firedoc5

The Paramedic program I was in was 7 months, and that was considered a very accelerated class back then. A little over 20 yrs. ago. :roll: For some reason only those of us that seemed more proficient were selected and pushed through quicker. So a four month class seems to be really pushing it. But more power to ya. Hope it works out well.

Welcome, and more power to ya.

You can only work with what, or who, is available. THAT is why it p!sses me off so bad. Believe me, if I had four hands I'd be protecting that airway along with the other stuff. Whether it be a basic CPR class or ACLS, I emphasize airway, airway, airway. No matter what else you're doing, without airway you've got nothing. And so many seem to overlook that. Have you ever had someone with you that you just wanted to smack on a daily basis?

I'm not even going to ask about UA's. brushteeth

Had a guy go into full arrest while staining the back deck of his house. We had dark wood stain all over everything, LifePak 12, apcor, us... Actually we knew the family. Their oldest son had a c-spine fx. which he had a halo. He was already 6'9". And I forget how tall he was with the halo. Transported him a few times to St.Louis. Had to load him up feet first into the rig. And we still had to be careful when we closed the doors. It was kewl though. He usually bought everyone lunch. We would get coal mine calls that usually were fairly minor. Very early one morning had a call of someone had a "rock fall on his leg". Boss said to just take a BLS unit, since it was only a "leg injury". Guy came off the lift, basically crushed from mid-chest down. He was practically traumatic asphyxiation. All we had were IV, MAST, O2. Luckily the mine EMT's did a good job of packaging (for a change). The guy did make it. I was the one who transferred him to St.Louis later in the day. And occasionally took him there for appointments. Had a very cute daughter that rode with us. He was considered the most injured minor that survived from that mine. Paul and I did get a letter of commendation. It would have been so much easier if the boss would've sent us in a ALS unit. We never did let him forget that screw up. :cussing:

I'm just telling on myself. You know some things are hard to do and not drop your cigarette. Got burn holes in jackets and the inside liner of my truck. :?

There's always tow trucks on call.

How about camouflaged golf balls? :-k

We would occasionally get pizzas from Dominoes or Pizza Hut. When someone would call in a prank and it couldn't be delivered or they couldn't pay for it. It would usually be some kind of weird order like anchovie and onion or something. I got to where I'd eat any kind of pizza except for anchovies. I had an uncle in LA that would eat those hairy little fishes out of the jar. I just couldn't do it. :-&

No problem. Your day will come. :occasion5: Wound up giving her a total of 10mg. morphine. Didn't really help. It took demerol that we didn't carry.

Socrates: "I drank what?" Gen. Custard's Scout: "But,sir. They looked like buffalo from a distance." The Redneck next door: "Hey ya'll, Watch this!" Cleopatra: "I'm not afraid of some dumb snake." Nostradamus: "I didn't see that coming." Mountain Climber: "Don't untie that k- n- o- t!"

EXACTLY. Very good point. Had a call to a fast food place where a girl had passed out. She was on a high school trip. As we were loading her I asked if there was a woman chaperone with the group. Luckily there was. There was an incident in a near by system where the medic did do something, and he was the only one in back. The patient wasn't lying and he got nailed. (served him right :angry5: ) After that we all took extra precaution.

Actually I think he slipped while trying to start the chain saw so it wasn't running. We did have a guy that was driving a bull dozer and had a bunch of limbs get caught under it. He took a chain saw and while laying on his tried to clear them out. He hit a piece of metal and the chain saw bounced back and nailed him. He was cut from mid-chest to almost the groin. Got him out and had to carry him in knee deep mud for about 200 yards. Couldn't get a 4x4 or even a tractor in there to haul him out.

I dated a gal for a short while that asked me if I ever "did it" on the hose bed of the fire truck like they did in "Back Draft", AND if I would be interested. I was just kidding and told her no, but the ladder truck was more comfortable. :P/

On the topic of genitals, we had a cave in at a construction site for a basement. One guy covered up. One medic, who was (let's just say he was my boss,ha ha) stepped down onto him while attempting to dig a little more. The patient suffered a ruptured testicle. It was decided it was from "Denny's"* size 10 boot that did it, not the cave in. *Trying to protect name of guilty) With young women, especially after a syncopal episode, one of my first questions are whether they may be pregnant or not. One night at a special occasion at some kind of social club (Elks, Moose, American Legion,etc.) where they were honoring girls, one of them passed out. Asked if she may be pregnant and she said it was possible. Then she asked one of the members if she would still get her award. I don't know if she still got it or not. I've heard of girls as young as 8 getting their period, and the youngest pregnancy I've heard of was 9. Not for sure if it was true or not.

Yep, happens all the time. But what really, REALLY p!sses me off is when you have someone intubated and the idiot doing ventilations pulls it out while unloading or moving patient off your gurney. :angry4:

Sort of like when they can't get a vent. to work, then you suggest plugging it in. :roll:

Have you ever had a call that when you got there you were like, "MAN, how in the world are we going to do this??" Had an elderly lady fall out of bed. Her left leg was caught in the blankets of the bed, rotating her leg from the hip down more than 180 degrees. Her torso on the floor, leg still wrapped up in the blanket at a very odd angle. Started by giving her 2-4mg MS. Wound up trimming away the blanket without rotating the leg. Placed her almost face down on the board and leg supported in current postition. Took almost an hour to do so. Eventually we got her to the ER and both the ER doc and the Ortho doc were impressed what we did considering the situation. Had a guy who went climbed up a tree just after having a heavy rain with a chain saw to finish some trimming. (real idiot) He fell head first from about 20 ft. He was literally standing on his head at the base of the tree with his body leaning on the trunk, legs still in the air. It looked just like a Wiley Coyote cartoon when he looked like an accordion. Had to figure away to get him supine on a board while trying to stabilize C-spine and immobilize his entire spine. Actually put the spine board upside down between him and the tree. Strapped him down while still upside down. Hardest immobilization I ever had in 16 yrs. Three C-spine fx. Five T-spine and L-spine fx. Last I knew he was out of the wheel chair and using a walker after about nine months of therapy.

I was given one of those "shake up" flash lights with the magnets for either my birthday or father's day, I can't remember. It's lousy, don't get one. But it was better than nothing at all especially out camping.

One thing I can say about some McDonald's that when there was a large incident they would send out about 100 burgers, either free or at a super low price. It was depending on what manager was working. And if they did charge one of the Captains would pay out of his own pocket. God forbid if the Chief was asked to pay, whether he paid or the city. He could be a real d!ck at times. :?

Did she try to get some "hose bed action"?

Had a MVA with several ejected out in a muddy field. I was cut up a gal's pant leg when she told the medic that was holding her C-spine that she was on her period and explained that she had a pad and not a tampon. I usually took that into consideration any time I was exposing, especially before applying MAST device. I just never had a patient come right out and explain that. A few weeks later I met her again. She was a friend of a gal I had just started dating. At first she seemed embarrassed when we ran into each other. But she eased up realizing that I didn't think of it and I was just doing my job.

When I was doing some clinical hours a unit was coming in with a difficulty breathing case. When they did the call up they said they had the patient on 10L O2 per nasal canula. I guess they were wanting blow all the snot out of the guys nose or something.

My father became the coordinator for their local volunteer ambulance, so on days off that I went to my parent's I also ran with them. Luckily being in such a smaller area it wasn't real busy. They would make about the same amount of runs in a month than I did in a day at work. But it seems that when they did a call it was usually more dynamic. A lot of rural farm accidents and MVA's on back roads.

Growing up in S.IL have always heard the history of New Madrid. If you get the chance, go to Bonne Terre, MO where they have an abandoned lead mine. They give tours through there and you can dive up to 100ft. in the flooded levels. They give a lot of info on the New Madrid fault. My understanding was that during the 1812 quake the Mississippi River supposedly ran backwards and/or changed course temporarily creating Real Foot Lake. If the population was more back then there would have been a large loss of life in the entire region. I use to sit on the voting committee for IL Regions 4a., 4b, 5, and St. Louis Metro for Disaster and Mass Casualty Planning. It was before 9/11 so I know it's changed to include terrorism incidents. But the New Madrid fault was a big issue. Like someone Ditch Doc said, if/when the New Madrid let's loose again, we're screwed. No matter how much planning is said and done, it's going to be total chaos, just more organized. It's not much, but it's better than no planning at all.