RuralKSEMS Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 I don't like being on the pt side of things! Or rather the parent of said pt. My son had to be transported by ambulance to a larger hospital Tuesday. Spiked a fever of 104.5 ON Tylenol (he can't take Motrin due to an allergy), chills, shakes, headache, sore throat, dizzy, sleepy and not eating, barely drinking, and not in the best mental state. They thought he might of had viral menengitis and he tested positive for both influenza A and B. Scared the crap out of me even though I'm an AEMT. Worried the heck out of the doctor and the nurses. Glad to say that it's nothing bacterial, (TONS of blood work confirmed that). They were going to do a spinal but decided that since all of his blood work came back normal, that it wasn't bacterial and if he did/does have viral menengitis, there was nothing they'd do different except supportive care. He's home, nearly fever free, with a slight headache and a lingering sore throat. Drinking and trying to eat. Being told by two different doctors that if it was bacterial menengitis he would be dead and if it was bacterial at all he'd be a lot worse then he is now was scary shit. Needless to say, I'm hugging him and his sister a lot closer today and thanking the big man above that it wasn't worse. Odd thing is, his test here at the local hospital was positive for influenza and the swab test AND the nasophryangeal wash testing they did at the larger hospital was negative for influenza. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emtdennis Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 (edited) I know exactly how you feel, just going through that with my better half. Had to rush her to the hospital via ambulance, but had to learn to "step out of the way" cuz I was too close to think clearly. Our ambulance team did a great job. It's so ironic that we can deal with health issues of total strangers, but get tied up in knots when pt is our own family. Or is this just me? Edited October 25, 2012 by emtdennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuralKSEMS Posted October 25, 2012 Author Share Posted October 25, 2012 Not just you, that's for sure. It was weird asking where I was allowed to sit in the ambulance (front or back). I didn't want to step on toes. I did keep an eye on his vitals for my own piece of mind. It helped that the nurse that ran (we have nurses with our service) was also my husband's cousin and had been in the room when my son was born (she was going through nursing school at the time) and the attendant driving was her mother. They kept me pretty calm. Bad thing is I was supposed to be on call when I figured out that my son needed to go to the hospital so when we got to the larger hospital the nurses were asking where the parent was, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard B the EMT Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 I've been both "patient's family" and "the patient" a few times. Even called 9-1-1 for Lady J's dad, who had a degenerative disease, fell out of the wheelchair one evening. When they called me at home for assistance in getting him back in the chair, that's when I saw the decubitus (pressure sores) on his butt. Had a bit of a time explaining to the responding crew why I was on the scene, until they understood I was the one had called 9-1-1, and the patient was my girlfriend's dad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlittle Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Have been both the patient - due to Atrial fib - and the patient's family as my wife is diabetic and COPD. Like EMTDennis, I have to step back when it's my wife - at least once the paramedic(s) arrive on scene - because: (A) I'm not totally objective; and ( I'm "only" a First Responder. Now, when it's me, I love the expression on their faces (of those who don't know me) when they walk in and I provide them with my symptoms in their "native tongue". Made LOTS of new friends that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuralKSEMS Posted November 4, 2012 Author Share Posted November 4, 2012 Have been both the patient - due to Atrial fib - and the patient's family as my wife is diabetic and COPD. Like EMTDennis, I have to step back when it's my wife - at least once the paramedic(s) arrive on scene - because: (A) I'm not totally objective; and ( I'm "only" a First Responder. Now, when it's me, I love the expression on their faces (of those who don't know me) when they walk in and I provide them with my symptoms in their "native tongue". Made LOTS of new friends that way. Yep, I was able to give the PCP/nurses at the local hospital and the doctors at the large hospital a detailed list of his vitals (w/o bp because I don't have a cuff that small or SPO2), all his meds, and his exact symptoms in their terms. In fact, I was on call that night so I had my EMS shirt on. When we walked into the larger hospital, the nurses/ doc was asking where his parents were because they saw my shirt and thought I was part of the transporting crew. I had to tell them I was the mom, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arctickat Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Last year my 16 y/o son got a concussion during a football game and was having lingering symptoms, so our doc sent him for a scan. We took him in the ambulance and I tended to him for the 2 hour trip into the city. When we arrived I gave my report to the doc who subsequently asked if there was any next of kin with the patient. I replied that his father was standing right in front of him and he looked over my shoulders trying to find the parent hiding behind me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emergency Laughter Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 Glad to hear your son is OK!! What was the biggest thing you learned from being on the other side? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard B the EMT Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 I replied that his father was standing right in front of him and he looked over my shoulders trying to find the parent hiding behind me. Woman's Liberations participants in the late 1960s/early 1970s told the story of a boy injured in a car crash that killed his dad. The Trauma surgeon called in to operate on the boy said, "I cannot operate on him, he's my son". Such comment caused confusion to all who couldn't or wouldn't understand that a woman, in this case the boy's mom, could be a surgeon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookie Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 I know how you feel, first with my father in law, then my grandbaby who had rsv when she was about 6 months old. Had to step back and let the medic do his job on transport. It is not easy that is for sure, I have comiserate with you, and glad your son is doing fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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