brainurz

I'm 38, female, got every single one wrong, so guess I'm a perv. I blame my ex-husband; he warped me

best wishes for your brood!! you're still quite young yourself, right? good!! i don't have any myself (and at 38, i'm thinking the fruit's past it's prime by now, not to mention just the thought of raising kids makes me have palpitations) but i believe parenthood is a very energy intensive endeavor. get the running shoes on!! i'll be praying for y'all!

I've worked with neurology pts for almost 10 years now, so I know that seizures can come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors. Some people may just kinda "blank out" for a minute or two and go about their day as if nothing happened ( and likely don't bother calling ems as a result). However, individuals in this state will be unresponsive, even if only briefly. Some individuals with more severe symptoms may have an aura (most folks I've met, or read about describe flashing lights, strange odors or tastes, usually not twitching.) Plus some with an aura usually get enough warning that they can lay down in bed or on a clear spot in the floor because they know from experience that they're about to get kicked with a grand mal. I do remember reading about a particular seizure type called the "jacksonian march" that does start with extremity twitching and progresses to generalized seizure. So, tcripp, your patient may have had that. I don't know how common it is, so I'll do some digging on the topic after I've plowed through this cardiology lesson I'm working on

great read, btw. really needed the laugh

unfortunately, they seem to be a regular occurence with the pediatric population, usually to get attention from the parents. the one that pissed me off the most, was I was working on a peds neuro floor and one patient was admitted for "seizures" one fine morning i went in to assess and she was "seizing" and resisting my attempts to open her eyes to assess pupils. i said, "you can stop now" she sat up, giggled, and said "ha ha just kidding!" i had to leave the room before i did something that landed me in jail (like smack the living sh:/) out of her. turns out, her sister had some chronic heart condition requiring repeated hospitalizations and this patient was feeling neglected.

Go for the feet. My first job out of nursing school was in peds, so I stuck little feet all the time. Another often overlooked spot is the ulnar side of the forearm. Kinda awkward angle but works great if you got another set of hands to hold the arm up. If the patient is really skinny, the brachial vein works great too.

Volunteer with a local CERT. No, you don't qualify as EMT-B when you finish that training (just get a quick &dirty basic first aid/ triage class) but most CERTs are coordinated by the local fire department, so you'll at least get to talk to lots of EMS/fire types who can tell you more about what the job is really like. PLUS, (at least where I live (Atlanta)) our coordinator lets us ride along pretty much whenever we want just as long as we give some advance warning!!! I've enjoyed this training so much I've decided to go back to school (I'm already RN) to get EMT-B and then keep going to paramedic. My friends and family think I'm nuts, but I just need a change. Unfortunately, changing specialties in nursing is not as easy as it used to be, at least not where I live.

Thanks for all the great posts, everyone! I laughed at some and shuddered with horror at others but since I just started emt school and plan to work in an urban area (Atlanta, as in Grady (the city's level 1 trauma center, located conveniently downtown near the projects)) at least I have an idea what to expect! I'll let y'all know what I find when I graduate and get out there....

waxing legs with duct tape...another great use for duct tape!! i'll have to try that sometime

Lmao!!! Damned near snorted merlot out my nose!! Reminds me of one of my coworkers who would occassionally suffer from "anal glaucoma" he didn't see his ass going to work that day

Ah hell. I'm not even an EMT (yet) and I am already displaying a few symptoms which are found mostly in my purse, which looks more like a medic bag. In there I have: several alcohol wipes and IV tubing caps (hey, my pockets dont always get emptied before I leave work), scissors (so I don't forget to take them TO work), CPR mask (which I think is made by DynaMed)(hey, when someone goes down at my stepson's little league game I don't want everyone staring at me thinking you're a nurse do something and not be prepared!) and an O2 cylinder wrench, which is attached to my badge (again, so I don't forget to take it TO work) and yes, I have a Gall's catalog at home (hey, my husband and I both do Civil Air Patrol ground team work and they provide lots of great field gear). It only gets worse doesn't it..... :roll:

Eeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

I must have a damned good friend. The last time I er, overindulged at a party my friend not only held my head over the toilet and held my hair out of the way, she French braided it! Woke up with a killer hangover and a great 'do :wink:

Either I will die by an inability to find documents matching that title, or I'm joining a few others in imortality.

LMAO & getting strange looks from my stepkids, who, fortunately know better than to ask. Are you sure you weren't the one on the hallucinogen?