EmergencyMedicalTigger

I agree that drinking the D50 should be a last resort. I know with the pt we treated, we didn't have access to anything else, so we just worked with what we had.

The D50 brought the pt's BGL up quickly, but not by very much and it never got past a certain level. The pt had something going on with his meds though. I haven't given D50 orally to pts very much, so I haven't noticed a big difference between the two. Maybe you could search the web for research on it.

We've had several medics work until a week before giving birth. They all took a month or so off and came back to work. My doctor said he will allow me to work as long as he deems me fit to work. I want to work as long as I can do my job and not be a safety hazard to myself or my partner.

Thanks for all the ideas. I'll have to think of something since we have our shirts tucked in. I already know a shirt I'm getting made for off-duty...it's going to say "Yes, I'm pregnant...No, you can't touch my belly!"

I found out 'officially' today that I'm pregnant. My due date is Christmas-that's lovely. :roll: I would like to know what some of you may have done about your medic pants as you worked during your pregnancy. It would probably get expensive to buy a couple different pairs of pants as I expand; and, just because my belly is bigger doesn't mean my legs and butt are going to get bigger. So, I can't just buy bigger pants, because they will fit my waist but I'll look like I'm wearing clown pants! Any suggestions?

I love the moose....how awesome!!

In my opinion I think the KED is an effective and greatly under utilized device. Besides MVAs we've also used it on calls such as one we had w/back pain. He had a hx of back complications and surgeries, fell earlier, and was in excruitiating pain in a seated position on his couch. He couldn't move, so me and a fire guy immobilized him w/the KED and moved him to the stretcher that way. It worked well and kept him from moving his back unnecessarily.

Ok...so once ALS is on scene, can I get a d-stick now? What do his pupils look like? How are his vitals?

What does he look like? Equal grips? Speech ok? How is he breathing?

What?? no d-sticks? Ok...can you or have you requested ALS? How far away is the hospital?

How are his breath sounds? D-stick? Where's the sister at, will she answer any questions yet?

And after creating the Paramedic God said,"I will create an online EMS forum so that EMTs and Paramedics from all over will be able to post in the wrong forums and not use the search function..."

Do we have a source of lighting by now-maybe from a fire guy's flashlight-so we can verify if there's blood or feces? Do we see anything else in the room we didn't notice before once we have more light? Does he have any med bottles nearby? Has he been checked to see where the blood/feces came from? BP and is he on O2?

Ugh don't get me started on that one! :?

We have cabinets at some of the hospitals where we can restock most of the common things used on calls including most meds. The supervisor has to bring us the stuff that's in the paramedic lock box, of course, such as, Morphine, Vec, Valium, Etiomidate, Fentanyl, etc. *personal gripe on* Now it depends on if you have a responsible supervisor if this gets done. For instance, we went almost four days without RSI drugs b/c our Lt. didn't restock us-even though he sleeps at our station at night! He didn't like my partner at the time and didn't restock our drugs until I was working with my regular partner who he's all buddy buddy on my next shift.*personal gripe off* So far I haven't been put in the position of being on a call w/out having something I needed, but have come close when crews were too lazy to restock the truck after calls at the hospital.

Ok, ok, it was 6am, give me a break. What I meant to say is....Do you really need to continue this volunteer discussion?

Do we really want to start yet another volunteer v. paid thread? :?

Ok, I'll put in a plug for my service b/c we were actually discussing this with our shift Lt. the other day. You can come to Fort Bend County EMS. We're a county-based service covering approx. 900 square miles about 15 minutes southwest of Houston. Our county population is booming-Sugar Land was named one of the best places to live in the country. We have 9 MICUs, 3 squads, and 1 peak truck. We will have to add a couple more trucks in the next 5-10 years; it's inevitable. You get varied experience depending on what station you're at, so if you're here for even a couple years you will have all types of experience under your belt-rural, urban, and suburban. We have an awesome medical director who is very involved with our service. We're constantly trying to improve our protocols to meet the needs of our patients. Our pay is on par for the area starting approx $14/hr EMT-I and $19/hr EMT-P w/plenty of OT and we have paid CE. Yes, the website sucks, but here it is: http://www.co.fort-bend.tx.us/getsitepage.asp?sitepage=5551

I'm going to hit my easy button I got from Office Max...

Congrats! It just takes a deep breath and some thinking. You're going to come across all types of airways, so don't get discouraged.

Very cool pics!

Remember what to look at what you're doing the whole time. I think a common mistake people make (I'm guilty of it) is they start to advance the blade and then start looking in the airway. Watch what your doing the entire time then you will have an easier time identifying landmarks and knowing how far in you've gone. On a side note, our service switched to the disposable fiber optic blades-so nice! It makes a huge difference and illuminates everything.

What?! I just said something Dust was thinking before he said it?? No way! :shock: I guess that means I'm learning something afterall. Maybe one day I'll *almost* be as good as you. 8)

What exactly are you having problems with..are you able to visualize the cords before you try the tube or can you even see the cords at all? What type of blade are you using-maybe you're just not lifting up enough? Remember, depending on the pt's anatomy you might have to use a different blade. I don't like using the Mac, but sometimes I have because it works better with some pts. Just ignore other's negative comments and take a deep breath-you can do this!

Unfortunately, we can't refuse transport. Sometimes I feel like we're the medicaid medical taxi. There have been several people in our district that the county has actually had to intervene with PD and report for 9-1-1 abuse.