Search the Australian National Library with Pandora

Oh, there you are!

19 April 2012

That's nearly a week done on holiday.

Not as much done as I would of hoped for of the tasks I had set myself for the holiday.
I have been riding but no big rides yet, a combination of Uni study and the weather.
Ambowife and I have clocked up about 125km and the weather is set to improve soon.

My local Paramedic association (not a union) has now acquired a registered business address, an office, it is all part of growing and expanding to become industrially registered so the union that has failed us for years can be forgotten and Paramedics caring for Paramedics will be the way of the future.
The three largest states of Australia have this association and a fourth is poised to join, it's becoming national.

The new office needed some paint and the call was put out and I was one of several how went to lend a hand, the whole show is voluntary and I've been there in my old life being an Executive Officer of something that just burnt a hole in your pocket and life but you believe in it so it comsumes you.

So not as much sleep as I would have liked.
The study is really taking way too long but what can you do?
And I haven't been into work under any excuse yet!  

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

Taz

14 April 2012

One more shift.

Before HOLIDAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I do need a little break from work but I also need to;
Punch out some miles on the new bike,
Catch up on Uni reading,
Start on the next Uni assignments,
Work with Tracy on riding,
Sleep and Rest.

But before I do I have to do one more shift because that's how the roster crumbles, some officers were saying 'why didn't you have a sickie' and yes generally they were younger than me and from a different era or work ethic. Like all things you take the good with the back change what you can and accept what you can't! 

57F - Hypo, resolved with treatment on scene.
37M - Anxiety related SOB. It's all in his head, LMO knows it but doesn't tell him, we figure as much in the short time we have him and start to discuss there is is no actual physical disease and try to talk about breathing exercises and the we arrive.
37M - IP found by Police, wants to stop drinking but wont stay at the hospital to talk about it and leaves.
85F - Mechanical fall, minor lac to her lip. Happy for her to go home rather than a hospital.
55M - IP, also wants detox, did stay but I don't think he's real about it.
32F - Asian (it does have relevance), young, heavy pounding regular pulse, not really clammy but not dry skin either, SOB episodes on very small work effort. Now regular readers may be thinking FAS and true so did I for a few seconds but listening to the pts breathing and speech and observing her demeanour made me put the 12 lead on and while the was no real evidence of extended QT syndrome (higher instance in Asians) but inverted T waves RBBB, QRS that was even with the BBB wider than I expected. Not dying is the main thing but there is something going on. Buggered if I really know but I do think it was an aberrant cardiac output issue.
55M - Homeless, living out of his car, weakened state, people who live in the houses outside which his car is called.
75F - Recent onset of non traumatic knee pain and decreases mobility.
54F - IP, show off who threatened suicide, firstly at a local cliff top but that would have meant getting there so changed her story and move the location of her impending doom to the roof of her apartment building. We obliged to transport all persons who make self harm threats even if I don't think they would.  

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

Taz

10 April 2012

Third night straight.

And over a long weekend, Brilliant.
67M - Hospital to hospital transfer called off a kilometre out.
??? - Unknown problem, called off in the street before arriving at the address.
47F - Serial caller, take her pulse and BP, listen to what she says and if your sure there's nothing wrong send her back inside but always be prepared to find her ill because one day she will be and God help you if you don't pick it up just because it's her.
64F - Lethargic and very, very gassy. Belching like an Oktoberfest Drinking Team. All obs are good but I don't know the cause of symptoms so we transport.
23F - PV haemorrhage and there is good cause not the usual menses. Planned termination 10/7 ago with post op haemorrhage that ceased and has now returned over the last 2/7 to excessive. No other complications such as lifting or straining or intercourse so this something that could threaten the future fertility of this pt.
53F - Behavioural collapse. Remarkable recovery when it dawned on her that I was not impressed and not going to be the source of any comfort or succor. Lots of back-pedalling and leaving the scene.
23F - Binge drinker found by bystanders unresponsive cuddled around a tree. GCS didn't improve so antiemetics, fluids and transport.
36M - Rang stating he was hearing voices,,,, some thing's not quite right with this picture so I ask quietly where do you really want to go and get told a men's hostel a couple of clicks from the hospital he requested and me thinks that with the night the way it has been and not looking like it's going to get any better we take him there rather than the hospital. Not something I normally do, I'm not a bloody taxi but tonight it was a better use of resource.
2?F - IP, a friend with a car has been called and is on the way to collect. Her friends who let her get in this condition are waiting with her so she can stay with them.
25M - Aggressive, violent behaviour towards us and the Police from this IP but also just a drop kick of a bloke with a cut under his toe. There is no reason to force him to hospital as the law states you can be a pri*k in your own home. I got a 30 second window to whack a bandage on and wrap as much tape around it as possible to hopefully hold it on until he sobers up.
25F - Came down as a fitter at a night club, what it was it a female who has had too much to drink and now has behavioural problems amplified by the attention of her friends. Don't hold your eyes shut as I try to observe pupil size, don't stiffen up when I try to measure you muscle tone/response because I will get the helpful security guard to help me remove you from the loudness to tell you your wasting my time, your drunk and should now have your friends take you home. Oh that helpful security guard will tell you your shut off for the rest of the night and re-enforces what I said. Screaming at us doesn't change it. 
26M - Genuine suicide thoughts with Hx, relationship based trigger and one of those that touch you deep.
23M - Very minor lac on the outside of his lip from an altercation. cleaned it up and he buggered off.

All this within the normal shift time as we knocked off on time.
Go home and get some sleep because I haven't even started with a paper that is due in by the end of the week about ACPO treatment.
  

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

Taz

08 April 2012

Close the Pubs and they go home!

Tonight proved it again, close the Bars and the punters wander around for awhile and then go home now where near as pissed and destructive.

72M - Walked into plate glass, chipped a tooth and a small lac to the head, no transport because he needs to see a dental surgeon to have a cap made, not something the will happen even with an emergency after hours dentist.
52M - A regular emphysema pt who was tripod posture this time and I went and got the wheelchair because he needed transport.
70F - The family thought that she had overdosed on her Oxycontin and that was why she was acting strange but she had hid them due to her febrile confusion.
47F - Behavioural attention seeker who found that ambos don't just softly shake your shoulder and ask you to wake up. Told us to Fu*k off and found the ability to walk that she had lost with her friends.
68M - Hospital to hospital transfer CVA.
39M - Celiac sufferer with abdo pain, I know his family and the pain was significant and from a trusted source I was happy to give a big dose of analgesia to ease the pain.
30F - Was standing near a plate glass door that got smashed and copped a few minor abrasions from the glass. It's designed not to break in shards to reduce physical damage.
50F - Hospital to Hospital transfer uncontrolled abdo pain.

The 72M and the 30F were the only two who were out on the streets or at venues!
Just accidents or sick people no drunks, well for us anyway!  

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

Taz

07 April 2012

The prelude to a long Weekend.

20F - Trapped in a lift. On the bottom floor the door just wont open. Rescue have her out shortly and we're not needed.
29M - Turning into the street for this abdo pain we're called off for,
39M - ?Drug effected Police concerned. Sitting in his car that had just been sitting in a traffic lane not moving he's hammered. Nothing suspicious going on here Officer just someone about to lose their license.
51F - Asthma
24F - Suicide attempt talked back to the right side of a fence at the top of the cliff.
25F - a few abrasions from the car that didn't stop.
32M - one abrasion from the car that didn't stop.
62F - Abdo pain from urinary retention.
30M - Near amputated thumb transfer from one hospital to a speciality one.
20M - who had gotten a leg over the guard rail of a bridge but his mate had dragged him back.
Two of our regular dialysis patients to finish off the night. 

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

Taz

05 April 2012

Toto and Dorithy aren't in Kansas!

We did one job in our own turf and then changed over to the next one west.

75M - From hospital to the airport for a flight home post treatment.
90F - PR bleed.
74F - Slipped on the wet floor of the hospital hydro therapy pool (shits going to hit the fan on that). She was basically injured apart from a contusion on her parietal skull but their OH & S kicked in along with internal incident members and all types of not help full to my work people who I had to shoo out of the way.
90F - Vomiting which is normal with her inner ear diagnosis but it was an odd black colour which I managed to scoop some into a specimen jar  and take with us.
22F - First aid only on the pad of her finger that she sliced off at work. She was going to self present at her LMO for follow up and tetanus injections.
23F - Tachycardia and breathing problems which I was pretty happy were all or mostly behaviour related.
24M - A huge crash where he got hit by another car missing a stop sign. Damage to driver side front and back of the car, restrained and airbag deployed. Self extricated c/o only lumbar pain, lateral neck and thumb (airbag classic) full spinal precautions even though there appeared to be no other injuries because the potential was definitely there.
93M - Probable sepsis.
And that was our last, after knock off miles from home station and got a fill up on the way back cause there's only two bars left on the fuel gauge. No break, didn't stop for food ate what snacks we had in our bags a normal enough day for an Ambo.
  

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

Taz

03 April 2012

All over the city today.

Hospital's that hadn't seen me for a while were getting visited today as we mostly worked out of area.

39F - Tired, has been assaulted and just wants to go to bed, so why am I here? 'Oh just to check her over'. Some simple pain killers for the obvious aches and pain post incident and enjoy the sleep.
55F - Very well known pt who thought she may have been tachycardic. She wasn't but I sat down and had a chat anyway. That should stop her calling for the rest of the day.
45M - Severe depression and has lead him to attempt suicide (unsuccessfully) and now we go and get some proper help and maybe some in-patient time. Nice block just has to learn how to get rid of baggage.
66F - Epigastric bloating and knows she has IBS? You don't need to go to hospital.
56F - Threatening suicide, well known mental health pt in another area says this all the time but what can you do? You can't ignore her.
42M - Cyclist, wearing a helmet went over his handlebars and bashed himself up, needs some stitches.
45M - Seeking pain relief for pericarditis that I'm pretty sure he doesn't have. But again I'm not in his body.
2M - Had a run inside the house and bashed his head on an edge and freaked Mum! One of our Extended Care Paramedics who can glue minor lac attended and saved all a transport. 

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

Taz