And it was a good night for us!

Nobody was dying but there were some injuries and disease that needed our attention.

68F - Mechanical fall on bad paving landing on a knee that has been replaced already. The opening night of a three week night time light and arts festival made the crowds tough but we got her out and to the nearest hospital for an x-ray (they were from out of town), three fractures needing surgery.
46M - From the same location, rang stating he was gigging out and feared he would have an alcohol withdrawal seizure. My problem was that he wasn't withdrawing from alcohol he was well pissed. Seeking a warm waiting room.
36M - Found lying on a footpath, said he thought he had a seizure?????? I feel there may be a more simple for him feeling a little spaced out but he didn't wait around to discuss it.
48F - Off her chops on booze and MDMA (Ecstasy), 48???? slipped slowly to the floor of an outside bar and staff thought she should remain there until we arrived. Uninjured and wanting to continue partying she is and adult I think they are going to ask her to leave.
4F - Long seizure, may have missed her meds and it was really late and she would have been fatigued as well. Midazolam and transport.
22M - Really pissed and sleeping in a doorway. Nice guy and as he lived an hour away driving and intended to catch a train home with the friends he had lost we took him somewhere safe to sober up.
18M - King hit and went down like 'a sack of spuds'.  No real injuries but with the hits we've seen here and the deaths from the simple we took no short cuts.
?20M - Here are their choices;

•  Don't misbehave and the Cops won't notice you
• Stop misbehaving when directed by the Cops
• Don't stop they will make you with one of three nasty options
• Shot you
• Tazar you
• OC spray

Be thankful the Officer only sprayed you and stop spitting, swearing and being a girl about it, yes even I have been in the line of fire and copped OC spray by accident it's not that bad. In fact I haven't done decontamination wash down for ages, this fella just wasn't listening.
32M - To drunk to even get a breath analysis from who rode the train all the way to it's last stop. Took him to a safe spot too.
22F - Severe abdo pain, I'll guess gale stones.


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

Taz

I haven't posted anything this week?

No, I haven't.

Those of you who care will have noticed that I should  have been back at work for three shifts now but I have not made a single post.

Our Certificate to Practice lasts for three years, during which, in a mystical and difficult to understand sequence we are required to attend one of our education centers and complete a three day workshop for revision of skills, protocols, pharmacology and any issues that we put forward for clarification as well as assessment scenarios, supposedly every 18 months.
This one has been focused on;
Mentoring
Sepsis
Paediatric
Stroke
Cardiac review
Mental health.

Factually I really learnt little as I do try to keep myself in touch with contemporary readings etc but rather as usual absorbed little pearls of wisdom from the older wiser heads.

Night shift tomorrow and then days off, no resting though. I have a 2000 word assessment for Uni that's struggling at about 1800 words short and a telephone interview for a possible new station I have applied for in a rural setting.
 

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

Taz

Why would a 2 y/o take stool softener?

Yeah! I don't know either but our 1st call was for that.
We consulted all the pharmacy guidelines and directions and decided that as the little fella was running madly around the house in a game with other children that double nappies when he does slow down and expect a heroic poo!
40F - Anxiety
48M - IP with a laceration to his face where he fell down.
42F - Chest infection being treated by LMO but she requested a brochodialator neb and declined transport.
21F - Very pissed, lost balance and sustained a head lac needing stitches.
34M - 2/52 post op for orthopedic surgery now very painful.
60F - Vertigo.

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

Taz

Split from my partner and sent away for the shift.

And that usually means some really good work.
Just not for me of late,

42M - In a whole world of hurt with renal colic, kidney stones teaching us ignorant men what child birth feels like. In the end I had given him 30mg of Morphine and still he was restless with the pain.
23M - Motorcyclist who had gone over the handlebars and then the roof of the taxi before landing near the drivers door. Complaining of lower abdo/pelvic pain and I applied a pelvic sheet and Rx as such but frankly I think he slapped his goolies on the gas tank and then the speedo!
38M - Has Google'd himself into a rare and possibly fatal disease or it's just some cold symptoms that he hasn't understood. Lets consider experimenting with some night time cold and flu medicine and if she wants to his wife can take him to their LMO tomorrow. She was great and just needed someone in a uniform to tell him that.  

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

Taz

It's not a good job when the dispatcher apologises for giving it to you!

18F - My foot is sore. Did you sit on it on the train? Yes! Could that be why it's sore? Yes! Left on her own TWO feet.
81F - At that stage where she has been approved for aged care placement but can't quite leave home. We're still not sure how we got involved but we bypassed ED for Geriatric Care.
80F - Has been attempting to manage a sprained ankle at home for three days but it's getting too hard God love her.
41M - One day of the year that he's in the office rather than on the road, BAM witnessed heart attack. Instant CPR and application of an AED with one DC shock Return Of  Spontaneous Circulation (ROSC).
Pt is conscious on our arrival GCS = 13/14, AF, tachy. Turns out he is being investigated for the arrhythmia.
We all told him to by a lottery ticket.
42M - Walked into his LMO's office tight chested, pain in left arm, diaphoretic, they gave him an aspirin and took him outside to the street to wait for us. Our 12 lead shows NSR and the GTN did nothing for the tightness or pain but we Tx as cardiac.
68M - Acquired brain injury form alcohol abuse, anxiety issues that are being heightened by issues to do with his accommodation at a low care facility who appear to be taking a rough handed course to have him removed. Tx more for social issues. 

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

 Taz

Mad Mondays.

The hospitals are full and there's no beds so my plan was to only take in those that need it. As I've said before if they state they want transport to hospital I must take them, even if I think they're going to walk straight out and go do some shopping or are just using me as a taxi.

34F - Cyclist who self stacked. Grazed elbow, sore shoulder but everything was moving in the right way so take the day off and self manage at home.
42F - Giving up the smoke and put the whole 20 mg nicotine patch on and found out how awful a drug it is. She took the thing off herself and I just confirmed that she needs a smaller dose for her petite frame. Go to work.
83F - New to renal failure and refused dialysis on Friday and now if feeling the toxins and fluid retention. She wants it now.
54F - Reflux chest pain, resolved, stay at home.
19M - Playing sport, tackled and compound # Tib/Fib. Surgery tonight to be pinned.
Flagged down to help a Gent with vision problems cross the road. Happy to do it but why did it have to be me?
??M - Cyclist V Car didn't want us not hurt, just winded.
19M - Same sport as the #, concussion, dizzy and unbalanced an hour post hit. He needs to be watch.
89F - Mechanical fall and what I suspect to be a #/dislocation of the left shoulder.

Nine jobs in 12 hrs, 4 not taken in to waste the systems time and money.

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

Taz

Not many the next night but interesting.

Not that it started out that way really,

36F - Developmentally delayed, seems to have a Hx of going out to organised events and fainting and being transported. Tonight it was at the LIVE recording of a reality TV that I'm not allowed to name because that would indicate where in Australia I work and I'm not allowed to do that. I don't think we appeared in the broadcast and the stage looks much bigger on the little screen.
22F - A cast member in a real family drama series. They're all either drunk or drug effected and no there is nothing in my kits to stop your daughter (pt) for shouting at you. We were called back while driving away and again asked to stop the fighting and shouting between them. Made them sit in different rooms for 10 minute while we snuck away. Halfwits watch this shit on TV for entertainment just our family didn't have silicone boobs, bling or  say OMG.
41M - Electrician in a power room and all his mate saw was a big flash. Initially unconscious his mate started CPR and the Pt was sitting up on our arrival. No visible entry/exit points, evidence of epistaxis and very tachy, confused agitated but luckily stable. Tx for observation.
Very loud, very fake and very popular night spot has 2 females who have been punched in the nose by someone male. So Cops are there and it's all very intense because of the little bit of blood and tears but we're just waiting for them to calm down so we take them to a quiet room and let them chill and start to talk and what do you know, with all that glamour and bling they started the incident. Bleeding had stopped and they just wanted to make a quick getaway.
40F - Well known cutter who, as they do nomally, doesn't do much damage. Tonight she got her tendons in the forearm. Otherwise she's a sweet, troubled person.

So I have a Traffic Offenders course to present on my first day off and then 2 days supervising some Paramedic Students from a university who have hospital ED placement to get cannula's and experience with living patients.



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


Taz

Sent to a neighbouring station for a quiet night.

85F - Anxious, a cuddle and some time to listen, she stayed at home.
27M - Sore knee from two weeks ago, wanted transport and we did, straight to the waiting room.
68F - Cold, and I mean temperature wise. Bed socks and a hot water bottle kept her at home.
69M- Hospital to hospital transfer with kidney stones.
11day F - Baby two of twins being transferred to home hospital, nurse escort we did nothing.


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

Taz

A quiet Sunday??? NOT!

22F - IP who is trying to walk home, but in the wrong direction. We gave her a lift home to her flatmates care.
28F - CA pt with breathing problems.
55F - Alcoholic who misses her Mum with Mothers Day next week her in Australia.
74M - Extremely rapidly swollen knee without any obvious trauma or infection.
39M - Depressed.
70F - IDDM who looks like she fainted after a busy weekend for her son's wedding, fatigued.
26M - Bad asthma, not that there is good asthma!
41F - Florist who was holding a glass vase when it shattered causing a significant thumb laceration.
82M - Discharge to home.


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

Taz

The sun is shining,

And the patients are waiting.

72M - Who has been ignoring his cardiologists advise about his leaking heart valve, lethargy.
67M - Abdo pain.
15M - Claiming to have fallen because of his huge genitals, I shit you not! That's what the caller said, not surprisingly we were unable to locate (UTL).
81F - Who we found while looking for the above loser. She had suffered a simple mechanical fall and due to a known low bone density was concerned about her hip.
22M - # left ankle, sporting injury.
28M - Stiff after having played tennis and didn't want to drive himself from the tennis club to hospital wanted us to transport him. We really have to get a refusal protocol for this type of caller.
82M - Minor lac to forehead. Declined transport with us preferring to attend the theatre where he was.


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

Taz

Double header in the Police Cells.

What a glorious way to start a Sunday night!

44F - She's just drunk, denies all illicit drugs and the Charge Sargent is happy for her to sleep it off in the cells. The nurses send their thanks.
17M - In the next cell, ADHD, Borderline Personality, this and that and has a few very minor scratches on his body from the arrest scuffle. Again Sarg' is happy to have him if we believe that the wounds don't need further attention. There is no actual protocol for us to medically clear a patient of such wounds but there is also no way these scratches are needing more. With common understanding between us we're happy to write that in our Qualified Paramedic opinion these patients are safe in Police Custody. Done.
58M - 'It's 20 minutes after the MVC, the pain you are now starting to feel in your neck is not likely to be spinal did the other crew ask if you wanted to come to hospital and have a needless x-ray or were you told you had to?' So we transported.
74M - Epistaxis, two days he reckons, not on anti-coagulants.
42M - Mogadon and Booze don't mix. Get off the floor and into bed and have the family check in on him.
23F - Fell asleep in a cafe after a good night out. Woken up by us refreshed and left the scene.
44F - Alcoholic with ?worse DTs at 0400hrs and wants to go to hospital.

And that saw us out for the shift.

A quick Q to Lauren in the States, was that Taz me? Did you attend some Aussie who fainted?

Thank you other reader for your patients.

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

Taz