Just Plain Ruff Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 That actually happened to me after this post. I shouldve mentioned that this run took place nearly a week ago and im only posting it now because its been hectic between relationship, family issues, schoolwork, and work. What kinds of ways are there to prevent this from happening. You take the advice I've been giving you in my PM's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runswithneedles Posted April 3, 2012 Author Share Posted April 3, 2012 I will be doing that capt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
systemet Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 (edited) Systemet, who are you referring to? Me or Runswithneedles? Some confusion here. I'm post #13. I didn't call anyone Mike. As an odd coincidence, my name isn't mike. Although this furthers my personal belief that everyone in EMS is actually named either Mike, Dave or Shane. I didn't refer to anyone "maturing" either. My post was directed towards runwithneedles, and wasn't intended to be offensive. All the best. Edited April 3, 2012 by systemet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Plain Ruff Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 (edited) no offense taken. I got it all figured out. I need a beer. so who's this Mike everyone keeps referring to. Edited April 3, 2012 by Captain Kickass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERBIE1 Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 That actually happened to me after this post. I shouldve mentioned that this run took place nearly a week ago and im only posting it now because its been hectic between relationship, family issues, schoolwork, and work. What kinds of ways are there to prevent this from happening. I'm taking this as a question- and it is a critical one. This is the million dollar question for those in this business for any length of time. It goes to the heart of what make a good provider- empathy, not synpathy. It is a very fine line to go from being able to relate to the emotions of those we deal with(and being able to adjust our thinking and/or treatment PRN) and to letting our emotions dictate how we do our jobs. As such, we either erect barriers, or bleed over some of the emotions onto our home lives, and sadly, folks in this business-and police and hospital workers- do not have the best track record when it comes to relationships and marriages. To answer your question- we all cope differently. As someone mentioned, find someone in the business- preferably someone with some experience to confide in, or your significant other if they can handle it. Some people think we should seek out the company- spouses and friends- of folks in the business because they understand the pressures we are under, and you don't need to explain as much. Others think it's good to have someone who offers us a respite from what we do. Personal choice- everyone's different. The key to coping is to realize this is NOT your emergency, YOU did not cause the problem but instead tried to make it better somehow, and try to move on from there. Yes, some calls haunt us sometimes years later, but honestly those are very few. In 30 years there are relatively few calls I can remember with any vivid detail- which is why I am OCD about my documentation. Frustrating for a lawyer maybe, but good for me. LOL Try to figure out WHAT is bothering you so much about the call and address it. Is it the fact that the kids won't have a father? Certainly calls involving kids are the worst, which always causes us to hug our kids- or other young relatives- a bit tighter the next time we see them. Critique yourself and the call, but don't belabor it. Move on. As long as you did the best you could, that is all anyone can ask of you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eydawn Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Herbie- I'd +10 that post if I could. Well said. I'm fortunate. Nursing runs in my family, my best childhood friend's mom is an RN and instructor, my husband and brother are both EMTs as are many of our friends... SAR is a family for me... so I have lots of places to let it out and get support. It's finding that support (and not being afraid to use it) that makes the difference between going nuts, or coping and moving forward, I think. Wendy CO EMT-B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
island emt Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 (edited) Systemet, who are you referring to? Me or Runswithneedles? My name is Mike, You need to be really clear as Captain Kickass's real name is Mike(that's me), ParamedicMike is Mike and is Runswithneedles also named Mike????? CAPTKA :You are Ruff: Paramedic Mike is that The other person who we are commenting on runswithneedles first came on here with his name Mike E@@@s. He then got bitch slapped for comments he made and then became a subscriber , so he could change his posting name. Thats who I was referring to in my post Edited April 3, 2012 by island emt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runswithneedles Posted April 3, 2012 Author Share Posted April 3, 2012 Some confusion here. I'm post #13. I didn't call anyone Mike. As an odd coincidence, my name isn't mike. Although this furthers my personal belief that everyone in EMS is actually named either Mike, Dave or Shane. I didn't refer to anyone "maturing" either. My post was directed towards runwithneedles, and wasn't intended to be offensive. All the best. And I didnt take it offensive at all. More like constructive criticism. I thought you were referring to me needing to mature. Funny you should mention mike. I had three other guys I used to work with name mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
island emt Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 The feelings did hit me. But Im feeling for the children and his family. Prior to having the monitor placed on him I thought to myself "good quality chest compressions and early advanced life support will bring this man back". I was hoping to see a v-fib or a v-tac that after a one or two rounds of the defibrillator would put his heart back in order. He would go the ER, get admitted for a few days, and hopefully I would see him be taken by the company I work for to attend rehab where after the completion the program get his life back in order. I truly hoped my first code would be one which the patient would live. Especially for only being in his mid 30's. I became angry for letting myself believe that. Even with him being in asystole from the time of arrival on scene to transfer of care. Now that we've finished spanking you: Do not let the TV view of EMS saves everyone cloud your mind. In reality a very low percentage of cardiac arrest survive to release from the hospital with neurological function intact. I would gander a guess that the actual number is less than 2% of all out of hospital arrests. In hospital arrest numbers are not much better. In my forty years in the business , I've had three saves that continued through the healthcare system and survived to walk out the door under their own power. They were all witnessed by us and had immediate CPR , and defibrillation within a minute. Yes there were more that regained a spontaneous pulse through our interventions, but in the end did not make it home as a fully functioning person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERBIE1 Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Herbie- I'd +10 that post if I could. Well said. I'm fortunate. Nursing runs in my family, my best childhood friend's mom is an RN and instructor, my husband and brother are both EMTs as are many of our friends... SAR is a family for me... so I have lots of places to let it out and get support. It's finding that support (and not being afraid to use it) that makes the difference between going nuts, or coping and moving forward, I think. Wendy CO EMT-B Thanks, Wendy. Nobody in my family has anything to do with public safety. That said, I consider many folks I work with 'family' as well. I still keep in regular contact with nurses, docs, and techs I last worked with in a hospital from 20 years ago. Some have moved across the country, some are still here, some have moved into affiliated professions(medical companies), and such, and some are even retired. Every year or so we have a reunion for folks who worked there and there is always a huge turnout- even though the last time we may have seen each other was at the previous party. Unique situation? Probably, but it was an incredible group of people. One of the guys who was a tech like me is now a surgeon, and flies in on his own plane just for this party. As we know, there is a bond among folks in this business- few can truly comprehend what our jobs are really like. We all find our ways of coping, and yes, sometimes they aren't the healthiest. To last any period of time in the business with some semblance of your sanity means to have figured out some way of dealing with the stress. It certainly does take a toll on those around us, and we all figure out exactly how much information we tell our families. I tend to rehash the funny/strange/bizarre incidents and leave the bad stuff out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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