M - With ascites.
40M - Wanting some panadol.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

Taz

Working five shifts this block.

Due to the roster that allowed me to travel home I have three day shifts and two nights.
That'll be interesting, keeping the energy high for five shifts.

20F - 18/40 gestation with severe pelvic pain.
63M - Assaulted, very minor facial abrasion.
Go to back up one of our motorcycle Paramedics but got diverted to,
86F - Unsteady and confused, LMO is thinking a UTI.
Run across the park at the back of that hospital to confirm a person dead for the Police.
4F - Febrile convulsion, Mum just wanted us to check her out and we left her in Mum's capable hands for some TLC.
Went to collect 2 from the same Men's Hostel and got diverted to,
51M - Who had fallen backwards and put a lacon his occipital region but more worryingly he had C5/6 disks removed last year and still has decreased mobility from that cord damage already.
Attended a local CopShop for someone who had taken only 4 Xanax but they cancelled us as we pulled up out the front so we went to,
50F - Painful feet.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

Taz

Thank you.

For all the birthday wishes,
The extended break was fun and the home visit special.
But back to the real world now.

32F - Full blown and ready to pop her baby but hung on until we were at the hospital.
60M - An alcoholic with failing health.
37M - Fell on wet stairs and hurt his elbow and lower back.
58F - Migraine.
28M - Cut on his scalp from an assault.
21F - Syncope episode following what appears to be a case of food poisoning.
49M - Mental Health issue.


Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

Taz

That's it for the block.

More polite drunks and a generally well behaved bunch of patients.

44M - IP at the train station with a split lip.
69M - Asthma and unresponsive to his owns meds.
22M - IP who has lost his mates, vomited up dinner and can't walk.
18F - IP, losther friends and vomited and has trouble walking.
22M - Emotional anxiety episode, calmed and left with friends.
22F - IP and in a toilet. B/f is with her and he can look after her.
22F - who had a G/f who spoke Tuff Love and told her to toughen up and go home with her rather than us.
23M - I can't read my note on him!
20F - IP and vomiting and her friends wouldn't care for her.

Well that's it I'm off to my home state to celebrate my birthday, until I'm back.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

Taz

First night of the Weekend double.

I find that I'm always a little curious when we are sent to a new address.
On many levels firstly the access.
Is it street level, is there a ramp or just stairs?
Is there a lift or just many flights of stairs?
Can we get the stretcher in?
And so it was for the first job of the night.

78M - C/o SOB and so he was but then there was the ECG abnormalities was that the cause or COPD and his GSC was 15 but he couldn't keep eye contact or even seem to stay awake and his colour was off not appearing cyanosed but jaundice. We were  very close to the hospital and he needed them so we didn't do much on scene and unloaded him straight into a Resus Bay.
His Troponin levels were off the charts.
Liver function nearly nil, renal function failing (that explains some of the troponin levels), possible NSTEMI and COPD and hasn't seen a DR for the last 10 yrs but it all came to a head tonight.
62M - With Huntington's Disease found by the Police intoxicated in the CBD. We were able to safely take him home as his dystonia was normal really.
22F - Sprained ankle, explained the injury and management but she still thought hospital was a better option.
56M - A crew had already been to this pt and put a bandaid on the injury (over treatment I think) and he called back to ask about possible infection issues with our call taker who couldn't understand him so sent us there. He stayed at home we discussed issues with him and left it at that.
18M - Illicit Drug Stuffed, transported for his safety and a family member picked him up from hospital.
76M - Chest pain.
19M - Minor facial injury after an alleged assault.
22M - Minor facial injury after a different alleged assault.
40M - Poly Pharmacy OD, fluctuating GCS, aggressive verbally but no coordination to be a physical threat.


Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

Taz

Day 2

Third last shift of the current roster for me and brisk, clear morning it is too!

42M - Fell from his horse while going over a jump. The fall was broken but the metal stand holding up the rail and then he continued to the ground. Got himself up and walked from the equestrian arena and then lay down winded. His only complaint was chest wall trauma. Good analgesia and off for some x-rays (fractured 2 and bruised his liver kept in overnight for obs).
77F - Syncope episode that was resolved, a little too many clothes on.
63F - Sorry for self with a cold. Elected to stay at home.
91M - Rapid AF, only this morning his last episode was 20 yrs ago. A retired GP who didn't introduce himself a Dr and was a very nice pt.
79F - Transport to the hospice for respite and pain management.
45M - Palpitations, he has suffered these previously and had them investigated (idiopathic) but there was something else about this one that has concerned him. ECG looked good in sinus but even the way he described the renching of the heart left me happy to transport.
66M - With mental health issues.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

Taz

One more block before,

I slip away for a few extra days to celebrate my 50th, but until then I have madness and mayhem to get in amongst!

17F - Restrained front passenger and the seat belt did it's job and gave her a bruised sternum while saving her life. We were really just there to clear everyone involved.
22M - Found by some of our local plain clothes constabulary on their way for a early morning coffee sleeping on a ledge. I managed to wake him up an boy was he one drug fuc&ed up fella. He was still sleeping it off 10hrs later in hospital.
11M - Told Mum he had back pain, must be from the extra weight he puts on his fork cause he needs to loss some weight NOW! We had a chat to Mum and he went to school.
39F - Chest tightness with exercise SOB.
58M - Chest pain that was looking good for the cath lab but not good enough to go straight there with us.
44F - Feeling off but not having a seizure! Left her in the park in the sunshine.
99F - Sore leg and it was so we took her to hospital and loved every moment spent with her.
85M - Just about every artery around the heart is blocked. Do they graft or stent, sent her for more tests.
56M - Who wouldn't wake up and was only supposed to be pissed. He tolerated an oral airway and cannulation without a flinch so I gave him some naloxone and up he popped. He's blind which probably explains his lack of pupil constriction. Wouldn't cop to having taken gear!

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

Taz

Last night of the block.

And I'm feeling a little off my game.
I think one of the patients has passed on an infection.
My nose has a tingle and the throat is getting sore during the shift.

16F - Domestic argument that has seen her now make ill thought out comments about harming herself. I think she has made similar before as a paediatric but she's pregnant now and legally an adult, Social Service are also taking the child when it's born also.
83M - Unresolved epistaxis attended his local medical centre so we'll take him to bigger hospital.
20F - IP with a scalp lac.
24F - Anxiety chest pain.
29M - That everyone on scene thought was drunk but we analysed at hospital at only 0.035, but he was on a cruise boat? was he suffering from motion sickness?
40M - A winner this one. In the Police cells waiting for an appearance in front of the local magistrate later this morning. Starts off telling us about this chest infection he had three years ago and how it's come back tonight sitting in the cell and asked twice if he wanted to come to the hospital for a Dr to have a looked us square in the face and tells us all he wants is a certificate to give his lawyer to tell the Court that he shouldn't be locked up in a cell! Still waters don't run deep in that end of the gene pool!
89F - Took her own BP and got concerned as it kept going up each time she took it. Twenty minutes of sitting on her couch chatting about herself and family while holding her hand we fixed that.

Busy days off, I'm doing a shift swap for a workmate so she'll owe me a shift and presenting three traffic offenders courses. We will be going into town to a travel expo for Canada/US to get some info for our trip during my long service in 2014.


Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One! Taz

First night

65F - a quick inter hospital transfer.
22F - Fell yesterday and has found that 'weed' alone won't work for analgesia. I gave her some directions and left her some paracetamol after examination showed no skeletal injury.
??F - Running around in traffic Topless!, she'd gone by the time we arrived.
66M - Too many drinks with some mates and then a little uneven road and over he went, lucky he had such a large nose to break his fall.
20M - Seen by Police running along a rail bridge. They were wondering about his mental status. His mental status was PISSED and being a stupid boy. Left him in cuffs with them for his family to come and collect.
32M - Says he got puched in the face? Maybe it was a little swollen. Left him with Polie to make a statement.
69M - Complications with anti rejection drugs with a transplant pt. Hospital to hospital transfer.
23M - He's been standing on his feet all day at work and his back hurts. I stop myself here!
86F - Says she had a short episode of SOB


Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One! Taz

Second day

20F - Post ictal, left with family.
63F - One of the two drivers from a MVC, didn't want a bar of us.
20F - Who felt unwell while flying but better now on the ground.
10/12M - Floppy and with a yellow tinge, curious!
31M - Foot injury.
77F - SOB.
59M - Abnormal behaviour, high functioning businessman, required physical retraining to remove from the home and in the back of the vehicle. All obs were very normal apart from the behaviour and severe diaphoresis. As one of the Drs said a head full of aneurysms! His head was full of blood from the sub arachnoid haemorrhage.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One! Taz

First day.

36M - Mental health issues.
50F - Facial Injuries, minor post alleged assault.
75M - C/o an unspecified pain somewhere in his chest.
2M - Respiratory distress, was born at 29 weeks and winter months are always a problem for him.
87F - Oedema.
75M - Decreased alertness, ? CVA.

Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

Taz

What I did with my days off?

Travelled home and jumped into bed for about an three hours attempted sleep before climbing into the passenger seat of the wife's car as she drives us in midday traffic out of the city to a rural location three and a half hours (190km) away to deliver one of my Traffic Offender Presentations at 6PM.

Stay over for the night before driving home arriving a little after midday but have to leave in 2 hours to drive 120km south to another country town for their 1st session of the Offenders course. There were only three people attending but unfortunately we know that more will be caught by the Police and sent by either their legal counsel or the Courts to attend in the future.

We drive home because I hadn't thought to look at accommodation and it's cold as hell down there anyway.

Today I have paperwork to complete, writing up my next roster, I have to have it in my diary I'm amazed by people who can just figure out whether they're working that day or not. Tax records, a survey for Paramedics Australasia that I need to read some thing else before hand, emails that need answering, hanging up some washing for the wife, washing my car after I have a look at an electrical issue with the light bar I hang from the bikes when they are on the bike rake (my reverse light came on and stayed on) it turned out to be a lose wire, easy.
Complete blogging and then read some more Uni stuff before the Tour broadcast starts.

So I'm off!


Be Excellent to Each Other and See You at the Big One!

Taz