WVmedicgirl's blog

Count your blessings...often

2011-09-26T23:25:00.002-04:00

Wow, Blogger changed its look...don't know if I like it yet or not. I'm not very technologically inclined, so once I get used to something I like it and find change hard sometimes, like the new facebook...HATE it, but that's life I suppose. Life changes...a lot. I was slapped in the face with a reality today, that I should be a LOT more grateful than I tend to be. An old friend of mine messaged me today to tell me he had been involved in a very bad car wreck, he is fine, but there was a fatality in the other vehicle, a young high school student, she was the passenger in the vehicle her mother was driving when her mother swerved to miss a rear-end collision in her lane on a small highway and crossed the center line resulting in a head on collision with my friend. Talk about a miracle that my dear friend is ok, I cant even begin to imagine what that mother must feel like, to know her actions to save herself and her child resulted in her daughters death. Immediately after hearing about this you know what I did? I called Daddy and Mom, that's right, I turned to my parents, the 2 people in the world that I know will always be there for me, no matter what. I had a wonderful conversation with them. Talked about how Mom isn't feeling the greatest, has a stomach bug. Talked about my siblings, how my sisters have decided to move in with each other for a little while, and about 2 of the greatest kids I know- my niece and nephew and how they got to spend a few days with Pap and Doh (my folks) and went to the marble festival, and rode the ferry across the Ohio river and how unimpressed a 6 year old can be while a 3 year old is simply fascinated. Family has always meant a lot to me, which makes me wonder how I can forget to be so thankful.

Life in general has been pretty good for me lately. I quit a part time job that wasn't making me happy and in turn started a new one that I am still deciding about. I met an amazing guy when I had decided that I had more important things in life to worry about than dating. I might be 27 ( for a whole 12 days now...lol) but I have not had a lot of experience in the dating world. I didn't date in high school, and my Junior year in college met a guy that I thought was IT, we dated for 3 years and turns out I was wrong. It never ceases to amaze me how people are put into our lives, some longer or shorter than others, for so many different reasons, for encouragement, support, advice, and sometimes for heartache or for us to make a bad decision so that when the right folks show up we can make the right decisions, to make those friends that last a lifetime.

Its realizations like these things that make you check in with yourself. Are you happy? Are you living life to the fullest? Are you taking life for granted? There have been several reasons lately to remind me to be thankful. Multiple friends diagnosed with cancer, a family member who had a cyst on his brain that had to be drained, a friend who can pick right up where things left off last time she saw you, 4 months ago, and another friend who can probably use a shoulder because she got her heartbroken on top of struggling through a difficult school program so she can reach a goal in her life.

I definitely need to remember to count my blessings, and should probably do it more often, not just when a friend has a close call or a bad day....

slacker, I know!

2011-08-21T04:38:00.000-04:00

I was called out today about slacking on my blog...truth is I have been. I dont really have an excuse...life has just been going...a lot happened at the end of March in personal life which made me have to change some things. I lost what I considered to be a good friend, and not to death but to lies and deceit. She was evicted from our house, leaving me to pick up the pieces, the bills, and the trash. I have to say life has gotten better since she has been gone. The last few months she was around were not good ones for me. It also made me take a closer look into my life...I have re-evaluated the relationships I have with people, my goals in life, both personal and professional.
I have been asked by several people why I chose to be a paramedic, why not be a nurse? Even my own folks have asked me this. Truth is, I am not sure, but I do know I love what I do. I know a lot of people who are burned out or well on their way there, but I still feel like I am still learning the ropes even though I have been a paramedic for 4 years and in EMS for 8. While I'm not a "dinosaur" I am not quite the newbie I once was. I try to keep up with EMS news and all my Twitter folk and fellow bloggers are helpful with that. I was hoping to make it to Vegas for the EMS World Expo this year, even applied for a scholarship but wasn't a luck winner. I will post my essay in blog for reading later...I promise.

EMSToday re-cap

2011-08-21T04:27:00.000-04:00

So I realized that I still had not posted my re-cap of EMSToday and it has been well overdue! I got to be part of a surprise visit of SSGJBroyles. I got to hangout with several of the CoEMS folks for food, drinks, and even some karaoke. These folks included, but may not have been limited to, the following: SSGJBroyles, Gingermedic, Ambulance Driver, Hybridmedic, TraumaSheares, SES4EMS, CKEMTP, The Happy Medic, Setla, NJDivemedic, and many more!

I started this post about month after EMSToday and am just now getting it published....I know, I'm such a slacker!

Designer Drugs

2011-03-27T23:20:00.002-04:00

It amazes me the things kids, or people in general, manage to get themselves into these days. Behind us are the days of simply doing crack, cocaine, heroine, etc. These days people are into synthetic drugs and alternatives. First there was K2, now folks are sniffing, snorting, injecting, or even eating bath salts and taking 2 C-E, a synthetic version of Ecstasy. Unfortunately, there isn't much we as EMS providers can do except treat the symptoms, we have nothing in our arsenal of drugs to counteract these "designer drugs", as they have been coined.

So tell me, what are you and your company doing, if anything, to prepare for this? If you aren't seeing it yet, I have a feeling you will be soon....

slow and steady

2011-03-27T22:28:00.000-04:00

Weight loss is hard. End of story. I have been working on this for a while now and am trying to keep the blog updated with it among other things. Tonights weigh-in is 284.7! Still heading in the right direction. I have been doing my best to get to the gym and watch what I eat, but there are lazy days and days I just eat what I want instead of what I should...I suppose moderation is key... Check back in later for more updates!

a good read...

2011-03-11T19:33:00.001-05:00

Another amazing read form yet another amazing friend from the Chronicles of EMS family. Please read! (You might need a tissue or two...)
http://njdivemedic.blogspot.com/2011/03/veterans-day.html?showComment=1299889878658#c7741651490581049868

No disapointments...

2011-03-11T02:06:00.002-05:00

"Eat that damn chocolate cake, get your hair wet, love someone, dance in those muddy puddles, tell someone off, draw a picture with crayons like you’re still 6 years old and then give it to someone who is very important to you. Take a nap, go on vacation, do a cartwheel, make your own recipe, dance like no one sees you, paint each nail a different color, take a bubble bath, laugh at a corny joke. Get on that table and dance, pick strawberries, take a jog, plant a garden, make an ugly shirt and wear it all day, learn a new language, write a song, date someone you wouldn’t usually go for, make a scrap book, go on a picnic, relax in the sun, make your own home video, kiss the un-kissed, hug the un-hugged, love the unloved, and live your life to the fullest. So when you’re standing in front of heaven’s gate that chosen day, you’ll have no regrets, no sorrows, no disappointments."

Can't remember where I cam across this, pretty sure it was off of "and its love" tumblr.

I found this a while ago and had completely forgotten about it until I rediscovered it again tonight. It really got me thinking about a lot of things in my life, particularly my professional life. I have have been in EMS for about 7 years. I started off as a First Responder and I fell in love, after a year I took an EMT class while in college and I fell more in love, so much so that after 2 years I decided I wanted to be a paramedic. I worked hard, studied enough to get by, and here I am. I have been a paramedic for almost 3 years. I started off as a transport medic, a world completely separate from 911. While I was working as a transport medic I was also volunteering in a small rural college town as a paramedic. I was learning both sides, comparing them, trying to learn as much as I could and use it in both realms. I fell in love with both worlds, and decided my "dream job" would be to be able to do both in the same job, but little did I know that was actually a possibility. A year after I got my P-card I just happened to apply for a job 70 miles and 2 states away, assuming Id never even get an interview, but it couldnt hurt. Well long story short, I got the interview and the job, packed up my things and moved to a world where I had no friends and no family. I wasnt worried about that, I am good at making new friends, and family was just a few hundred miles away. Today I still work in a hospital based 911 system, and I made those new friends, some that I even consider family. I love my job, and I want to be the best paramedic I can be, I want to be better than I am, because I know I am capable of more. I feel like I am being held back though. I have learned how to network, I have people I can reach out to for questions, or articles to read, to get me thinking, heck thats how I ended up here with a blog. But I want to do more, I want to learn more. Unfortunately because the hospital system I work for offers all classes required for my job taking extra classes I am responsible for on my own. I only wish I could have the financial resources to attend more conferences to actually attend classes instead of just driving to Baltimore for a day (after all its only 50 miles) and visiting for a day and socializing and networking in the exhibit hall. I didnt even have a chance to attend the free classes...part of that is scheduling, working 60 hours a week cuts into free time. I know there are people less fortunate than me who cant even do those kinds of things. I wish there were several programs, grants, scholarships, or something for EMS folks to help them continue to educate themselves on new trends and topics. Heck, back where I grew up they just got a monitor capable of 12 leads in the last 6 months!!

Anyways, the whole point of this, I am vowing to myself to start reading more articles, discussing with more folks, and hopefully attending some more events where I can ask questions, discuss topics, and have some hands on experiences with new products, not just for myself, but so that I can bring them back to work and share. I feel like my coworkers are not just comfortable in their jobs but might be becoming complacent. I know I am comfortable where I am, and scared as hell that I might become complacent and thats where the problems are....

2011-03-07T05:34:00.001-05:00

Ok, I know it has been a while. Life has been crazy and hectic. I am hoping to get something up here soon about my recent experience with the wonderful CoEMS family and time spent socializing/networking at EMSToday 2011.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

update on life

2011-01-22T05:10:00.000-05:00

So I have really been lacking on this blog. But I guess life has its own plans and sometimes we just get swept up into it. So heres what I have been doing: I am still working my 60 hrs a week. I am looking at possibly quitting my part time job of 24 hours a week as a transport medic to babysit 16 hrs a week for one of the cutest babies I have seen, I interviewed with the parents yesterday and am waiting to hear what they think and what they are willing to pay. (I think I'll be happier doing that at less pay...I am afraid of burnout.) As far as my weight loss efforts go I weighed in at 288lbs on Wednesday. So still slowly losing....I actually made it to the gym once this week, was going to go again, but ended up with a terrible GI bug that landed me in the ER for some fluids and meds. I have NEVER had stomach pain that bad. Things with the roommate are still tense. I was under the impression (from the landlord) she was getting evicted but she doesnt seem to think so... We barely talk these days except for polite hellos and goodbyes and how are you's. Buddy, my trusty canine sidekick, is doing pretty well. I will be calling the vet this week to get him a check-up, his eyes are starting to look a little funky and I just wanna make sure he is ok. In the dating world I met a guy named Ian recently who seems like a really nice guy. Taking things one day at a time, not rushing into anything or getting my hopes up. Im tired of being hurt and used. So thats about it, exciting life I know.... Thanks for stopping in and checking on me!

2011-01-07T06:36:00.000-05:00

Apparently I have the words "sucker" or "doormat" or something similar written across my forehead in ink that I can not see and cant seem to wash off either. I am so sick and tired of people taking advantage of me, lying to me, and leading me in directions just to leave me lost and alone. I am hanging on to the end of a rope and I am tiring rather quickly. Just when it seems I am moving forward in a positive direction someone feels the need to push me down or trip me. These people range from my closest friend to people I just met, to my own relative.
I am a good and kind person. I help out my friends in need, I lend a shoulder to cry to on, an ear to talk to without judgment or advice. In return, I feel used and unappreciated.
I have tried to focus on just me, to try and heal myself, to better myself, but Im not that person. Im the person people call at 3am to come and pick them up. Im the person who will drop whatever I am doing to hold your hand through a rough time, to bring a box of tissues when the tears start to fall.
I love the person I am. I am not afraid to show my emotions, but I am afraid to tell you how I feel, afraid I'll lose a friend. But maybe you werent a friend to begin with....

Well, I am done. I am done. We all know I say that but that I will just suck it up, pretend everything is ok. Thats what I do. Its what Im good at. When I find that person who can tell the difference, I know I will have found a real friend.

RIP WCO David Grove, LODD 11/11/10

2010-12-02T02:53:00.000-05:00

Recently a young, thriving Wildlife Conservation Officer was killed in the line of duty, just doing his job, all because someone was breaking the law, again, and didn't want to pay the consequences. Well Officer Grove, I hope justice is served for your death and I sincerely hope that peace will come to you friends, family, and all of those affected by this. I unfortunately did not have the honor of meeting you, but I have not heard anything negative about you.

here are just a few links with some details about the incident fro any of you who are interested:
http://www.publicopiniononline.com/localnews/ci_16704513
http://outdoornews.com/pennsylvania/news/article_7d67f462-ee7b-11df-aaed-001cc4c03286.html
http://www.gettysburgtimes.com/news/article_471a3988-ee71-11df-ae2c-001cc4c03286.html

IKDG Chapter 1 review

2010-11-14T19:49:00.000-05:00

Ok, So like I mentioned earlier I plan on writing some thoughts about I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris as I read it. I finished the first chapter along with the study guide this week.

The first chapter teaches about "smart love". It refers to Phillipians 1:9-10 which states "God not only wants me to act differently, He wants me to think differently- to view love, purity, and singleness from His perspective, to have a new lifestyle and attitude." In smart love we must use our heads as well as our hearts. Mr Harris says "By avoiding romance before God tells me I'm ready for it, I can better serve girls as a friend, and I can remain free to keep my focus on the Lord. [...] God wants us to seek guidance from scriptural truth, not feeling. Smart love looks beyond personal desires and the gratification of the moment. It looks at the big picture: serving others and glorifying God." Mr. Harris also uses two other scriptures in this chapter: Matthew 10:29 and Luke 12:2.

I am using the study guide designed by Joshua Harris as I read this book, reading and answering the questions in a notebook as I go. I am not going to write and answer the questions on here as they get lengthy and somewhat personal, but I will however include bits and pieces. As I mentioned in a previous post the first time I read this book as a 15 year old freshman in high school, I was very innocent and naive at that time. I think that reading this book 11 years later will most definitely give me a different perspective. Ten years ago I had difficulty just getting past the title, who would want to kiss dating goodbye? Certainly not me, I hadn't even begun dating yet! Today is a little different, I have had relationships, some serious, some not so serious, some that last for several years, others only hours long. I currently am not dating, but sometimes I feel as if I am missing out on something, so I am re-reading this book in hopes of renewing my faith and personal relationship with Christ, making it better than it was in high school. In the last several years my focus has not been in the right place. My focus has been on myself, my roommate, work, family, everything but God. I have forgotten who it is I should be trying to please, not myself, not others, but God and only God and in return I will be blessed by Him. This chapter, and the Philippians verse (1:9-10) challenges.encourages me to learn what and how to "love appropriately" so that I can love intelligently, love much, and love well, to avoid "sentimental gush".

Joshua states on last statement in the study guide that I feel pertinent to remember "Obedience to God looks boring- pursuing the world and its pleasures appears tantalizing." We have to remember while it may appear tantalizing now, the effects of being obedient to God will have much bigger and better results in the end.

Thanks for reading, and if anyone would like to discuss this book, I'd love to, feel free to contact me!

IKDG #1

2010-11-11T23:17:00.000-05:00

I have decided to re-read a book I read in high school with a group of girls called I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris. It is a book that gives a very interesting look at Dating, or not dating and courting instead, all based in a Christian setting. I remember bits and pieces of this book, but it has been 10 years since I have read it and have a lot of life changing experiences since last reading it. I plan on blogging about the book, my opinions and anything I may learn as I read. I already know that I may not agree with everything Mr Harris may have to say but I am interested in how different my opinions are now opposed to when I was 15 years old and reading this book for the first time. Thanks for stopping by!

The next music star in my family...

2010-11-02T04:25:00.001-04:00

This is a video of me niece, shot by my sister-in-law

Ben, Laura, Ted & Sophie: take me home, country roads: "Sophie has learned a new song. Again, not out of us directly teaching her. Just out of pure exposure. The other day at Giant Eagle, Country ..."

You can't treat what you don't see

2010-11-02T03:19:00.000-04:00

I have noticed recently a disturbing trend with the BLS crews I that I work with regularly, they aren't doing full assessments. They aren't getting the full story. They are too worried with response times, on scene times, and turn around times, or they just seem like they don't care. This can make my job as an ALS provider difficult, especially if they are rendezvousing with me between the scene and the hospital, there's no family to tell me the story and the patient is unable to or is a poor historian, which in turn makes me look like the imbecile upon arriving at the hospital and telling the nurse nothing more than a generic chief complaint with no pt history, meds, or even allergies sometimes, just what I found in my assessment and what I did to treat my patient.
This doesn't apply only to medical patients, I have had run ins on trauma calls as well. (These are not every call events, but I am hoping its not a new trend either) Crews not getting a full story and by time I meet the BLS crew the helicopter is already 5-10 min out, I know my pt has some sort of traumatic injury, and the pt is still dressed. I have 5-10 min to assess the injuries (including exposing the patient so I can properly assess injuries), try to gather a story if any family is present, or hopefully peek at the vehicle (if I meet crew on scene), and start treatment.
I am sure I am not the only person to struggle with this. I am not trying to whine or complain here, just want to figure out a way I can reach out to these folks and express the importance of a full, proper assessment, no matter how minor the "emergency" may seem, no matter how close to the hospital you are, or how hard the adrenaline has your heart pumping. Our care needs to be more patient focused and less focused on turn around times or the fact that a patient is a frequent flyer.
Each patient deserves our very best, each and every time.

spiritual growth

2010-11-01T04:49:00.000-04:00

I have recently decided to renew my relationship with God. I used to be very close to Him and over the last 8 years I have strayed away and even defied Him in so many ways. While trying to figure out how to this I have encountered several websites, blogs, and have even had the opportunity to meet new people and have have very insightful conversations with old friends. One blog in particular that I have found is a blog by a woman named Erin Taylor. I found her blog through http://www.sheseeks.org/.
In one of her blog entries Erin states "If I were to lean into my Prince would He not guide me in the waltz we call life? Would it not be the most beautiful dance ever choreographed?" Those two sentences hit me like a ton of bricks. It is so true. Erin also says "Today I rest in that I am valuable simply because I am His. He chose me. He loves me and I am whole. When life spirals I white knuckle those truths and step one foot in front of the other in the race He has called me, just me, to run." This reminds me that I need to let go so much more. Most days I feel like I am letting God run the show when in reality I am trying to do all the directing. I have been holding on to MY life and living it MY way, to benefit ME and to do things on MY time. It took Erin's blog entry and a recent conversation with a new friend for me to recognize this. I should be spending more time listening to God and living a life for Him than for myself. My thoughts before my actions shouldn't be "how will this affect me?" or "what do I want out of this" but instead just leaving the "how", "what" and most importantly "why" up to God.

RIP PFC Cody Board

2010-10-14T13:45:00.000-04:00

Its a sad day in our country when a soldier who died for our country can't even make it to his final resting place in peace!

a friend and a prayer

2010-09-28T04:51:00.000-04:00

It amazes me how you can find a friend in someone you never thought you would. Tonight I was chatting with a friend who works as an emt at a local fd that I run mutual aid with as a medic and we had what was a very emotional conversation for me and I don’t think they even knew it. We got on the topic of how I have wanted to lose weight for some time now but I feel like it doesn’t matter what I do it either doesn’t work or only for a little bit. I was not expecting to get nearly as emotional as I did. I found myself not just shedding a tear or two at how kind he was being and how encouraging he was trying to be but I found myself sobbing, sitting in the medic office at work crying like a damn blubbering fool. This is a person who until tonight I considered only an acquaintance of work. It was great joy to learn they could be a source of encouragement and motivation. I have had so much going on in my personal life that I feel like I am losing control, slowly but surely. I feel like I was spun in circles and let loose in a dark room with a lot of random objects to run into and stumble over. I have tried deep breathing, I have tried reading, I tried throwing myself into my Bible, but I feel like either its not working or Im not doing it right. This is the second time I have ended up crying today…earlier was in public while at the doctor office and I have no idea what provoked it.

God,

Please help me! Guide me closer to you, if I can give all my burdens to you and live for you then everything else won’t matter! I need to shed myself of the things that are standing between you and me, the things that I have let into my life and run it instead of listening to your plan.

Amen

2010-09-17T12:56:00.000-04:00

I am looking at having to board my dog for the first time. I am almost in tears, this is ridiculous! There is a schedule problem with my roommate and I. I will basically be working a 24 and she gets off at 6am but has plans to go visit her sick grandmother, but shes not 100% sure. So I would rather play it safe and have him boarded than her not be here and me not be here, thats just cruel! I called my boss from work for a recommendation and the place he recommended is an animal hospital, but they are full, so I asked them for a recommendation and am checking them out now....i just want the best for my little guy....

filling a void

2010-09-12T13:29:00.000-04:00

So recently I have been doing a lot of self research. By self research I mean trying to figure out what I want in life, where I wanna see myself in the future, what I can get out of my life. The more research I did the more I realized there was something missing, and that maybe I was searching in the wrong direction for the wrong things. When I was in high school I had what felt like a tight-knit relationship with Christ. I was very involved in various church activities and also with a Christian organization known as Young Life. When I went off to college my relationship with Christ slowly dissipated, I didnt have strong support of friends and family I had and I apparently was not strong enough in my faith to stay close to God. I did my own thing and experienced the world. It has only been in the last year or so, even more in the last few months that I realized I want that relationship back, I want to renew my faith. So I have recently begun the task of "church shopping" trying to find I church where I feel welcomed and comfortable, one that can help me grow in a relationship with Christ, one where I dont feel like just another face, one that has a good young adult ministry to help me, because I honestly feel like I have been spun around until I am dizzy and then let loose in a pitch black cave to find my way out.

I have attended the United Methodist church here in town a few times, I was raised Methodist so I knew the service would be familiar, and it was....I even got invited to the young adult ministry group, which consisted of 3 others. A new group without a real plan for the class. And they were as nice as can be, they made me feel welcome, and included me on the planning for the next year of possibilities for the group, but the church in whole I dont feel is what I am really interested in, they didnt have the strong base for a young adult group like I am interested in, and only offer one contemporary service a month.

Today I tried a new church, one that sounded great online, it was supposed to be a community church, non-denominational. Well I found the building, double checked the address, but the name of the church was not the same as I had seen online, but decided to go anyways. I sat through an hour of the service and was completely taken aback by some of the things I heard. While they had the contemporary music, the rest of the leadership lacked a lot, there was no real theme for the service, they quoted multiple scriptures on tithe and offerings before asking the congregation to walk up and place offerings and then just continued to quote random scripture and have random people come up and give testimonials, anyone who felt like talking they gave a mic to....and then started talking about things in heaven I had never heard before. I didnt want to get up and leave and be rude, but I also was very uncomfortable staying. When an hour into the service they had a stand up and greet people time, I quietly slipped out the back and left.

I will do some more searching this week, and hopefully try a new one next week, meanwhile I am going to try and do more reading in my Bible and pray for direction and then Im going to sit and listen, and hope I hear what God has to say.....

New drug: K2?

2010-08-15T02:59:00.000-04:00

I recently learned of a new substance for our fellow druggies to favor. Apparently there is a new drug called K2. It is a synthetic cannabinoid. And the word I hear is it gives a much better high than good ol' MJ. It apparently was originally created for incense but people have discovered its other capabilities and it looks pretty close to MJ and is smoked in the same fashion. I have heard that it can not be traced in a UDS (urine drug screen) like MJ can I am not claiming all of this to be fact, just word of mouth. Have any of you encountered any pts on this drug or have any better info? I know some states have begun to ban it. Here's a little info courtesy if Wikipedia.

I'd love to hear back from any of you folks on this....

Newfound hobby??

2010-08-14T16:54:00.000-04:00

I have been playing with the idea of purchasing a handgun to learn how to shoot as a new hobby. I finally got the opportunity to get some hands on experience this week.Yesterday I had the opportunity to join a fellow paramedic friend of mine along with a gentleman who is well versed not only in the workings of the fire department for multiple decades but also in firearms. We drove out across the mountain to an outdoor range where I had the opportunity to try several different firearms. I tried both a 22 and 45 revolver, the 45 was much larger and heavier than the 22 and also packed a heck of a kick but it did have a scope on it which was pretty interesting. I also tried multiple semi-automatics to include a 22, a 40, a 45, and a 9mil. While these were all pretty similar in size, the 40 really held a punch as it was a stub-nose. (PS I learned a lot of these terms yesterday and what they mean) I found that the 22 and 9mil seemed to be the best fit comfort wise for me in handling and shooting. I now feel a little more comfortable in terms of purchasing a gun, now that I know Im comfortable shooting one and have an idea what the difference is. Still deciding what I might purchase, but I now know how to use the safety on guns and how to load both a revolver and semi-automatic, not to mention learned just how fun and stress relieving it is to empty a magazine! :)

2010-08-08T20:29:00.000-04:00

So for those of you who actually follow me you will notice I took a break, sorry for no notice. I have been having a rough time in the personal life. I bailed on the diet, even though it was working, I just didnt feel like I had the energy to keep up with it. I am going to try again, maybe not as strictly, but with a health mindset and use the diet as a guide. I think I will also join Curves. I dont feel comfortable at a gym, I always feel like Im being judged. So again,, I ask for any support and motivation you can send my way. Please!

Thanks, and I'll try to be a bit more avid about posting....

One day...

2010-06-30T06:25:00.001-04:00

One day you’re gonna want that girl. that girl that knew she wasn’t perfect, but tried to be perfect for you. the girl that believed the scraps of you she was given were worth it, because something was better than nothing. that girl who wanted nothing more than to be there for you, and loving you was the only way she could. the girl who sees your flaws, but values them as much as your strengths. that girl who still can’t bring herself to hate you, even though sometimes you probably deserve it. that girl who saw past your pretty eyes and treasured parts of you that no one else has ever appreciated. the girl who realizes she may never have your heart, but will carry the image of you in hers forever. the girl that sees this and still loves you.

what would you do? interesting case...

2010-06-30T05:57:00.000-04:00

Had an interesting call this shift. Got dispatch Class 1 for an ill person (gotta love those!) Pt wife states pt was sitting in the recliner after dinner and was fine she went outside for a little bit and came back in and found him "sleeping" in the chair and then she tried to wake him and was unable to do so, so she called 911, stating he was unconscious for 5-10 min before we got there. Upon our arrival pt was awake and sitting in chair, pt appeared to be aware of what was going on but was unable to talk. Pt had a pituitary tumor 5 yrs ago and recently the doctors found another mass this time to his left frontal lobe, took a biopsy last week, pt still has sutures in from biopsy procedure, suture site looks healthy. Pt VS are all WNL and I worked out communications with pt by asking yes/no questions and having him squeeze my hand once for yes and twice for no and again he seemed like he was aware of what was going on but just couldnt talk! Blood sugar was 143, no facial droop or arm drift, pt could stand and pivot to stairchair and then again to stretcher with a steady gait. So I took the pt 50 miles (telling my driver I wanted an easy ride, but not to fiddle faddle around either, to use lights and sirens if needed) to the hospital where his biopsy was done instead of the local hospital.
I dont know if I didnt sound sure of myself or what but the triage nurse seemed to focus on the fact that he couldnt speak and the onset time of that and immediately jumped to stroke, and she completely ignored the fact that they had drilled into this mans brain a week ago...so she called a stroke team member in who performed the same tests I had done in the field (looking for facial droop, arm drift, or weakness in extremities and checked his pupils/gaze) and stated "this is not a brain attack". Seriously? If I had compelling evidence this was a CVA I would have flown him instead of taking him an hour by ground considering he was almost an hour and half into the episode. Maybe Im in the wrong here, maybe I was being egotistical, but I did comeplete my assessment, several times, in the field and assumed this was an issue with the mass/tumor they had found recently. Upon arrival of the hospital the pt could answer "yeah" and "no" to questions but was still unable to even state his name.

What would you all have done? Taken him an hour by ground or flew him?

weigh in #4

2010-06-28T05:13:00.000-04:00

Weighing in at 294 this week....Im starting to slack....a lot....and to top it off Im not having a good "mental health" week either....

2010-06-28T04:15:00.000-04:00

I was having a conversation with a long time friend of mine that I met in the very beginning of my EMS career and I have to say I got very defensive for the first time in a while. I started in EMS in a very rural, small town. My hometown consists of a town of maybe 6000 folks in the city and thousands more in BFE. The average time for a call can be anywhere from 20 min (in town) up to hours long in the country. The nearest trauma center is an hour and half from town by ground on a winding back road or 2 hours on the straighter main road (depending on where in the county you are) while the local ER has a grand total of 6 beds, the next closes hospital has a 3 bed ER...you get the picture. From there I joined the local FD where I went to college, and while the pace was a littler faster it still wasn't much, we averaged 700-800 EMS calls a year and the local hospital had up to 12 beds and the local trauma center was only 45 min by ground. Now I work for a hospital based medic truck that averages about 3000 calls a year and well, I have to say I have tested the waters with city EMS, I did practicals in school in big cities, and did some ride time with my part time job in the city and it's just not me. I enjoy having the longer transport times and spending a little extra time with my patients.

Anyways, I was on the phone with this friend and he put down the fact I worked in rural EMS. This is not the first time he has done this, he has several times and it finally got to me. I have gotten this attitude from several "big city" EMS folks, like they are better because they run 20+ calls in a 24 hour shift and I might run 5 calls or I might not turn a wheel. Just who do they think they are? It really irritated me. It does not make me any less of a medic because I work in a rural area or because I like it.

That is all...thanks for the steam blowing!

weigh in #3

2010-06-18T08:40:00.001-04:00

Weighed in last night at 292lbs....but I also cheated a bit this week... :/ Im gonna do better this week...heck I even walked to work 3 of my 5 days this week!

weigh in #2

2010-06-06T19:37:00.000-04:00

Finished week 3 of the new meal plan and an happy to announce I am weighing in at 293 today! This makes a grand total of 23 pounds since Christmas and 7 lbs in the last 3 weeks. Now if I could only motivate myself to start doing some physical exercise I know I could lose more weight and maybe even build up some strength and stamina...

weigh in #1

2010-05-31T01:24:00.000-04:00

Ok, its been 2 weeks since I started this new healthy lifestyle eating plan. I am weiging in today at 295. Thats a 5 pound loss. Not too shabby if I do say so myself..... I have been doing pretty good on this plan, only had one or two occasions where my will power lost, but I didn't go crazy with it. Now if I can just motivate myself to get more exercise in this new lifestyle...I need an exercise buddy that will call me out and make me accountable, Id be happy with just a walking buddy 3 days a week....I simply need to get off my lazy butt.....

frustration

2010-05-26T23:29:00.000-04:00

Sorry its been so long.

My roommate/best friend has been sick for the last 5-6 weeks, something to do with her GI system, they are thinking gastroparesis. Meanwhile since she has been sick she has been unable to work. We have been dealing but its getting to the point that Im not sure what we are going to do. She has not worked in a month. She knew that no working=no income. She is working on getting a temporary disability which will include rent assistance and such. I talked to her tonight and asked what our landlord said when she talked to them. Guess what...she hasnt yet! Rent is due in 4 days. I knew she had been waiting to hear from the assistance office, but our landlord is expecting rent, paid in full on the 1st. I am not mad that she is sick and can not work. I am mad that she hasnt taken the initiative to straighten things like this out. It leaves a lot of pressure on me. I have been working a lot of hours in hopes of putting some funds away in savings for emergencies and for vacation. She is my best friend, she is like a sister to me. I know she is frustrated, but this doesnt affect only her. I am trying to be as supportive as I can, trying to keep her from getting depressed, but I cant do it anymore. Im too tired. Physically tired, emotionally drained....I dont know what to do...

no regrets

2010-05-20T09:07:00.000-04:00

oxygen, harmful or not?

2010-05-17T22:44:00.000-04:00

Im pretty sure oxygen is a good thing, in the majority of cases anyways. In the last 24 hours I have had 2 encounters where I thought a bit more O2 would definitely be a good thing, but was contradicted by providers with more schooling than me.

event #1: severe asthmatic comes in to the ER and we take them straight to a bed, I pull out a duoneb treatment (cause it takes respiratory a few min to get downstairs after someone calls them) and give the pt a neb via mask on oxygen when the RN tells me "no, use the medical air"...what?? When she sees my confused look she says they normally use medical air, and I inform her we (the medics) use oxygen, pt got the neb via oxygen in the end....

event #2: 20 something y/o male, intoxicated, took a swan dive head first 6-7 feet into a cement trench. Pt unconscious and unresponsive, lac to right temporal, no active bleeding, pupils round, equal, but non reactive to light, pt breathing 12 times a min but shallow with snoring resps, lung sounds clear and equal, O2 sats at 02%, pt resps assisted via BVM, when OPA was attempted pt clenched down. 2 large bore IVs established, 24 min from on scene time to completing extrication of pt from the trench via stokes basket. Upon arrival of flight crew I asked if they wanted to RSI and they replied "no, he's breathing on his own".

I dont know if they were concerned with increasing the ICP, but found it interesting they opted not to intubate. Follow up of the pt was pt had an open fx to right temporal area, several closed fx, an epidural bleed to right temporal lobe and a parenchymal hemorrhage. Pt was intubated at trauma center upon arrival. Pt was extubated approx 8-10 hrs later and is now alert and oriented but still in ICU at trauma center.

What do you all think?

new life plan

2010-05-10T20:06:00.000-04:00

So I know I haven't written in a while, things have gotten a bit stressful in my life with working my fulltime job and fulltime hours at my part time job and a very ill roommate I have been trying to take care of. The theme of my posts are going to be changing a bit, while I am going to keep up my blogs about work and EMS, I am going to start writing about the healthier lifestyle I am struggling to obtain in attempt to not struggle so much. Your thoughts and advice are welcome, but please refrain from any nagging or negative comments on weight loss, etc., I have enough of those running in my head already....

Last week I found and ordered what I hope to be the start of a new, healthier lifestyle for me. I did some research and found Rob Nevins' Skinny Switch Secret. It has a lot of things I like, it has 24/7 community help via chat rooms, it gives you an easy to follow meal plan, personalized for even the pickiest eater (like me). It also gives you workout tips. It sounds like a simple but effective healthy lifestyle plan, having one "load up" day focusing on some extra carb intake followed by 2 "lean" days and the cyle repeats itself. On your "load up" days it even allows you to treat yourself for one meal or snack to include any takeout favorite or sweetening snack. I guess it works so that your body doesnt get used to one thing. I am going to refer to this not as a diet, but as my new lifestyle change.

I am really hoping that I can motivate myself to start this and stick to it (especially since I paid for it...lol). I am going to try and keep a weekly online recollection of this (Im going to pick a day and try to do a weigh in and update every week), but I will be keeping a more intimate, detailed handwritten journal as to not bore anyone on here. I am starting this weighing in at 300 lbs as of today (thats 18 pounds lighter than I was this past Christmas...). My first weight loss goal is to get to 275 by September 14th, my 26th birthday and long term I'd like to get under 200 pounds. As I have stated before I have always had problems with motivation to start or continue any plan I have tried before. So if any of you are up for it, I would love to have someone challenge me or at least check in on me weekly to try and help me stay in line with this.

Originally my roommate had intended on trying this with me, but she has been pretty ill the last few weeks with no diagnosis at this time, so while she is simply trying to find foods she can keep in her stomach, I am going to start this full fledge on Friday May 14th. (That's pay day and there are a lot of grceries that need to be bought for this lifestyle change). I not only need to do this, but I want to do this, for me, for my health and to help me in all aspects of my life, physical and emotional. While I have seen the negative impact my lifestyle choices have had on my body for a while now, I have recently been experiencing more and more negative emotional impact, and I definitly do not like it. I frequently find that I don't feel like I have a very good support system (maybe I just choose not to tap into the people who could give me a lot of support due to fear of failure and disappointment), and so I am looking to the few people who graze through here from time to time...Thanks ahead of time and wish me the best of luck!

Skills Day

2010-04-23T04:09:00.000-04:00

This week we had our yearly skills day. The highlight of skills day is airway familiarization, for me anyways. Our boss arranges to have multiple sets of pig lungs for us to practice on. We have the typical "fred the head" for run of the mill intubation practice and for King airway and for S.A.L.T. practice, but its hard to practice the surgical airway on Fred. Our medical director was present and dove right in with us. We practiced a needle crichothyrotomy and then surgical crichothyrotomy. We then ventilated the lungs. We were even fortunate enough for one pair of lungs to still have a large heart intact. Our medical director gently removed it and we passed it around, you could look right down the aorta and see and touch the aortic valve, we then disected th eheart, we could see and touch the chordae tendineae, and the bicuspid and trucuspid valves. It was an amazing experience and great refresher. I will post some pictures of skills day soon...

new hopes, new aspirations

2010-04-12T06:23:00.000-04:00

So I have begun to realize that this blog is a mess of sorts. I don't stick to any certain topics, and I honestly am ok with that. The idea of my blog was just a place where I could write stuff out to get it out of my head and off my chest. I have been selective in my personal life who has access to this blog but dont seem to care that any other bloggers might find it and read it. Today I reached a long time awaited goal of mine. I have been a "big" girl for a while. I reached my heaviest weight in the winter of 2008 at 318lbs. I had always promised myself I would never let myself reach 300, and I didnt stick to that. I have struggled with my weight sine I was approx 10 years old. In high school I began to get it under control by playing volleyball my freshman year. My sophomore year I didnt make the team, (major defeat #1)but I was still trying by running a mile a day, until I was chased down and tripped on purpose by a kid on roller blades with a hockey stick. That was major defeat #2 After that I quit trying. I used to sneak snacks and sodas at home, I'd go to fast food drive thrus between school and dinner time, Id go out with friends for food after dinner in the evenings. My parents tried several things to help me. They tried telling me the reason I didnt have many friends was because of my weight, they tried bribing me with a car if I lost weight. They tried to verbally remind me at meal times what I should be eating or drinking and how much and about not eating second helpings, all those things did was make me angry, angry at them, andgy at myself, and angry at the world. When it came time college I chose one far from home, to get away and have an excuse to not be there. I was suddenly in complete control of my actions. I ate and drank whatever I chose whenever I chose. I stayed on a plataeu for a while. 5 yrs of college came and went and I had slowly gained weight, throughout the next 3 years, during college I had made some friends and lost some friends. I joined the fire department early on in college and got involved in EMS. I tried several things to help control my weight and health and failed miserably on my own due to lack of motivation, lack of self respect, and lack of self discipline. I tried working out with some of the boys at the fire department but knew everytime I tried something and couldnt keep up or had difficulties they were making fun of me behind my back and that feeling of defeat washed over me again, just like back in high school. Then I met someone, someone who I would have done anything for, who I wanted to do everything for. He made me more happy than I ever could have imagined. We spent all ofour spare time together and became very close. We had several discussions about us and where we saw our relationship going and he expressed his concern for my health in several conversations. It felt like it became a game of "if you change, if you lose weight, then we can be together" I know he was conerned but he had poor ways of showing it. We constantly ate fast food instead of cooking in, instead of encouraging us to go on a walk we stayed in, sitting in silence or watching a movie or studying. I am not blaming him for my problem but I place blame on him for leaving when I had not changed. I became depressed. I was alone, I was overweight, and I was putting on an act that I didnt care about either. The more I tried to hide it the worse my depression became. I began to notice myself becoming even less active, eating more junk, and taking worse care of myself physically. I was still capable of getting out of bed and showering and getting myself to work and school, but outside of that I holed myself up in my bedroom with whatever snack food I was craving and had gotten a hold of with my TV shows or my computer and I quit answering the phone, I would answer text messages but was in no mood or condition to socialize with anyone.

In January of 2009 I turned a new leaf. I had discovered I had exceeded my 300lb maximum. I had started a new job in the Paramedic field in September of 2008, in October 2008 I fell and completely tore a ligament in my ankle and fx it as well. It was during my time in physical therapy I began to think about what this injury could mean for my career and if it would have been less severe if I was not as obese. My physical therapy proved to be a challenge many times due to my ankle instability and my size. I realized during PT just how much I hate seeing myself in a mirror when I forced to practice some PT in front of one and in front of other pts. It was then that I decided I wanted to better, I needed to better myself, this time for me. Not for my parents, not for my best friend, but for me. So I started paying attention to what I was eating, when I was eating, and how much I was eating. It amazing how just doing that little bit can make a difference. After making a few residential moves I now live close enough to work that I can walk to work in 7-8 min. I have been trying to better myself and to not allow myself to make up any excuses, because God know I am way too good at that. In the last 6 months I have somehow slimmed down to 299 lbs, a number i had been waiting to see for a while now. Just last week I decided it was time to step up the game plan. I have decided to oust soft drinks....it has been tough, I need my caffeine that I am oh so addicted to. I am also trying to get into a routine of walking appprox 30 min hopefully 3 times a week. I would like to get down to 275 lbs by my next birthday, September 14th. I am not sure I can do this, but I want to..... So here's to life, here's to living, and trying to right so many bad habits...

It's not my emergency!

2010-03-31T00:36:00.002-04:00

Have you ever thought this? I have used that phrase myself, several times (and with more than one meaning at times). Steve Whitehead put it into a great post right here and I suggest you go check it out!

does (apparatus) color matter?

2010-03-28T21:23:00.000-04:00

We are all taught from the beginning of our experiences that safety is number one in our professions. Personal safety, crew safety, patient safety, scene safety…you know it.
I was sitting at work the other day and it came up in discussion that one of the local fire departments was ordering a new fire engine and had decided to go with black as the main color. Yup BLACK. The first thing that came to my mind was how is anyone going to see them on a scene at night? While I understand that light reflecting tape is used on emergency units along with multiple lights for safety, I still didn’t think that black was a safe choice of color for a piece of equipment like a fire engine. This conversation got the mouse wheel in my mind going, and I couldn’t stop myself from doing a little online research on the subject. I found plenty of information to include a slideshow presentation and eventually stumbled upon this very detailed and informing document from FEMA.
The reading is a little dry but I learned a few things about the different kinds of reflective striping and how each works individually plus I learned about NFPA standards/recommendations.
The conclusion of my research is although a black engine may look sweet it definitely is not safe, no matter how much scotchlite or how many lights you put on it. The best bet is to stick to the red, orange, slime/ yellow, or even white for the best visibility and conspicuity on scene.

little work rant followed w/ needing your EMS advice...

2010-03-24T05:22:00.000-04:00

I have always been a believer of "God doesn't give you anything you can't handle", "what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger", and "everything happens for a reason". For whatever reason I have continued to carry these beliefs through all phases in my life, from growing up to college, to my professional life. I know there are going to be times when I don't have a clue as to what I am supposed to do about a pt, but I am sure that most of the time I will fall back on my basic instincts. Tonight I had another one of those "oh sh*t" calls that when I look back on and talk with my co-workers (medics and doctors) that I know I did what I could with what I had in the amount of time I had. I just get really frustrated when I meet up with a BLS unit and they have nothing done for a critical pt, no history, no oxygen, no vitals. Oh wait, they had a grocery bag full of pill bottles for me. They were so concerned with this pts condition that they walked hin to the ambulance start towards the hospital that is opposit the direction I am coming from then realize Im 5 blocks behind them and cant catch up, so they stop and wait and then have none of the above mentioned done. But when you are called for a SOB and your pt is cyanotic from the nipples to the top of his head, i think any oxygen will help and walking him to the unit won't. Just saying...

I try not to get frustrated on these kind of calls. I try to use calls as teachings for these kind of EMTs who are new or just don't know what to do. During the critical calls I direct and after I try and teach, by explaining why I did or didnt do something or explaining why I did a 12-lead or why I didnt/did run lights and sirens to the hospital,, etc. I also take the time to answer any questions the EMTs may have which usually include "Did I do what i could/should have?" "or is there anything else I could/should have done?" and I answer them truthfully but without sounding like an egotistical jerk. I find that the next time I run a call with those EMTs they tend to be a little more comfortable with me and they have the things we talked about done, they have the pt on O2, they have a BP for me, or pt history for me.

I am sure Im not the only provider who runs into this. Any tips on how I can better this where I run? It happens with a lot of EMTs. Maybe some kind of "asisting the medic" class or something?

family

2010-03-15T01:08:00.000-04:00

I am jonesing for family time. I dont know how else to put it. I talked to my Mom and Dad on the phone last night and daily text my sisters. I follow the lives of my brother and his wife and kids on their blog, thanks to my SIL for keeping that up! I don't really keep tabs on the other brother, read his wife's FB every now and then. I promised myself I would have more family time this year, but I havent been home since Christmas. I am making time next month to drive home and spend 2 days there.
I miss my baby sister, I miss my dad, my neice, nephew, everyone! Just a few more weeks and hopefully I will get to see all of them for my Mom's birthday....

wow...

2010-03-09T23:50:00.000-05:00

thats the only word I could come up with when I read about this...

Talk about an interesting call....

formspring.me

2010-03-09T05:29:00.001-05:00

Ask me anything http://formspring.me/wvmedicgirl

Thank you for involving me

2010-03-08T00:21:00.001-05:00

I am so new to this blogging thing. Or at least I feel so new. I have been reading the numerous posts that resulted from the biggest fire/ems blogger meet up ever and it just makes me feel like a very small part of such a huge thing. While I was like the teeny bopper meeting a rockstar or a movie star, every single person I met was so nice. I got hugs from people who I have been follwing online for ages. I know they had no idea who I was and I am sure they will be quick to forget that they even met me, they have forever made an impression on me. And while I feel I made several new network contacts, I know I made one new friend. April (known as Epi_junky) made the experience for me, and she probably has no idea. I simply offered her a semi-warm house to crash in, on a comfy sofa, and offered some cookies that well, I was pretty proud of (it was the first time I had ever baked cookies from scratch). I followed her around like a little lost but star struck puppy all day in Baltimore. If it had not been for her, I probably would never have even actually gone to Baltimore. The minute she arrived at my house and we said our hellos it was like she was a friend I had had for many years. She was kind enough to make sure I got introduced to all the "big names" we ran into. And again, while they knew who she was right away, I was not greeted with any less enthusiasm. And by golly I may only have 2 blog followers, but I felt like I was on top of the world several times on Friday. For the first time ever I felt like I was actually involved in something that was changing the EMS world that I have chosen to be a part of.

So thank you to all of the folks who include, but are not limited to (sorry if I forgot anyone), the following: Epi_junky (April Aaling), UKmedic999 (Mark Glensourse), thehappymedic(Justin Schorr), Tony Oliverio, Jared Scott, geekymedic, setla (Thaddeus Setla), Ambulance Driver (Kelly Grayson), ckempt (Chris Kaiser), natemt_b (Nate) and so many others. Thank you again fro making me feel part of such a large thing!

ponderings on my career...

2010-03-07T23:55:00.000-05:00

The news tonight of a paramedic killed simply because he was doing his job has really hit me hard. I can't imagine, trying to help a suicidal pt, trying to convince them that life is worth living, to have them attack you and ultimately kill you.

I have been in EMS for about 7 years. I have not seen many gruesome things, I have not run many "bad" calls. I consider myself blessed for this. It keeps me loving this job, being the "sparky medic". I am far from burnout at this point thanks to this. The down side is when I do get one of those career or life alterating calls how will I do? Will I be prepared? Will I know what to do? Will I make the right decisions? I guess I truly won't know until it happens.

For now I do what I feel needs done for my patient. I am thankful for the docs here who are very cool with us smudging that medical command line. I do however find myself reviewing my protocols after many calls, especially if I find myself second guessing if I should have given that drug I was hesitant to or if I should have done more or less. I always try to err on the patient safety side. This has kept me out of court and still with a job this long. I am still hungry for more knowledge, for more experience. Knowledge is easy to find, even more so now that I have expanded into the blogger world and made some amazing contacts at EMS Today this year in Baltimore. The experience side still leaves me hungry for more. I want to experience more, heck I'd even settle for observing more. Anyone interested in having a medic ride along?? Hit me up and let me know!

education oppotunity

2010-02-25T16:15:00.000-05:00

This week i am attending the ESCAPe conference in Pipestem, WV. It involves taking several short EMS related classes during the day and socializing in the evenings, and so far I'm having a blast. I've taken some good classes so far and some good ones to come I hope. I've been running into old friends and making new ones. God I miss WV!! Today I took 4 classes: therapuetic electrocution, a new look on pacing (and was warned that the ACLS police may arrest us if we try what we learned), a refresher on diabetic patients, a refresher on spinal motion restriction, and an indepth look at pediatric fevers. Classes run 9-5, socializing starts around 7 or 8....hotel is 20 min from conference center and it's been snowing all day....there is a winter weather watch in effect til Sunday and they are calling for up to 24 inches of snow....ugh!!! I REALLY hate snow....

personal rant...

2010-02-22T23:39:00.000-05:00

I have been living with my roommate who is also my best friend for about 7 months now. I had always heard that living with your best friend never works out, and while I had tried living with friends beofre and never lasted an extended period of time, this time felt different. I guess the "honeymoon period" is coming to a quick close. In the last month I have noticed that either 1) she is doing more things that annoy me than beofre or 2) Im finally noticing things that she does that annoy the piss out of me.

The biggest beef I have lately is that I have begun to notice just how self absorbed she can be. While if I needed money, a ride, a fresh uniform at work, or dinner brought to me she would do it, but when it comes to other things that are not so materialistic she thinks only of herself. And when I point out to her the effects of her action or decisions had on me or anyone else I get one of 2 responses: 1) "I didnt think about that" or 2):well, theres nothing I can do about it now, Im sorry" or something along those lines.

The latest decisions affect not only me but a few other people. While I tend to hang with an older crowd I am used to having male and female friends who are married, and with that comes an almost special set of rules, especially when it comes to married male friends. I have learned the hard way that some men will be dogs, married or not and you can get yourself into a sticky situation very quickly without even knowing it until you are waist high in it. She recently has become close to a paticular married guy friend. This paticular guy is a newly wed, married a mere 6 months. His wife is also a friend of mine, and she has had her share of bad relationships and now is self-conscious about her significant other. My roommate has been doing a lot of texting and talking to this guy, enough that his wife has noticed the amount and has become concerned. She mentioned her concern to husband and when did not get a satisfactory response she expressed her concern to me in hopes that I would mention it to my friend and things could get fixed then, with no hurt feelings or awkward experiences.
Well, it didnt work. My RM decided to not listen to anything I had to say. After several conversations being the go between I decided to remove myself from the situation and told all parties involved I wished to be nuetral, and not part of any future parts. This has not worked either. Just tonight I received a msg from the wife about finding her husband at our house sitting on our couch in a pair of pants and no shirt, his shirt and shoes were in her bedroom....I am just at my wits end....this is only part of a complicated week. There are quite a few things that go into play here, but Im too exhausted just thinking about it. I blame myself for part of it. I just want to rewind about 2 weeks and start over from there and maybe things would be different if I had made a different decision. If I had paid more attention to a few details. While I am not perfect and don't claim to be, for I have definitly made enough bad decisions of my own in the past and sure to make more in the future, I dont want my best friend to make any decisions that she will regret later, but I can only do so much......

my worst EMS nightmare

2010-02-22T23:12:00.000-05:00

I mentioned a few posts back that my worst EMS nightmare to date had happened, but at the time I was unable to talk about it. At this point everyone in the local EMS community knows about it, so I suppose it's ok now.

I often do ALS tranports out of the emergency room that I work in. We typically either call one of our own medics in or one of the 3 of us on shift will go, but only for the ALS transports out of our own ER. This was the case the night of "the incident". I took a very stable trauma pt with a head bleed to a trauma center about an hour away. The local BLS transport company sent 2 people on their ambulance. They and I loaded my gear on their truck and we got the patient situated and off we went. The call went without any complications. Upon leaving the trauma center, one of BLS employees offered me to ride shotgun, and I happily accepted. We had an uneventful trip back, put my gear back and finished the rest of my shift, no problems yet again. I got home the next morning and got ready for bed. I had no sooner got situated in my PJs in my comfy bed when my cell rings and I looked at caller ID to see the bossman calling me (this is a rarity, especially using his own phone). He began questioning me about the transport I took, which gear set I used and any procedures or tratments I may have performed during said transport. I explained I only monitored the pt on the cardiac monitor and vital signs, no other treatment or procedures were needed. I was then advised that there were narcotics missing from the gear I had used, and thatthey had been accounted for at the begining of my shift but when day shift was doing their rig check it was discovered that 3 vials of narcs were missing. I immediately got out of bed, got dressed and headed back into work. I eded up spending about 4 hours with my boss, police and simply just waiting. I gave a written statement to my boss, one to police and was interviewed by local police, video tapes were reviewed of both facilities to ensure the theft didnt happen while the ambulance was unattended.

The end line of the story is that while suspicion was high, it couldnt be proven. I was never considered the culprit, and my boss had my back 100%.
Since then the way we store, count, and track our narcs has changed and I have become even more anal retentive about my narcotics.

I'll admit it, I'm a cardiac chicken...

2010-02-09T23:43:00.001-05:00

McDreamy Partner goes out for a chest pain in the middle of nowhere in the middle of a blizzard, you guessed it, guy was having an inferior MI. McDP brings pt to the local hospital due to road conditions, we can at least stabalize and get thrombolytics on board, pt found to be having an inferior as well as a RVI...the docs originally decide to admit to CCU here until they can get him transferred to Big City Hospital for a cath. Third Partner says he has connections and can arrange for state DOT plow trucks to lead the way all the way to Big City for the ambulance, so everything gets arranged and the question is asked, which of us wants to go with the local FD ambulance with this guy. There are 3 of us, we all have the same education, 2 of us with less experience, I admit, I was chicken, I didnt want to take this unstable pt in a major snowstorm, partner 2 says the last AMI he had in the last snow storm coded on him in the town square and he is still shell shocked (I DID transport that one in the midst of the last snowstorm) and so we talked partner 3 into going, after all, he has more experience....

I would have taken it if no other choice....but I guess my thought was it was in the patient's best interest for the most experienced medic to go, right??

I still tend to get a little gun shy with cardiac patients, even after 2 1/2 years of being a paramedic.....it doesn't seem to matter how many ACLS or 12-lead classes I sit through....Any helpful advice is welcome.....

have you had your eyes checked lately?

2010-01-25T03:37:00.001-05:00

Heres what could happen if you dont get your eyes checked regularly.

want to pull my hair out!

2010-01-25T01:24:00.003-05:00

well, last week I had my "worst EMS nightmare" happen to me. I can't really say anymore than that right now, but I can say it resulted in us having a few policy changes and hopefully some bigger, better changes for us, the hospital I work for and for our patients. I am also happy to say that I am glad to have the boss that I do. He probably doesnt realize just how much he is respected. Heck, I look up to him as not only a boss, but a great paramedic. And I am very appreciative for the co-workers who, although can give a hard time, helped me through the last week.

ILYGM!!

pants on the ground....

2010-01-25T01:19:00.001-05:00

Finally got to see what all the hype was about "pants on the ground"

well, I have to say I was crying I was laughing so hard....God bless that man!!

Soldier penpal updates

2010-01-19T02:54:00.002-05:00

I have been doing really well on sending packages to my penpal and my friend overseas. Nolan is my adoptee and Chas is a friend from back home. I have had so much fun preparing packages for them over the last few months. I was so excited about my Christmas boxes. I decorated the inside of the boxes with wrapping paper and filled them with holiday treats like sugar cookies, gingerbread men, candy canes, those little chocolate coins, M&Ms, tinsel, and about a dozen hand-made Christmas cards. My roommate and I spent hours hand making Christmas cards that we decided to send to a few soildiers who may not get anything for the holidays to remind them that they are being though of and are GREATLY appreciated for their sacrifice for our freedom.
I still have not heard back from Nolan, but I know they can be busy. Chas on the other hand has been fantastic about shooting me a quick message a Myspace everytime he receives a letter or package from me to let me know it got there. :) Chas made it home last week for a 2 week leave. He mentioned he may make it in my general direction to visit family and might try to swing a visit to me in. I would be DELIGHTED!!

Again, anyone who wants to help support out troops one soldier at a time, let me know and Id be glad to help out!!

I am looking forward to my "january" box, I have gotten into the trend of decorating the boxes for the next holiday, so January's box theme will be Valentines day, can you say lots of red and pink hearts and those little candy hearts? LOL Im told chocolate doesnt fair real well over there due to the heat.

college is back in...

2010-01-15T04:00:00.003-05:00

Well, you can tell that the college kids are back in town, and partying hard....class officially started back up on Wednesday...it's thursday night and we have already gone out to pick up 2 at the dorms and one came in to the ER pov, puking all over the waiting room and her ER room....

upper respiratory funk stinks!

2010-01-10T00:10:00.003-05:00

I am so tired of this upper respiratory "funk" I have had this nagging crap since December 13th! I have had antibiotics, albuterol, prednisone, cough syrup with codeine, and tons of Vitamin C cough drops, chloraseptic cough drops, and Thera flu cold and flu medicine....ugh!

you know it's bad when....

2010-01-04T03:12:00.002-05:00

wow, my 100th post!

You know its bad when you come to work and your boss suggests that you go hide in the backroom and give yourself an albuterol treatment....

Im ready to feel better any day now!

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T23:18:00.004-05:00

I hope that everyone can be as thankful I am for the last year. 2009 brought a lot of joy and lot of heartache and dissapointment. I learned a lot. I have continued to learn about myself and continued shaping myself into the person I want to be. I am looking forward to 2010 to see what it holds.

I am ringing in the new year with one of my biggest blessings of 2009, my roommate, my best friend, Sara.

I wish everyone a great year and please, if you're going to drink, be responsible! If you need a ride please call me!!!

Happy New Year!!!

feeling better

2009-12-29T06:14:00.003-05:00

Well, I am feeling better, I suppose thats a good thing. Although Im pretty sure I do have pink eye in BOTH eyes, Im heading to the doc this morning for the sore throat.

Besides that is has been an uneventful week at work....I am pulling a rare day shift on New Years Eve....so we shall see how that goes.

Thanks for reading!

when it rains it pours

2009-12-26T19:17:00.003-05:00

Well folks, it seems that when it rains it pours with me....

I absolutely hate being sick. I used to be a pretty big baby when I got sick, but lately I have been doing better. Now I just need to decide where the line is for calling into work.

Last week I had some congestion ( for the 4th time this season) and a sore throat, worked 3 nights before it got so bad I couldnt stand it, had a fever the last 2 nights I worked, turns out it was strep throat....who knew? Got 5 days of antibiotics and was good as new, for a few days....then the throat started back up, the congestion never went away, and then the icing on the cake, I woke up today to my left eye lid being swollen and my eye all weepy. I put some eye drops in it, and now its dry but still swollen....I probably shouldnt be at work...but here I am anyways....

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

2009-12-24T06:22:00.000-05:00

Whats your EMS opinion?

2009-12-14T19:20:00.002-05:00

Well, work has been pretty calm. I had a few days to think about my last few serious calls. I am constantly reminded that I do know what I am doing, although I don't always feel like it. I had an interesting OD call the other day that I wasn't really sure if I did the appropriate thing. Although I have been working in PA for over a year I still sometime revert to the protocols that were engrained in my mind originally (which would be WV...which limit a provider). I was dispatched for a male in his 30s who took an unknown amount of Seroquel. Upon my assessment my pt states he took several different kind of pills, at least 3 different colored pills. The EMTs had gathered pill bottles for me before rendevousing with me and all the bottle they had were Seroquel, all stating the pills were either white or yellow. The pt reported taking several large pink pills as well, the wife stated maybe some Lamictal.
Pt was initially A&Ox4 and stated he felt high, loopy, and nauseated. He attempted to induce vomiting before calling 911, no luck. In PA ALS providers do not carry or administer charcoal, some BLS units do and can give it with approval of medical command. BLS put pt on oxygen and called for ALS. Throughout tx pt became slower to respond to questions and began to get sleepy. Pt could be aroused by a gantle shake to the shoulder but was unable to stay awake for long periods of time and when he talked his speech became more and more slurred, his oxygen saturations also began to decrease as did his respirations. I ended up giving 1 mg Narcan, just to see if it might help, his oxygen saturations came up but he still remained with slurre speech and sleepiness.

When I got back I talked to one of my medic partners who has been a round for a while and she said she wouldnt have even given the 1 mg in case he became violent...

What do you all think?

off day...

2009-12-02T05:20:00.005-05:00

So I have to say Im officially having an "off" day. My shift tonight started out BUSY. We as the medics didnt have any calls, but the ER was swamped, and on divert for at least 6 hours. Things eventually calmed down and I was really getting into the game I was playing onmy laptop when the tones sound for an unconscious male, and it was my turn to take a call. As I am enroute further from dispatch is possible cardiac arrest. I keep waiting for the ambulance to mark up, and I wait, and I wait, and I wait. I request PD while Im enroute to the scene (fearing I will be left attempting a code by myself, I assume they can at least provide some man power). I arrive to find a rather large man in his 30s in cardiac arrest with 2 obviously distraught female bystanders.
Long story short: I get a bystander to help me with CPR for 5-7 min until another medic and PD and BLS crews show up. Pt is DRT, in asystole. I attempted an intubation, get no breath sounds but get gurgling, and then stomach distention. So I try a King, no distention this time but only gurgling and no air movement in lungs, so I try the fix all of airway devices, the S.A.L.T.....and still NOTHING, only copious amounts of vomit! My medic partner takes a look and sinks a tube....WTH?!?!?

We get to the ED and of course the doc calls it within 2 min. Then they start examining the body and they find track marks that I would never have seen in a house lit by one 30 watt bulb lamp and they find ice, yes ice cubes, down this guys pants (I had heard of this but never experienced it for myself....) So who knows??

It really affected me that I was unable to get the airway on this pt. I have no idea what, if anything, I was doing improperly and would it have made a difference? Oh, and of course it didnt cross my mind to give narcan a shot....I have been a medic for 29 months now and I still feel so insecure at times....

familiar conversation....

2009-12-02T01:05:00.001-05:00

I found this through a post from AD, and got so much enjoyment, I felt the need to pass this gem along....

EMS safety...well said AD!

2009-11-25T06:23:00.003-05:00

Surfing through my regular blogs this morning and Kelly Grayson, aka Ambulance Driver, or AD, hits the nail on the head in his latest article on EMS1.com. Any EMS provider should not only read this but take it into serious consideration for the safety of ourselves and our partners.

Conversation in triage tonight

2009-11-23T22:19:00.002-05:00

Conversation in triage tonight:
me: (lookint at todays paper) I cant believe Imissed the guys in kilts atthe parade this weekend, all because I slept in...(sarcastically)
Triage nurse: what? you think its sexy or something? men in skirts?
me: oh yea, very sexy...
TN: at least you know they dont have sweaty balls...
me: (sing-song) do your balls hang low do they wobble to and fro...(laughing)
TN: you know theirs do!
(both laughing, me crying from laughing...)

Guess you had to be there.... ;)

never gets easier

2009-11-23T15:40:00.003-05:00

I have been a part of the EMS world for over 6 years now, and today I realized some things just never get easier. I currently work in a hospital based system, which means we get the opportunity rotate though triage for 4 hours every 12 hour shift. Today I am working a 16 and somehow wrangled 8 hours in triage. (It's really not too bad some days) Well, my fellow paramedic brought in a cardiac arrest who was a rather young pt, in their 30s. The call came in as a seizure but upon BLS arrival it was a cardiac arrest. The crews did their best but was unable to resuscitate. His buddy rode in on the ambulance with him, but family was completely unaware of what was going on. About 30 min after he was called in the ER family showed up, were shown to the consult room and the doctor went to talk to them, you could here the cries and screams of grief clear out in the waiting room. It never gets any easier at the point. I can handle a pt not making it, I have done it several times, but when the family can't handle it or handles it badly it is like daggars to my heart...

soldier's angel update

2009-11-23T00:35:00.002-05:00

Ok, so a while ago I mentioned I had 2 military penpals, well the one I was emailing just stopped....the other one I failed. I was terrible at sending consistent letters and packages. I got discouraged because I never heard back from him. Well I just got an email that he is on mailstop now and is supposed to be returning home in December. I have decided to try a new "adoptee" and to be better with this one. I got his name and address tonight and have written my first letter to send in the mail tomorrow morning. The group I get these names from frowns on passing the address out to "strangers" but I am more than willing to accept and send anything anyone might want to send, just let me know! The more the merrier!!

more thanks

2009-11-17T03:54:00.001-05:00

I am thankful today for good work relationships with my fellow coworkers....it makes for a much easier shift when you not only enjoy their company but know they have your back in any situations.

love notes from the nurses

2009-11-17T03:48:00.004-05:00

If you can't read it, it says:
"Tiny insects brains can solve big problems"
then handwritten below says:
"See? Even the medics can accomplish something!"

This was a love note from one of my favorite RNs here at work that I came back to after a call tonight.

It's such a shame that she will soon be leaving the dark side of the ER for dayshift. I am definitly going to miss her love notes and her humor!! Thanks Sue!!!

be careful what you wish for

2009-11-16T03:30:00.004-05:00

When I was in high school I went through a phase where I decided I did not like original spelling of my name. I guess I wanted to feel unique. The proper spelling of my name, given to me at birth is Stephanie. In high school (around the age of 15 maybe) I decided to start spelling it Steffanie. My parents and family did not like the idea of this. I went through this phase for a long time. My mother eventuallynhumored me and somehow the whole family began spelling my name Steffanie. It was as if someone passed a memo around to the family. When I got to college I continued this phase, confusing many professors, teachers, officers at the firehouse, and other new people who thought someone else made a mistake, since all of my "official" paperwork had my name spelled Stephanie. Well, about a year ago, maybe even two, I realized how silly this "phase" was. I began to respect my birthright, I guess you would call it, and began using the spelling of my name given to me at birth. I am now 25. The odd thing is, the majority of my family is still spelling my name Steffanie, even though I have been using the proper spelling on all cards, gifts, and our family website for the last year or so. I guess it's true you should be careful what you wish for....

giving thanks

2009-11-16T03:13:00.003-05:00

ok, so I am double counting on this post...this is my "thanks" post for yesterday (the 15th) and today (the 16th) so that I dont keep feeling like Im a day behind.

for the 15th: Im thankful that I had a warm place to sleep today and a for the hot shower I had before work.

16th: Today Im going to be thankful for meeting new people....I believe people are brought into our lives for one reason or another....its figuring out what that reason is thats sometimes the hard part.

compliments

2009-11-15T03:07:00.002-05:00

I am not the kind of person who receives a lot of compliments, or if I do I don't realize it...but today I received what I feel was a major compliment, not just me as a person, but me as a paramedic.

I was working tonight, a shift I normally don't work, but switched shifts for a fellow medic, and we were sitting at the nurses' station, just chit chatting, when one of the nurses (well she is a nurse practitioner now) mentioned they were hiring a medical assistant at her office, I was getting the info for a friend that I thought would be interested. She mentioned the pay "isn't that great", when I asked how much she said it was $12.00/hr. I was astonished folks, thats almost as much as I make as a medic at the hospital. She couldn't believe me, and gave the compliment that we, as medics should be making much more than $14-15/hr.

For now, I'm just going to have sweet dreams about that and continue working my 2 lower paying jobs...

giving thanks....

2009-11-15T02:54:00.004-05:00

With Thanksgiving just around the corner I have seen a lot of media online about being thankful...I am going to attempt to list at least one thing a day I am thankful from now until the big Turkey day.

Today (well, 11/14/2009....)

I am thankful that father lived to see another year in his life, and that he is the best dad I could have been blessed with.

I am thankful for my "girlmate", my best friend and roommate, Sara. While we are two completely different people, we make great roommates and even better friends, she is definitly one of those people I can not imagine what my life would be like without her being in it. She is intelligent, is beautiful both inside and out, unique, and eccentric in her own way. I think living together is a new learning experience everyday. Sara- thanks for being my friend!!

Thats all I'll write about today....stay tuned for more to come!

Any EMS providers...Help!

2009-11-11T02:03:00.003-05:00

I have seen a few of my colleagues carrying the best thing..its a mini metal clip board, maybe 5 in x 4 in in size at the most. the top flip opens and is used to open the "clip" that holds the papers inside. Our protocols fit perfectly in this plus paper to jot down the essentials. I have looked everywhere online I can think of and can not find one. And no one seems to remember where they got them, all they know id they have had them "forever"....I had never seen them before working in Pennsylvania...if anyone else has seen these or knows where I can get one, please let me know!! Thanks!
Stay safe....

When do you know you have had too much to drink?

2009-11-09T00:17:00.004-05:00

When your friends have to literally drag you home, your teacher from school sees this, calls 911, the fire department and paramedic shows up to carry your unconscious body down a flight of stairs to the ambulance, takes you to the hosiptal where you end up intubated....thats right, intubated because you didn't know when to stop.

And since you are only 17 they have called the helicopter to come get you to transfer you to a facility who can care for a "pediatric" pt on a vent....

UPDATE:
11/11/2009
This guy walkd into the ER today looking for his clothes from last week, he turned out alright....hopefully he learned his lesson!

angry

2009-11-08T15:45:00.005-05:00

Today I am angry.

Im not sure exactly why. I woke up before my alarm, not neccissarily a good thing.
I found my roommate gone when I woke up, found she had gone to her parents. I thought we were going to hang out and do laundry today...

I have a few insecurities and my personal safety is one of them, when I found that my roommate had left the garage door wide open when she left to go to her parents today I found myself extremely angry...I felt like my personal safety had been violated, I was left sleeping in a house that was completely unsecured. (I am one of those people who check the locks on the door at least 2 times before going to bed and have been known to lock my bedroom as well.) I sleep like a rock, I would have known no difference if someone had walked into our house until it was too late. Did I mention my car (which is only a year old) was sitting unlocked in the garage, my keys (and my purse) sitting on the kitchen counter just inside the door?

Then I had to go to the laundrymat....I hate crowds, I hate strangers walking up to me and making small talk....(I know, I have issues...)I take my laptop and occupy my time there playing online and blogging usually, and usually it works so strangers will leave alone....but of course not today....sone guy decides today would be a good day to try and small talk after changing the football game I was half paying attention to so that he can watch his NASCAR....and then feels the need to talk football with me....ugh....

ok, so Im in a "off" mood today....maybe a cup of coffee will help, hope I shake this pissiness off before work tonight....

short rant

2009-11-03T03:08:00.002-05:00

Working as a paramedic out of an ER has its pros and cons. Im not here to list them right now, just to rant about one con....

They put us here to "help out" in between calls, but when you go into a room to help with a hyperventilating teenage girl and get glared at by the brand spanking new RN its a bit frustrating.She and I were helping another nurse who was trying to talk to the pt. She had just untangled the cords when I told her if she would hand me a gown I could help the pt change she snottily (yes i just made that up)looked at me and said "I will as soon as I am done" then gave me the "I am holier than thou lowly paramedic" look....I have never had a problem with this person until today....I guess we all have bad days, but don't take it out on the people who are trying to help you.

Friendly reminders

2009-11-01T01:27:00.003-04:00

Don't forget to change your clocks and also the batteries in your smoke detectors and CO detectors, etc.

Oh and please enjoy your halloween, but be responsible, especially when consuming alcohol.........and please don't drink and drive!!

"Trauma" gets DNR

2009-10-31T21:25:00.001-04:00

SAN FRANCISCO — NBC's "Trauma", the freshman paramedic drama that stirred up controversy in the EMS industry over its less-than-accurate representation of the profession, has been cancelled by the network. The show will complete its 13-episode run, but will cease production after that.

The show, which was reportedly one of NBC's priciest new series, failed to capture an audience — either with the mainstream public or the EMS community. Monday’s episode of "Trauma" drew just 5.8 million total viewers.

Unlike the beloved "Emergency!", the seminal EMS drama from the 1970's, many in the EMS community felt the show did a disservice to EMS professionals by highlighting lurid and sensational — as well as medically questionable — scenarios, including ambulance sex and drunk driving.

The depiction drew immediate criticism from EMS leadership, with both NAEMT and IAFC’s EMS Section firing off letters to the producers of the show protesting the creative direction.

In his letter, the IAFC's EMS Section chair Gary Ludwig called the show "an injustice to the many professionals who work in emergency medical services," before adding, "I would ask that either the show be cancelled or modified to accurately portray the sacrifice of those who perform emergency medical services to comfort and treat those who have suffered a serious trauma or illness."

The show will be replaced by "Chuck" in NBC’s Monday night lineup.

Single Ladies

2009-10-31T01:10:00.002-04:00

Check out this remix of "Single Ladies" by Pomplamoose

2009-10-25T04:45:00.004-04:00

Mom, I can understand that letting your child go away to school can be worrisome....but is it necessary to drive 2 hours to be with your daughter who is in the ER to get 3 stitches in her finger?

back from vacation

2009-10-21T09:27:00.005-04:00

Took a week and went to the beach with a few girlfriends and had a blast. Didnt do much of anything...mostly read, lounged around, managed to squeeze in a manicure and pedicure and even a haircut...

These are the dogs that got to vacation with us, Harley on the left and Mox on the right. They are great dogs!!

Here is a view from our back upper deck. We stayed in ahouse on Topsail Island, NC. The weather was nice for a few days but we had a few rainy ones too. We could see dolphins from our back door.

But all good things must come to an end and here I am back at work, covered yesterday for a fellow medic who is sick and today am working a 24. Im looking forward to the nice weather that is predicted for today.

Island time

2009-10-12T21:15:00.002-04:00

I arrived to Topsail Island, NC safe and sound after a rainy 460 mile drive....Im here for the week with 7 other girls....looking forward to doing absolutely NOTHING all week!!

Trauma

2009-10-07T04:08:00.001-04:00

watching Trauma finally for the first time....let's see what all the talk is about.....

S.A.L.T. (the newest addition to our intubation kit)

2009-10-07T03:42:00.003-04:00

Where I work fulltime I have the priledge of having a boss who is willing to give any of the new products a once over at least. We have had the opportunity to "play" with quite a few different items that he got a free sample of or that one of my fellow medics picked up at the last conference they went to. If something is introduced and it seems to catch more than only a few eyes, particulary those of our older medics, then we usually end up purchasing, if budget allows. (The only exception is out Zoll monitors....most of the medics I work with here aren't huge fans, yet we have 6 Zoll monitors....)

Anywho, these new SALT airway devices were introduced to us a few months ago and I guess there was enough interest piqued that we now officially have these in our airway kits and in stock. They are pretty nifty...we used them on "fred" in several positions....laying, seated, taped to the bottom of a table....and the results were amazing, even our medical director suggested we purchase these after he got his hands on one. We now keep them as a "backup" airway. So anyways, here is just one link to look at, trust me its worth the few minutes it may take!

Let me know what you think!

just another night at the looney bin...

2009-10-06T04:49:00.002-04:00

Its been a while since I have written and for that I apologize. I have not been seeing a lot of calls thanks due to night shift, but most of what I do get are legit ALS calls, car wrecks with drunks and people not bothering the 2 seconds and minor inconvience of a seatbelt and now with the weather turning getting some more respiratory pt. I did have an interesting call last night.

Dispatched priority one for a female c/o neck pain and slurred speech, possible ETOH on board, PD being dispatched.

I arrive right behind the BLS ambulance. EMT1 (a new medic student) and his partner EMT2 get out and #1 starts walking towards the apartment complex empty handed...no bag, no stretcher, nada but #2 and I decided to at least take the cot in...I look at #1 with a quizzical look, he says, "Its Joan*, trust me just leave your bag in your truck, she is staying here now instead of xyz street" (I have never had an encounter with Joan, but I later learned Im one of the few fortunate) We stand outside in the cold ringing the buzzer for the apt she is staying in with no answer. After a few minutes we radio dispatch who call back to the apt and we finally get buzzed in. We walk up to the apartment and Joan answers the door, looks at #1 and says, "I didnt ask for no damn stretcher, I just wanted to someone to check out my neck, I'm glad its you at least" and has this look in her eye.... Long story short, Joan was burnt a long time ago and has a scar on her neck and it had gotten dry from the dry air and it had started cracking and bleeding a little. She had no desire to go to the hospital, especially after asking who the doctor was, and when told who it was her response was "then HELL NO I definitly dont want to go"....meanwhile PD finally showed up and #2 and I had to hold our girly giggles as Joan crooned over #1 and then the young policeman who showed up. Did I mention this was all at 4AM???

I swear I love my job!!

*name changed for obvious reasons....

bday trip

2009-09-13T23:01:00.003-04:00

travelled to my folks place this weekend. yes, even with back pain, I couldnt resist making the trip because my mom, the wonderful mother she is, was baking me and my roommate a birthday cake (my bday is the 14th and my roomie's is the 23rd) and making favorite dish for dinner. So I popped a few of the pain killers the doc gave me, reclined the passenger seat of my own car (something I have rarely sat in) and let me roommate do all the driving for 250 miles while I was in and out of a conscious state, my roommate tells me I am rather hilarious when I am on drugs. The great roommate that she is did the same thing for me on the way home, although I managed more conscious time on the way back since I wasn't as "high", as she puts it. It was a great visit, just wish I could have seen the niece and nephew who were there last weekend...

pain in the...

2009-09-13T22:23:00.003-04:00

Night shift seems to be working well for me again so far. Last week I managed to tweek my back stepping out of the back of an ambulance only an hour into my 12 hour shift and spent the last 11 hours in pain, not even able to stand up straight, thank goodness we have "triage" time, I managed to get onr of the other guys to have his time so that I spent the last 8 hours of my shift trying to find the least painful way to sit in a chair. I sucked u p my pride and had the ER doc check me out after my shift and after some x rays was told it appears to be a pulled muscle and sciatica. I figured I didnt have to work again for 5 days, should be better by then. I was wrong. Its been 5 days and I am back at work, sitting my whole 12 hours in triage because I still can not stand up straight. I spent my days off taking pain pills and laying flat on my back on a heating pad sleeping on and off. I dont know what to do next....

pediatrics

2009-08-31T02:01:00.002-04:00

I had an interesting call the other day involving a pediatric.

Was dispatched for a 4 1/2 month old with breathing difficulty. The call was in the northern part of the county and I knew it would take me close to 15 or 20 minutes to get there but that the ambulance would get there much sooner. As dispatch kept updating me, it seemed the pt was getting worse. I pre-alrted and engaged a medevac prior to reaching the pt. Once arriving on scene I found a very sick, 9lb, 4 1/2 month old baby boy who had seen better days (I had hoped anywyas...). He had experienced quite a few problems in his short life span, to include some trachea and esophagus defects as well as some heart defects. (I learned a few new ten-dollar-words that day) Today he was having trouble simply breathing. Mom told me he had stopped breathing and she had to give him a few breaths to get him started again prior to calling 911. I can not even tell you the worries and thoughts racing through my mind. After assesing the baby I knew I had made the right decision calling for the medevac. It seemed like an eternity waiting for them about a mile from the pt house, although it was only about 12 minutes. While waiting the only thing I could do for this little guy was give him some oxygen and a couple breathing treatments to help him out a bit. I set out my infant BVM and intubation kit to ward of the evil spirits, which, thank goodness, worked.

Looking back I just had this feeling that maybe there was something more I could have or should have done, or that I should have donemore, faster. Im confident now I did all I could for him. The most disturbing thoughts are 1) This family lived so far away from the hospital with such a sick baby, and 2) I called to check on him the next day and they had not been able to figure out what caused him to stop breathing, all the tests had come back normal so far....

back to the bat cave...

2009-08-31T01:49:00.003-04:00

ok so its not exactly the bat cave...

Im back to working night shift. Im 7 hours into a 12 hour shift. We have only been dispatched to one call for a car into a utility pole, sounded pretty promising, sadly I was stuck sitting at the triage desk watching both my partners head out for the call. (someone has to hold things down back here I suppose)

I am grateful to be back on nights, or I think so for now. I am going to miss some of the daytime nurses that I seemed to have formed a relationship with. I initially thought I would absolutely hate day shift, but loking back, I actually enjoyed it. I got to run more calls, and have some learning experiences. I got to work with some nurses, doctors and paramedics I had not worked with before. I actually had enough time and energy after a shift to get things done at home, like mowing the lawn, or simply having dinner with my roommate and friends. On night shift I usually go straight home and crash, to get up and do it again, at least fr the 3 nights I usually work in a row. Guess we will have to see how things go. I have only had 3 cups of coffee thus far tonight and am doing better at 0200 than I thought I would be. I was pretty sure by time midnight rolled around I'd be dragging my feet.

On a personal note, I have been ill lately, not really sure whats going on, lots of interesting symptoms the strangest to me is that over the last 8-10 months I have noticed my body temp being low, around 96.4-96.8 on a regular basis. The doc initially thought it was my thyroid, everything came back normal (as it always has, even though I have had several docs think I have a thyroid problem). Guess we will just wait and see what the next step is.

Anywyas, you all stay safe out there, I'll keep you updated on how night shift is treating me

back to school?

2009-08-26T13:07:00.002-04:00

So I know its been awhile....went on vacation and have been back to work for a week now.

I have been doing a ton of thinking lately and I think Id like to go back to school and get a bachelors degree....I have a major in mind, something that was formerly foriegn to me, but that now spikes my interest. Im looking into an online program so that it wont interfere with work. I dont think I can do an in-class program, maybe blended....

we shall see, but I dont see me starting this fall (little late for that) Maybe winter or spring, but I definitly want to start by next fall

road trip

2009-08-11T14:55:00.002-04:00

Still nothing blog-worthy to write. Heading to Clanton, Alabama in the morning with my younger sister to go visit our older sister....maybe have some pictures to post next week.

update...sorry for taking so long

2009-08-04T18:15:00.003-04:00

I feel like its been a while since I last posted, but I really have not had anything to blog about. Days at work have been on the slow side, no really interesting calls, just working a lot of OT. There has been a lot of hospital/ER traffic just not ambulance/911 calls.

Speaking of working a lot, I am starting my new PT job at MVFD this week. I have always wanted to work out of a fire department without having to do the firefighter stuff. (I have the VERY basic training and do not consider myself a fire fighter at all)

I am starting the new PT job because the old one isnt paying well. Actually it's not paying me at all. Hence, I need a job that will pay me, on a regular basis. I am being forced to go above my supervisors head to his boss to resolve this issue since my supervisor keeps dodging my phone calls and when I confronted him in person just kept making up excuses. This is the same supervisor who can't figure out why I tell him I cant work everytime he calls me and asks me to. (duh!)

I dont know what else to do....

Pay pal is anti-gun

2009-07-30T14:41:00.004-04:00

Please check out this story from a fellow blogger who a huge supporter of our military and a proud supporter of pro-gun. (Te original post can be found here.)

Now here is the story copied and pasted:

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

OK, I'm livid.
As most of you know, the fourth annual Gun Blogger's Rendezvous is fast approaching (43 days away as I write this), and this year I planned to make a special contribution to support Project Valour-IT - a gun giveaway that would be for even those unable to attend. But I'm not a 501(c)(3) organization, or any other kind of tax-free charity, so I couldn't actually run a charity raffle. Besides, I'm not really set up for it and wouldn't know how. So, with the aid of Rendezvous organizer Mr. Completely, arrangements were made with Soldiers' Angels to provide on-line ticket sales. Tickets went on sale Friday, July 17. We were ON!Soldiers' Angels uses PayPal for their on-line donations. PayPal even has a "Case Study" of Soldiers' Angels' success (PDF) using PayPal, bragging:
Today Soldiers' Angels' biggest online contributions go through PayPal. "It's trustworthy to people and so they donate," says (Founder Patti) Patton-Bader. "There's a confidence that donors feel – that it's a safe way to make a donation. There are not many companies that inspire that kind of trust."Trust.Coincident with the Gun Blogger Rendezvous Raffle, Soldiers' Angels had also started a fund drive for other projects that same weekend. PayPal put a stop to that. Here's Patti Patton-Bader's official statement:
Online donations through PayPal are a huge part of our fundraising. They shut down our entire account-not just the raffle button—for twelve hours right in the middle of an email fundraising push. Looking at the Terms of Use, we couldn’t understand where we’d gone wrong, but we had to immediately remove the raffle so we could get back online ASAP. This just breaks our hearts because we were so excited about the tremendous fundraising impact the Gun Blogger Rendezvous raffle was already having.(My emphasis). The "tremendous fundraising impact"? In the short time (3.5 days) the PayPal button was live, they had 42 participants and 109 tickets sold.As noted above, we're still 43 days out from the Rendezvous. I just found out about this Wednesday. (Post is updated to keep it at the top of the blog for the moment.)And not only did the contributions for the raffle stop coming in, ALL contributions to Soldier's Angels via PayPal were cut off for twelve hours.Because PayPal is anti-gun.So where does that leave us? Well, you can call Soldiers' Angels and do a transaction over the phone. During normal business hours (PST) you can call (626) 529-5114, or you can call their voicemail service any time at (615) 676-0239, leave them a callback number and they'll get back to you - probably the less expensive option, timewise. It's not as convenient as a mouse click, but it beats snail-mailing a check.You can also contact PayPal. Their Customer Service phone number is (402) 935-2050.I've never asked this before, but I would appreciate it if every gun- and mil-blogger on the web and every gun board picked this up and spread it far and wide. I'm tired of gun-bigots. PayPal needs to hear from US - the law-abiding gun owners of this country - that we're no longer willing to just roll over when we're abused by the companies we "trust" just because we believe in and practice the rights guaranteed to us under the Second Amendment.This post will remain at the top of the blog for the next couple of days.

Id like to have this posted a few times if possible. Thanks guys!

5 year olds...

2009-07-26T11:51:00.003-04:00

I honestly believe that 5 year old girls do not need to be wearing make-up....but what do I know? Im not parent, just an observer....

blonde moment

2009-07-23T13:49:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was a short day at work for me, an 8 hour shift, half of which was spent in 'the box'. I ran no calls, I didn't even start any IV lines for the RNs. Needless to say I was ready to go home by 1430. I was very excited that my relief was on time. I pulled in the drive and walked around the house to the back door and unlocked it to be welcomed by a cool blast of air, thank goodness for that 3rd A/C (thanks shiela!) I had exactly 45 min until I had to take my car to get inspected so that I could make it 100% legal here in PA. I changed my clothes, slipped on a comfy T-shirt and capris and freed my toes in a pair of flip-flops. I even had time to fix my hair. I grabbed my wallet and my phone and headed out the door, remembering to lock it on my way out. As soon as I closed the door I realized, "Sh*t!! My keys are on the hook next to the door inside!"
Then it dawned on me just how warm it was outside. I text my roommate, who normally gets home aorund 5 or 6, and well, of course she was going to be late. I called and cancelled my appointment for my inspection then got the bright idea of calling Roadside Assistance to come unlock my car since my spare car key was in my glove box...yea I know....what kind of genius locks their spare car key in the car? A blonde one...but glad it was there and not in the house.... RA showed up, took them 15 min to pop the lock (free of charge thanks to my car warranty) and I spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning out and vacuuming my car while waiting for the roomie to get home and laugh at me.....

big milestone

2009-07-20T09:45:00.004-04:00

ok, I feel like I have diarrhea of the keyboard today....

But, I wanted to share what I feel like is a big milestone in my paramedic adventures.

This past weekend while putting in some time at my volunteer station in WV I was officailly "blessed" as a Paramedic Preceptor. I have officially been a paramedic long enough and put in enough time to guide and observe new paramedics, whether they are fresh out of school or just new to our station. It's weird. I still feel like I just finished precepting myself. At work, there is no program or determing who can or can not precept the paramedic students, so I have had one or two there, but tend to encourage them to ride shotgun with my more experienced counterparts.

My first preceptee at my vollie station was a guy who is new to our department but who has been a paramedic for as long as I have been alive...again, weird.

Triple OD

2009-07-20T08:56:00.003-04:00

I made my way down to WV for a couple days last week to work and volunteer at my old station. I was reminded just how much I love volunteering, I haven't been able to go back down there nearly as much as I would like, but it feels great to finally be paying off some bills with the extra money from all my part time jobs....

I was on my way from work around 8pm to my station where I would be spending the night. I happen to have my pager on and heard the familiar tones for my home station for a possible OD, two pts, ages 8 and 5. WTF? I picked up my speed a bit as the call was maybe 3 miles from where I was and I knew Id pass the house before the ambulance got there. I parked my car across the street from the multiple police cruisers and the chase car paramedic vehicle. Inside there is a woman in her late twenties and two kids sitting in the living room. The kids look scared with all of these strangers walking into the house and mom is crying hysterically.

The story from mom went a little like this: She got her Xanax script filled 2 days. She was having a rough day and needed a nap so around 2p she took 12 (yes twelve) Xanaxk and procedded to take her nap. At 7:30pmish her live-in boyfriend woke her saying that her children had gotten into her Xanax, so she called 911 for the kids. The older child admitted she and the younger one took one of mommy's pills. When asked if she took it on her own to see what it was like or if Mommy gave it to her she stated she took it while Mommy was sleeping and then coerced her little brother into taking one too. The pill numbers just weren't adding up though. The original prexcription was for one pill every 8 hours PRN, with a total of 90 pills in the bottle, there were only 28 pills in the bottle that was filled 2 days ago. Then mom states she gave 20 to her aunt who couldnt get her prescription filled til the end of the week...talk about hinky.

The kids were walked out to one Medic unit to be transported to the local hospital while Mom tried to refuse treatment. It took 2 police officers and 3 medics to get her to understand according to our protocols she didn't have the choice to refuse. We felt that she had put both herself and the children in danger by admitting to excessive drug intake even though she continually denied being suicidal. She finally gave in willingly and walked out to the 2nd Medic unit to be transported to the hospital. Meanwhile the police sarched the house and found a 2nd bottle (empty) of Xanax filled 2 days prior to the 1st bottle we found (which means only 4 days ago) and they also found cocaine in the bedroom, and a huge bong behind the couch, and there were several beer and liquor containers strewn throughout the house. Oh yea, there was a .22 and .45 in the bedroom as well. Glad I was POV, I was off the hook for that call since both units were staffed with Medics.

need a smile?

2009-07-20T08:50:00.006-04:00

Need a smile? This did it for me this morning. Borrowed this from Corey, whose blog I accidently stumbled upon this morning and it made me laugh out loud before my first cup of coffee...Thanks Corey!

anger and defeat

2009-07-19T10:34:00.004-04:00

I was working my PT transport job last week when I got to experience my first "vent pt" at the job.

We will call her Carrie (of course its not her real name) She is 24, only a few months younger than myself. She was involved in a terrible car accident a couple years ago, maybe even just a year ago. It caused several problems for her including brain damage, paralysis, contractures, and respiratory failure. She is on a vent normally 8 hours a day, at night through her trach. She is very alert and oriented, and tries to communicate by talking, but more effectively communicates using a board with letters andpointing them to spell things out.

She was scheduled to go for an eye exam to determine if she needs glasses. She had had a previous appointment with this doctor a few weeks prior but never got examined due to another crew from my PT job getting lost on the way their and being late so the doctor refused to see her.

Upon walking into Carrie's room to introduce myself, you can imagine my surprise to find her on her vent in the middle of the day. She stated she was not feeling well today. When asked if she still wanted to go to her appointment she was very adament that she needed to go since the fiasco with her last appointment.

I went searching for my partner (who also happens to be the boss man) to let him know she was on a vent. I found him outside with a bettery charger hooked up under the hood of our ambulance...I began telling him what was going on and he just gave me the FML look. He then proceeds to tell me that we were on the BLS truck today, with no meds and no vent, that the other crew (who was an ALS crew as well) has the ALS truck because they had a vent pt today as well. After some scrambling he found the back up vent and got some extra oxygen from the facility and get the truck running. I checked that we would indeed have enough oxygen to get there, stay there and return and that my portable suction was in working order and well as the onboard, all was well.

I then got a crash course on the vent. (Two things should be noted here: 1) This was my 3rd shift here and I had yet to be introduced to our regular vent and 2) this was not our regular vent but a new vent we were thinking about switching to, so even my boss didnt know all the operations of it.) Thank goodness for RTs. She so kindly helped me set the appropriate setting for the pt and helped in my crash course of vent operation. By this point we were going to be about 15 min late for the pt appointment and she was getting upset because she didnt want to make the trip and not get seen again. I personally saw to it that the doctors office be called and the situation be explained about not knowing she was on a vent and agreed that as long as were were not going to be more than 30 min late he would still evaluate her. I reassured the pt and we were ready to go.

The transport to the doctor's office itself was pretty uneventful. Carrie was in a good spirit even though she wasn't feeling the greatest, even demanding to know why her husband wasn't wearing his wedding band, which he doesn't wear at work where he came straight from to go to her appointment with her. All of her VS were great. Her husband rode in the ambulance with us. I had everything set up and running smoothly. We got the doctor's office, unloaded the pt and went inside. We were standing in the waiting room when I heard the familiar gurgle of a trach needing suctioned. Carrie agreed that she would like to be suctioned. I walked to the head of the cot where my portable was set up and ready to go, I hooked up her inline suction and turned the power switch to on and nothing happened....no suction, no lights on portable, absolutely nothing. I asked the receptionist if we had a few minutes to go out to the truck to suction Carrie's trach and the doctor came out and said that would be absolutely fine, so back outside we went and back into the truck. I set up and hooked up the onboard suction, turned it on and began suctioning the trach using the inline catheter. I got one good sweep done, and went to a second to make sure we got it all, it still sounded kinda crappy and when I went for the second sweep I noticed it didnt seem to be suctioning. so I thought it was clogged, switched to a hard tip catheter, tried it on my glove, there was absolutely no suction. It then dawned on me there was no air coming out of the vents in the pt compartment either. When I questiopned my boss it dawned on both of us that the prior battery issues may be causeing a problem now.

While I began explinging to Carrie and her husband the predictament, my Bossman Partner went inside to talk to the doc. The doc was very unerstanding, and said he would try to get the appropriate approvals to do an exam at the facility Carrie was staying in.

Carrie was a whole other story. I explained the problem with the pt compartment not working and that the doctor was going to reschedule. She was downright angry. I can understand her anger, I would be angry too. All she kept talking about though was the fact that we had a dvd player in the back of our unit and a GPS unit to tell us how to get places yet we can't keep our trucks in working condition. That is all I heard from her the entire trip back to her facility. Meanwhile I was more concerned with her well-being, which remained very stable.

I was kind of at a loss for what else to say to her, so I just let her be angry and rant. I took as much of the blame as she would let me. And then she looks at me and says "Just let me die." And the only thing I could say to her was "Not today Carrie, not today." And her husband is still sitting right there beside her with this look of tiredness and defeat....

there is a bright side...

2009-07-09T10:50:00.003-04:00

m father informed me that he got my title yesterday and took it to the WV DMV to get it changed to my name only, where they proceeded to advise him I needed to sign it before they could that. He called me to tell me and I was about to cry when he whispered into the phone "dont worry i forged your name" I LOVE MY DAD!!
So within the next week I should have the new title, in my name only, in my hand to finish up this god-forsaken process, and I will have the new PA insurance tomorrow afternoon!