Slow days

A Picture for your amusement. I do have to say, most drivers here are pretty good, and some are brilliant (thinking ahead, leaving us space etc) when we are on emergency runs...but you always get the odd one who just does not get the picture of MOVE TO THE LEFT.

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Well, we did end up getting 3 calls on Saturday and 5 calls on Sunday. Both times our last call came in at 1730 - so we got some good overtime in, but then again I came home later than anticipated, slightly tired and bloody hungry. Note to self: take more food to work, mini Milky Ways are not the greatest in fighting hunger.

Saturdays jobs were nothing out of the ordinary, a transfers and two jobs where the caller really hammed it up in order to get a quick response. Gotta see the positives: I get to drive through red lights :-)

Sunday jobs were as follows:

• Severe back pain
• Elderly gentleman with a 'fuzzy feeling', home Blood Pressure measurements were slightly high. Could have taken a taxi, but a nice'n'easy job for us.
• RFDS Transfer. Patient walked from plane to wheelchair, from wheelchair to ambulance. I suggest that we get interchangable panels on the side of the van, so depending on occasion we can display what we are (like buses have). Some signs I would want: "AMBULANCE", "TAXI", "GET OUT OF THE FUCKING WAY YOU BLIND BAT". Patent Pending.
• Shortness Of Breath, history of emphysema
• Another one, this time in medical speak: SOB, Hx of COAD. Don't you just love abbreviations?

The first job was interesting, we had been warned our back pain patient may be violent, but was lying on the floor unable to move. At least he wouldn't be running after us if we got on the wrong side of him.
Luckily, his train of thought mimicked those of most of our clients; he saw us as his mates, people who actually took him seriously and would provide him some pain relief, plus get him to hospital comfortably.
That sounds corny, but here is why: He states he loves his parents, but cursed them for not having much empathy for his pain. He was lying on the floor unable to move, but they (parents) just told him to get up and walk to the car, gave him 4 panadol (Tylenol for the US folks out there). For their compassion, he somehow got hold of a walking stick and apparently poked his dad in the chest with it - hence our 'violent' patient.

Damn abbreviations...

Nightshift Shiteshift.

Another night in the van. I didn't sleep too well during the day, and didn't get much sleep the night before - I was feeling a little hazy. We do a few calls. We clear from hospital after a job, and I start to write the date in the case sheet, ready for the next call; I put it in as if it were past midnight. I glance at my watch: 10pm. Bugger me. It feels like 3am.

An hour later later we get called to a patient, the screen reads: "HYPO, ALTERED CONS STATE".

I'm attending, and I mentally prepare for the job. Hypotension a.k.a. low blood pressure can lead to altered conscious states. Not enough blood in the brain, not enough oxygen, nutrients, sugar etc, it makes you go a bit funny. Could be anything.

We whizz along, emergency lights allowing us to treat red lights as give way signs, allowing us to swap the shown speed limit to a speed we're comfortable with. We arrive at the house, we pour out of the truck, grab our gear. In the hallway of the house sits our patient, husband holding her sitting upright. She is unresponsive.

I go blank.

Husband starts talking about insulin, diabetes, no food. In a smooth move PTSD colleague kicks in and takes over, grabbing the blood sugar testing kit, and hints me on grabbing the Glucagon. I clue in that this call has something to do with diabetes, not enough sugar in our patients blood. I desperately try to yank the picture of our screen in the van in to my memory. Why didn't it tell me the patient has a problem with her diabetes? Did I not read that bit? Curse you calltaker, you robbed me of my preparation. This is getting my brain tied up in knots. Not good.

After a couple of minutes, we get out patient sorted, we take her to hospital for observation as she is feeling pretty nauseous.

After we deliver the patient, do the handover to the triage nurse, clean and restock the ambulance, I take a good look at our van screen, and read again: "HYPO, ALTERED CONS STATE".

Oh, that probably stands for Hypoglycaemia, not Hypotension.

A lesson lived is a lesson learnt. Don't think I'll get that muddled up again.