Kaisu

Dust man you are back!!!!! Thank God! I have missed the crap outta ya. Now I can actually look forward to posting on this site. WE need you. Please don't go away again.

Stupid question Mrsbull... you can't miss something you never knew you had... except subconsciously, deep deep in the neurons that formed in the first days of life, where you learned, at a subconscious level, that you were helpless and the world held pain and power over the most private and sensitive part of you.

I personally said "NO" for my son (17 years ago). I was horrified at the idea of subjecting my helpless little son to that kind of pain. At the time, I was extremely suspicious of the entire medical establishment. Their assurances that infants do not feel pain like we do were belied by the fact that parents were not allowed to watch the procedure. I figured if it wasn't as horrific as I imagined it to be then why wasn't I allowed to watch. The "aftercare" was enough to convince me that the whole thing was barbaric and unnecessary. As far as pleasing future sexual partners, I will have to ask him.

And when the patient is a male ?

Maybe contact Bay Area Medical Center in Marinette Wisconsin. Google 'em - they have a web presence with contact information. They have progressive and aggressive protocols for hospital based EMS and interfacility transport. Good luck.

These are Canadians firedoc - they have NO medical bills. Their car insurance will probably jack 'em around tho.

another heartbreaking loss. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.

I am so glad to see little Adam looking happy and well. Gosh you are going to have your hands full - moving right after what happened. Be sure to take care of yourself. That is an awful lot of stress. Give your husband a hug for me.

That is typical of the VVI pacemakers that have one wire threaded (usually) through the tricuspid valve and is up against the wall of the septum in the right ventricle. There are no P waves, etc. because the atrium is not firing. Depolarization is initiated in the ventricles. The wide, bizarre QRS complex is always a sign of ectopic beats originating in the ventricles. This is this patient's normal rhythm. If you didnt see the pacemaker spikes, you might assume something dumb and treat it. Be careful because in the newer pacemakers, those spikes can be hard to spot. (The dead giveaway is a lump in the patient's chest - its not a tumor )

Great first post and welcome to the city.

Your new place is stunning. Congrats. I wish you many happy years in it. Unfortunately, I must decline your kind invitation - I commute would be really tough. :wink:

Super good post all. Chalk it up to personal hubris to argue with a bunch of docs. I guess it goes with the paramedic mentality. I look forward to any further information that any of you post.

After Dwayne mentioned it, I knew it was right and that I had heard it somewhere before. I went over my notes from paramedic classes and it is one of the S & S that we were taught for PE. My classes were taught by a true legend in the state, #5 NREMT-P, masters degree, 30 years in the field and instruction. This is a teacher that is now in the classroom 2 days a week and on clinicals 3 days a week in a busy ED. I can't specifically cite references for where he comes up with this as a S and S of PE, but I would bet your life on it ;-) Take care.

You made my day Cheeky when I logged in an saw your post. I am so glad that you are back. We knew you had a bad time of it. An experience like this is going to take a while to digest - take it easy and be kind to yourself. Your husband was a trooper. I don't know many spouses who would have taken the time to keep us all updated the way he did. Kudos to him. He loves you very much and is extremely proud of you. Be sure to let us know as soon as your beautiful little baby is home again.

The guy has no pulse. Prognosis for cardiac arrest due to PE is extremely poor. He has cancer (one of the risk factors for PE). Does he have a DNR ? Depending on how long he's been down, my guess is that we would call it. Even if we decide to work it and get the tube in, how well will we be able to ventilate? If the PE was not huge, the patient would need anticoagulants and thrombolytics - failing this, possibly a specialized surgery. I think this patient is probably ADD (all done dancin').

Damn... forgot about that nipple line discoloration and PE... Won't forget it again. Thank you for the scenario and Dwayne - you the man!

The color change from the nipple line up indicates neurogenic shock.. I would immediately suspect spinal cord injury at the level of T4 - T5. Something caused serious injury to this man's spinal cord. What is happening in the throat is probably due to this trauma.

Whew... thank goodness. It is what I expected, but there is no question that status asthmaticus is life threatening. She received the proper care and her health and age were working for her. Everybody rest now. Thank you so much for the terrific news.

You are in a difficult position right now. You said it yourself - you are tired and stressed. That makes everyone lose a little perspective. My suggestion - Do not make any life altering decisions until you are rested and refreshed. This includes things like confronting bosses, etc. Take care of yourself. Get rest, nutrition and recreation. I am sorry for the loss of your friend.

Excellent! what a trial you have been through. Be sure to take care of yourself. As the initial crisis passes, often the emotions and the stress of it all catch up with you. Thank you for posting.

so sorry to hear about your troubles. Get some rest, treat yourself to your favorite meal. You are in my prayers.

great news Mr. Cheeky. Thank you for posting. PS.. your little son is adorable...

Idiot - and a very common tactic with control freaks is to threaten suicide.. I guess he showed her huh? PS.. I don't understand why she is responsible for the debts he ran up prior to his death. They were divorced were they not? Maybe she's upset because the gravy train is over.

That is good news. Thank you for updating us.

86% is a low sat and is definitely a cause for concern. I don't think the doc will have any way of knowing how much of the substance she inhaled. If you have any concerns for the baby, get him checked out. They have teeny tiny little airways and it doesn't take a lot for them to narrow. Thank you for letting us know what is going on and please keep checking in. The fact that she is getting nebulizer treatments and not CPAP indicates that her main problem is bronchio constriction and not pulmonary edema. That is a good thing. Have cheeky post if she feels up to it. PS.. take care of yourself through this very difficult time too. Don't be afraid to ask for help from family and friends.