miscusi Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 You are not alone, My instructor had broken BOTH femurs. It took forever. but she is now back to work. you can do it too "have patients." ( spelling pun ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheekyEMT Posted August 11, 2013 Author Share Posted August 11, 2013 You are not alone, My instructor had broken BOTH femurs. It took forever. but she is now back to work. you can do it too "have patients." ( spelling pun ) OUCH! both femurs...that sucks. I am "planning" on getting back on the truck and doing what I love to do....it is going to require alot of 'patients' , determination and hard work....but I am going to remain optimistic. Even if it takes me a full yr like my surgeon said it may....I'm ok with that....if the end result is getting back on truck then I'm ok with the time and process to get me there. It's not a sure thing and I know that....but as the old saying goings..."what we think about , we bring about"....so my thinking is going to remain positive. Thanks for your encouragment Miscusi :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Plain Ruff Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 OUCH! both femurs...that sucks. I am "planning" on getting back on the truck and doing what I love to do....it is going to require alot of 'patients' , determination and hard work....but I am going to remain optimistic. Even if it takes me a full yr like my surgeon said it may....I'm ok with that....if the end result is getting back on truck then I'm ok with the time and process to get me there. It's not a sure thing and I know that....but as the old saying goings..."what we think about , we bring about"....so my thinking is going to remain positive. Thanks for your encouragment Miscusi :-) Hey, now while you are off work, why not work on expanding your career path??? Take some new classes that will help you in your EMS job? Why not take other classes that will benefit you apart from EMS just on the off chance that you don't get back on the truck. Your case is a prime example of the need to have a fallback plan. So if the unthinkable happens and I'm saying this to every person on this forum, if you think that this cannot happen to you or that you will be faced with disability, your employer isn't going to give a rats ass about you, they are going to replace you with one who can do the job and when that happens(if it does) you would be well advised to have a fallback that you can go to in order to keep working and paying the bills. I have known too many EMS and Fire folks who did not have a fallback and were permanently disabled who have no other skills to use in order to keep the food and rent paid. They rely on the disability payments from their work and many have ran their payments to the end with still no addition of skills that will help them survive then the payments end. EMS is a life but you should have some other form of job skills for just a scenario. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheekyEMT Posted August 12, 2013 Author Share Posted August 12, 2013 Hey, now while you are off work, why not work on expanding your career path??? Take some new classes that will help you in your EMS job? Why not take other classes that will benefit you apart from EMS just on the off chance that you don't get back on the truck. Your case is a prime example of the need to have a fallback plan. So if the unthinkable happens and I'm saying this to every person on this forum, if you think that this cannot happen to you or that you will be faced with disability, your employer isn't going to give a rats ass about you, they are going to replace you with one who can do the job and when that happens(if it does) you would be well advised to have a fallback that you can go to in order to keep working and paying the bills. I have known too many EMS and Fire folks who did not have a fallback and were permanently disabled who have no other skills to use in order to keep the food and rent paid. They rely on the disability payments from their work and many have ran their payments to the end with still no addition of skills that will help them survive then the payments end. EMS is a life but you should have some other form of job skills for just a scenario. I certainly didn't think it would happen to me. Both hubby and I were quite shocked when I was referred to the surgeon...I had no idea what I was in for with this surgery and recovery. A fall back plan is definately something that I wish I had in place....Hubby and I have talked quite a bit about what my next step should be and we have decided that dispatch is where I want to go , but only IF I am not able to get back on the truck. I am going to do whatever I need to do to get back on the truck....hopefully it will be enough and my ankle will physically be able to allow me to....but if I am not able to get my ankle back to normal (although I know it will never be normal again) or as close to pre injury condition then dispatch is where I'm going to go. I will be content and happy with that and I will also be able to continue teaching with the ability to increase my amount of instructing time. I do miss being out on the road though....no doubt about that. Just seeing my uniforms hanging in the closet every time I go in there is depressing...sad that they're just hanging there collecting dust....However, this too shall pass....I WILL GET BACK OUT THERE....in one form or another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DwayneEMTP Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 Heh...catching up on the thread and it cracked me up when you said, "No sense writing a blog if you have no followers..." Man, I'm glad you didn't tell me that a year ago!! No followers, but man, the mental exercise, the time spent thinking of and/or revisiting topics that are important to you...they become so much more clear, at least for me, when written down.. Sorry so long since posting, but had a long rotation last shift and not enough time home with my family before having to leave again... I'm happy to see that you're feeling better Lady. Do you watch Ninja Warrior by any chance? Was watching a recorded show with Babs where they showed a kid that had been run over and dragged by a car. Showed pictures of him in the hospital, and this kid was completely f*cked up...It was 4 months before he was back to fighting in mixed martial arts and competing in one of the most severe competitions in the world...Pretty inspiring... And if your uniforms are depressing every time you see them hanging in your closet, then why are they still hanging in your closet? You won't need them for a few days, wash em, put them away somewhere, and stop that happy horseshit, ok? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eydawn Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 Hey Cheeky, how's the recovery going? Where are you at in the rehab process? Major foot reconstructions like that are a *bitch* to deal with. Chin up! You're a strong chickie (notice the punnage?) and you are gonna beat this. It's definitely a serious mental readjustment to be the patient... that I can speak to. Attitude is everything. Have you gone to visit your work peeps? Sometimes a boost from your work family is a nice mental break from all the other stuff you're juggling... Wendy CO EMT-B RN-ADN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheekyEMT Posted August 23, 2013 Author Share Posted August 23, 2013 Heh...catching up on the thread and it cracked me up when you said, "No sense writing a blog if you have no followers..." Man, I'm glad you didn't tell me that a year ago!! No followers, but man, the mental exercise, the time spent thinking of and/or revisiting topics that are important to you...they become so much more clear, at least for me, when written down.. Sorry so long since posting, but had a long rotation last shift and not enough time home with my family before having to leave again... I'm happy to see that you're feeling better Lady. Do you watch Ninja Warrior by any chance? Was watching a recorded show with Babs where they showed a kid that had been run over and dragged by a car. Showed pictures of him in the hospital, and this kid was completely f*cked up...It was 4 months before he was back to fighting in mixed martial arts and competing in one of the most severe competitions in the world...Pretty inspiring... And if your uniforms are depressing every time you see them hanging in your closet, then why are they still hanging in your closet? You won't need them for a few days, wash em, put them away somewhere, and stop that happy horseshit, ok? I have to say Dwayne...your posts always manage to bring a smile to my face and even a little chuckle...:-) uniforms left our closet about 4 days ago....they are now hanging downstairs in the "storage closet" for seasonal clothing. I will admit that before putting them away I put one on for shits and giggles....I will wear it again some day....might be 3 months from now...might be 6 months from now...but I will wear it again. I am doing well, getting back to normal activities...shopping, cleaning, swimming, even managed a full weekend at the cottage for the first time this summer. I've got my first physio appt scheduled Sept 4th. I see my surgeon Sept 3 for my 11 wk post op follow up and am anticipating becoming cast free that day and hopefully cleared for physio. If he says no physio yet I will just reschedule it for a later date. All in all...my spirits are good....I have my good and bad days...for the most part they are all good. I'm content with the progress I've made over the last couple wks and I know that it's all up from here..:-) Hey Cheeky, how's the recovery going? Where are you at in the rehab process? Major foot reconstructions like that are a *bitch* to deal with. Chin up! You're a strong chickie (notice the punnage?) and you are gonna beat this. It's definitely a serious mental readjustment to be the patient... that I can speak to. Attitude is everything. Have you gone to visit your work peeps? Sometimes a boost from your work family is a nice mental break from all the other stuff you're juggling... Wendy CO EMT-B RN-ADN Recovery has been slow....have not been cleared for physio yet. I am just over 9wks post op now. I came out of the fiberglass cast on Aug 6 and was put into an "air cast" that I am required to wear all the time. I take it off to shower and when I go to bed. We purchased an extra one to allow me to go swimming, so I always have a dry one. My incisions have healed quite well...although not the prettiest looking things. I still have a huge amount of swelling and the scar on the lateral side of my ankle is incredibly sensitive...it doesn't like anything touching it. I have some pain in my leg where the tendon was harvested (semitendonosis)? and my back has been killing me...I'm sure thats from the air cast throwing my gait off so much as well as adding 2" to that leg....so I walk with a limp and awkward gait when I have the boot on. I've also been getting a 'holy crap' pain in my ankle since coming out of the cast and going into the boot...the pain is in the cuboid and talus area. Concerns me as I have 2 screws in my talus and 6 screws in my fibula and calcaneous as well as 2 tunnels drilled through my fibula. I had 5 falls the first week after surgey while using crutches and 2 falls when I went from NWB to PWB that put a significant amount of pressure on my ankle..So am concerned that I have messed something up . God I hope not. I am hoping for a good report at my next appt and hoping that this pain is just from my ankle getting used to being used again and the new ligaments stretching a bit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rock_shoes Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Just curious CheekyEMT, why dispatch as a fall back? You strike me as someone with a passion for patient care. The current AMPDS system (I'm assuming that's the system you're dispatched under in Ontario) is de-humanizing. Technically the determinants make sense but the question process to arrive at those determinants is tragically flawed (I do realise the answers are only as good as the person answering the questions). This process results in incorrect call assignment more often than not (ie. the crew is sent lights and sirens for SOB when in reality the patient has kidney stones). The renal calculus patient deserves proper pain management by all means, but a lights and sirens response is putting crews and the public at risk for an issue that is not sufficiently time sensitive to justify the risk. I've known a number of paramedics who have spent time in dispatch and the reality of how tragically flawed the current call-taking model is places them under more stress than working on car ever did. Education is the ticket for those no longer able to work on a regular duty car; either as an instructor helping develop the next generation, or as a student helping to redefine the future of paramedicine (physician assistant, community care, critical care transport). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BushyFromOz Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 Just curious CheekyEMT, why dispatch as a fall back? You strike me as someone with a passion for patient care. The current AMPDS system (I'm assuming that's the system you're dispatched under in Ontario) is de-humanizing. Technically the determinants make sense but the question process to arrive at those determinants is tragically flawed I will go out on a limb and say we are using the same AMPDS despatch system here. I know it is used by services in canada (as was toild to us when it was adopted) It is so risk averse it is killing people through incompetence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheekyEMT Posted August 25, 2013 Author Share Posted August 25, 2013 Just curious CheekyEMT, why dispatch as a fall back? You strike me as someone with a passion for patient care. The current AMPDS system (I'm assuming that's the system you're dispatched under in Ontario) is de-humanizing. Technically the determinants make sense but the question process to arrive at those determinants is tragically flawed (I do realise the answers are only as good as the person answering the questions). This process results in incorrect call assignment more often than not (ie. the crew is sent lights and sirens for SOB when in reality the patient has kidney stones). The renal calculus patient deserves proper pain management by all means, but a lights and sirens response is putting crews and the public at risk for an issue that is not sufficiently time sensitive to justify the risk. I've known a number of paramedics who have spent time in dispatch and the reality of how tragically flawed the current call-taking model is places them under more stress than working on car ever did. Education is the ticket for those no longer able to work on a regular duty car; either as an instructor helping develop the next generation, or as a student helping to redefine the future of paramedicine (physician assistant, community care, critical care transport). The 911 call system here..in the city we live in is centrally located at the police station. If caller requires ambulance then dispatcher transfers the call to ambulance...same if you require fire. If police are required then dispatcher will take caller info and dipatch appropriately. I have never worked in dispatch but it is something that has always appealed to me and been of interest to me. I believe I would be good at it. I work well under pressure and can make quick,appropriate decisions based on the circumstances. Patient care is my forte...no doubt about that. I would prefer to remain in a position where I continue to provide hands on care....that's what I was meant to do and where I belong. But if my ankle prevents me from returning to that I "think" dispatch is something I would enjoy and be good at. However, I have flirted with the idea of becoming a PA as well. I still have a lot of thinking to do before any final decision is made. Until my surgeon tells me I will NOT be able to return to work I fully intend to get back on truck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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