The Wife said 'You always get good work on an extra shift!"

And there was, an interesting medical case, an OD/Cardiac Arrest that was philosophically discussed later, and the very first long term deceased my partner has ever seen and this was discussed by us afterwards also.

50M - Decreased movement. I know this person on a casual basis and I could see the unsteady gait. In the last 10/24s increased numbness/altered sensation in peripheries, vertigo and ataxia. No trauma current or past, no drugs or abnormal occurrences, no current or recent illness! Even more interesting was 12/24s later the symptoms were progressing!!!!
87M - Angina pain. Feels just like his last episode (10yrs ago) when they gave him 5 grafts. Started about 4hrs ago but has nearly gone now. The wife made him ring, God Love Her. I think he was due for a check-up and this was a warning sign plus they never gave him any nitrates for emergencies.
2F - 2/52 Hx of respiratory illness not responding to pharmacology's and still quite unwell.
78F - Know trauma under treatment but pain management has gone out the window today.
29M - Opiate overdose suspected leading to cardiac arrest. No shock just O2, CPR and Narc with Adrenaline resuscitated the body but here's where the philosophy comes into it.

A young fit ready to live body was probably always going to respond very favourably to our treatment. But what of the brain. Our clinical pathways have been developed further to provide times researched from evidence based best practise to signpost when we may consider not starting (example;15/60 asystole with no CPR prior to our arrival). We arrived well inside this but how long had he been down before discovery?
Everything we did was correct and textbook and generally what is believed to be in the pts best interests and nothing in it would I change but it makes you think?

90F - A beautiful person with a loving family who needed all the TLC I could muster and it was my pleasure.
73M - Found outside on a footpath unable to stand or walk but appearing to make sense in conversation (there was a language barrier) no wallet or other ID and then I find the chocolates in one jacket pocket and the sugar cubes in the other?! A Hypo, easy to fix, contacted the wife (they did live at this address {every noticed that, how many hypos almost get home}) and release him to her care after we get the BGL up.
??M - Deceased. There was no need of us to enter the room. It was obvious from the hallway downstairs but my partner had never encountered this type of incident and there were resources rushing to help us if I didn't call them off. I'm sorry that a person that I didn't know has past away but is a common part of our job and one that must be dealt with professionally. Disturb the scene as little as possible and tell the Police what you did touch. When you can handover to the Police get away from there and discuss it with your partner. None of us are invincible to the constant exposure to what we see and this one may be what breaks the camels back if not managed properly. Most services have either Peer Support or Counselling services, use them because we need you out here with us.
83M - DVT, after getting unloaded well all day this the last one of the shift cocked us up, 2 1/2 hours overtime on the last job.

See you at the big One.

Taz

No, that's not what I wanted!

More jobs came down but there was no quality!

66F - Hosp to Hosp transfer.
82M - Had a fall, got a black eye but refuse rational transport offer. This patient was able to display competency and capacity in deciding that he didn't want to go to hospital, he was able to believe and understand that 20% of his face was so badly swollen with the contusion that he couldn't open his eye. That the very slow drip from his nose was probably haemorrhage from the eye draining via the tear duct. He understood mine and the family's concerns for possible loss of vision, stroke or even death from inter cranial injuries but still refused. We were all involved in the discussion, pt, wife, adult children and us. The pt has the right to a bad choice.
43M - Hearing voices.
19M - Epistaxis from a friend.
26M - Drug effected.
25M - Drug effected.
19F - Alcohol effected.
89M - Assist to feet, no injury.

Got a shift swap during the days off to allow Ambowife and I to attend a wedding next month, these usually bring good work.


See you at the big One.

Taz

Work's slowing again.

 63M - IP, that's not the problem it's his argumentative friends who keep ringing us to take him away to stop his drinking all the while they are there drinking with him. Pot calling kettle black?
87F - Abdo pain.
86M - Assist to feet, no injury.
23M - With one of the best #noses I've seen. It wasn't splattered but the way it moved when I touched it!!!!!
62M - Drinking Diesel!!!!!! but wants to go to hospital for a shave and a feed.
30F - Self harm thoughts.

See you at the big One.

Taz

Started as a day of Abnormal Behaviour!

37M - Two bottles of dexamphetamine's. Totally compliant but if he hadn't started to randomly shout gibberish at passers-by and totally pinging off the walls the Police wouldn't have noticed him or called me. He got a little fiesty in the ED and was given something strong to help him sleep. For his protection and that of staff and the public.
37F - Threatening everyone harm. None of the threats were believable but just wouldn't stop making them. It appeared to be an attention seeking action and it got attention.
45M - Huge anxiety attack, poor fellow very debilitating, a massive PTSD history that made this very nice quiet dude an emotional wreak. Physical violence is not the only way to harm others.
94M - To a Hospice.
53M - Acute back pain non traumatic.
59F - Chest pain. Not cardiac.
Baby fallen from knee height. No injuries apart from Mum's confidence. Apart from the actual birth experience this was possibly the most traumatic thing to have happened to this pt and it scared the shit out of them. I have found that the baby is usually very quiet and withdrawn post incident and before we arrive but if they're starting to return to some of their normal interaction (crying at the sight of me, all babies do?) movement and normal eye movement that the old idiom has some merit 'Babies do bounce'. Transport for observation was accepted and is always offered.

See you at the big One.

Taz

14 Jobs on the Data Terminal screen!

But only ten case sheets written, called off the others for either a closer crew or the caller cancelled

27F - In a motherly way and had to endure a 30 min bus ride standing all the way (where has chivalry gone) and had a faint. Declined transport.
59M - Just an odd dude that the Police wanted us to discover if he had any mental health issues. No just someone who is different.
?50M - Unconscious, maybe drugs pharmacology treatment not successful. Follow up was poly-pharmacy OD, amphetamines, opiates and alcohol. He was still in a higher care ward when I finished this block of shifts.
81M - Left chest pain from his Drs. Not cardiac related.
22F - ?Syncope, maybe pregnant. Took to hospital for a check up.
64M - Tachy at 180 in AF.
27M - Dislocated left shoulder and watched an ER Dr massage it back in, awesome.
32F - Heat stress/exhaustion. At home and understands self management so we left her.
55M - Has a broken arm that hasn't been put in a cast while waiting for the swelling to reduce. Couldn't remember how to put the sling on that had been provided. Called for an ambulance, neither of us have ever seen this sling set up but we figured it out and put it on the pt and wrote him some instructions for next time.
83M - Haematuria and urinary retention.

This was a draft post from the day I was told about the complaint about the blog. In hindsight I don't think that I'll review and repost the older posts 'cause that will just be a real pain in the arse for you readers, in particular those who follow and get updates on new posts.
They won't be new and I don't think there is any literary brilliance in these pages unlike some of the prose in Insomniac Medic's blog

See you at the big One.

Taz

So what's happening with the blog?

Lots actually.
A lot of the content has disappeared, well everything has apart from the last two posts. They're not deleted but reverted to drafts so I can review each and every one and alter to meet the agreed upon format from my meeting with management.

Firstly I'm very pleased to say while not supported or endorsed by my employer in anyway they are happy with most of the content of the blog, it is obvious that I am very proud of what I do and I write in a positive and complimentary manner.

I must mystify myself more so that I may not be recognised by new readers or followers and to that end my profile has been altered I work in Australia and I'm a Paramedic. I can not have photo's of myself in uniform that may identify for whom I work and/or where I work. I am not to post any photo's that may identify what I look like out of uniform to again protect my confidentiality and safety and there by my patients.
I'm a little unclear on this one when I have been filmed several times in a reality TV series that identifies me but that was in a public place and I was not making comment but only doing my job and was approved by the powers at the time.

My comments are largely OK but I must be mindful of being misquoted, taken out of context or misinterpreted by the uninitiated to the word and phrase that most of us understand universally.

There will always be those that sit in the shadows and complain, hell I even have a gripe every now and then, it does good to get it off your chest but I happy that this matter is done an' dusted and this should be an end to it.

See you at the big One.

Taz

Lookout World, I'm giving up the Smoke's!!!!

Yep after 33yrs of cigars, tailor-made (normal) or roll your own cigarettes, pipes of various shapes and the few odd 'herbal' cigarettes I'm officially off them from the 7th November. 


I was going to do this next year when I do officially turn 50 but I am having some dental work done with a whole crown done on the above date and was told the best chance of success was to also stop smoking.


With several thousand of my own dollars paying for this I decided to bring it forward.


Combining that with giving up sugar in my many cups of coffee, Dr said my triglyceride was elevated at my last blood test so I had to stop eating lollies, cakes and drinking all the soft drink that I must! Problem was that I don't, I know I have a sweet tooth and avoid that stuff because I was fat twenty years ago.

I don't mind the unsweetened coffee but I have been noticing a small lack of late shift energy.
The smokes well there are some people out there I work with who have never seen me smoke, I seem more physically addicted than mental I'll still carry the Zippo for awhile as well as a lot of gum. 


So maybe BEWARE TAZ the AMBO he may be a little jumpy and hair triggered for a while.

See you at the big One.

Taz