Got back from a brilliant night last night at the Grammar School Rugby Dinner 2011. Chilled for a bit, went to bed, very soon after (around 0000hrs) I fell promptly asleep...0045hrsish i'm awoken to my mum in tears, my uncle has just passed away completely unexpectedly from an MI!
No amount of medical work can prepare you for the day you are told it is one of your own family that has had that atheroma, had that blood clot, had that "sense of impending doom" as we all know so well from all of our training.
As if the fact i will never see him again, after nearly 18 years of looking up to him, talking about our model making and game playing. Our joint love of all things military. It's the fact I won't even be able to go and see my aunt, because they're all the way up in Yorkshire.
On top of that, I've always said i'd never blame myself for the death of anyone...but last night i couldn't help asking that age old question..."What if?" If i was there just for the night, could i have saved him from his untimely death? could i have eased my aunts pain?
Well I suppose all i can do now is just carry on with life, go out tonight, have a good time, try to take my mind off of everything until the day i can say good bye to him...in person.
Goodbye Uncle Matt, you will forever be in my heart...i love you...
Saturday, 10 December 2011
half inched from a medical mate of mine
Murphy's Law of Paramedics
The First Law of EMS:All emergency calls will wait until you begin to eat, regardless of the time.
Corollary 1 - Fewer accidents would occur if EMS personnel would never eat.
Corollary 2 - Always order food "to go".
The Paramedical Laws of Time:
1 - There is absolutely no relationship between the time at
which you are supposed to get off shift and the time at which you will get off shift.
2 - Given the following equation: T + 1 Minute = Relief Time,
"T" will always be the time of the last call of your shift.
E.g., If you are supposed to get off shift at 1900, your last run will come in at 1859.
The Paramedical Law of Gravity:
Any instrument, when dropped, will always come to
rest in the least accessible place possible.
The Paramedical Law of Time and Distance:
The distance of the call from the hospital
increases as the time to shift change decreases.
Corollary 1 - The shortest distance between the station
and the scene is under construction.
The Paramedical Rule of Random Simultaneity:
Emergency calls will randomly come in all at once.
The Rule of Respiratory Arrest:
All patients, for whom Mouth-to-Mouth Resuscitation must be provided,
will have just completed a large meal of barbecue and onions, garlic pizza,
and pickled herring, which was washed down with at least three cans of beer.
The Axiom of Late-Night Runs:
If you respond to any motor vehicle accident call after
midnight and do not find a drunk on the scene, keep looking - somebody is still missing.
The Law of Options:
Any patient, when given the option of either going to jail or going
to the hospital by a police officer, will always be inside the ambulance before you are.
Corollary 1 - Any patient who chooses to go to jail
instead of the hospital probably knows your driver.
The First Rule of Equipment:
Any piece of lifesaving equipment will never malfunction or fail until:
You need it to save a life.
The salesman leaves.
The Second Rule of Equipment:
Interchangeable parts don't, leak proof seals will, and self-starters won't.
The First Law of Ambulance Driving:
No matter how fast you drive the ambulance when responding to a call,
it will never be fast enough, unless you pass a police cruiser,
at which point it will be entirely too fast.
Paramedical Rules of the Bathroom:
If a call is received between 0500 and 0700,
the location of the call will always be in a bathroom.
If you have just gone to the bathroom, no call will be received.
If you have not just gone to the bathroom, you will soon regret it.
The probability of receiving a run increases proportionally
to the time elapsed since last going to the bathroom.
Corollary 1 - Fewer accidents would occur if EMS personnel would never eat.
Corollary 2 - Always order food "to go".
The Paramedical Laws of Time:
1 - There is absolutely no relationship between the time at
which you are supposed to get off shift and the time at which you will get off shift.
2 - Given the following equation: T + 1 Minute = Relief Time,
"T" will always be the time of the last call of your shift.
E.g., If you are supposed to get off shift at 1900, your last run will come in at 1859.
The Paramedical Law of Gravity:
Any instrument, when dropped, will always come to
rest in the least accessible place possible.
The Paramedical Law of Time and Distance:
The distance of the call from the hospital
increases as the time to shift change decreases.
Corollary 1 - The shortest distance between the station
and the scene is under construction.
The Paramedical Rule of Random Simultaneity:
Emergency calls will randomly come in all at once.
The Rule of Respiratory Arrest:
All patients, for whom Mouth-to-Mouth Resuscitation must be provided,
will have just completed a large meal of barbecue and onions, garlic pizza,
and pickled herring, which was washed down with at least three cans of beer.
The Axiom of Late-Night Runs:
If you respond to any motor vehicle accident call after
midnight and do not find a drunk on the scene, keep looking - somebody is still missing.
The Law of Options:
Any patient, when given the option of either going to jail or going
to the hospital by a police officer, will always be inside the ambulance before you are.
Corollary 1 - Any patient who chooses to go to jail
instead of the hospital probably knows your driver.
The First Rule of Equipment:
Any piece of lifesaving equipment will never malfunction or fail until:
You need it to save a life.
The salesman leaves.
The Second Rule of Equipment:
Interchangeable parts don't, leak proof seals will, and self-starters won't.
The First Law of Ambulance Driving:
No matter how fast you drive the ambulance when responding to a call,
it will never be fast enough, unless you pass a police cruiser,
at which point it will be entirely too fast.
Paramedical Rules of the Bathroom:
If a call is received between 0500 and 0700,
the location of the call will always be in a bathroom.
If you have just gone to the bathroom, no call will be received.
If you have not just gone to the bathroom, you will soon regret it.
The probability of receiving a run increases proportionally
to the time elapsed since last going to the bathroom.
The Paramedical Law of Light:As the seriousness of any given injury increases,
the availability of light to examine that injury decreases.
The Paramedical Law of Space:
The amount of space which is needed to work on a patient
varies inversely with the amount of space
which is available to work on that patient.
The Paramedical Theory of Relativity:
The number of distraught and uncooperative relatives surrounding any
given patient varies exponentially
with the seriousness of the patient's illness or injury.
The Paramedical Theory of Weight:
The weight of the patient that you are about to transport increases
by the square of the sum of the number of floors which must be
ascended to reach the patient plus the number of floors which
must be descended while carrying the patient.
Corollary 1 - Very heavy patients tend to gravitate toward
locations which are furthest from mean sea level.
Corollary 2 - If the patient is heavy,
the elevator is broken, and the lights in the stairwell are out.
The Rules of No-Transport:
A Life-or-Death situation will immediately be created by driving
away from the home of patient whom you have just
advised to go to the hospital in a private vehicle.
The seriousness of this situation will increase as the date of your trial approaches.
By the time your ex-patient reaches the witness stand,
the Jury will wonder how a patient in such terrible condition
could have possibly walked to the door and
greeted you with such a large suitcase in each hand.
The First Rule of Bystanders:
Any bystander who offers you help will give you none.
The Second Rule of Bystanders:
Always assume that any Physician found at the scene
of an emergency is a Gynecologist, until proven otherwise.
Corollary 1 - NEVER turn your back on a Proctologist.
The Rule of Warning Devices:
Any ambulance, whether it is responding to a call or traveling to a hospital,
with lights and siren, will be totally ignored by all motorists,
pedestrians, and dogs which may be found in or near the roads along its route.
Corollary 1 - Ambulance sirens can cause acute and total, but transient, deafness.
Corollary 2 - Ambulance lights can cause acute and total, but transient, blindness.
the availability of light to examine that injury decreases.
The Paramedical Law of Space:
The amount of space which is needed to work on a patient
varies inversely with the amount of space
which is available to work on that patient.
The Paramedical Theory of Relativity:
The number of distraught and uncooperative relatives surrounding any
given patient varies exponentially
with the seriousness of the patient's illness or injury.
The Paramedical Theory of Weight:
The weight of the patient that you are about to transport increases
by the square of the sum of the number of floors which must be
ascended to reach the patient plus the number of floors which
must be descended while carrying the patient.
Corollary 1 - Very heavy patients tend to gravitate toward
locations which are furthest from mean sea level.
Corollary 2 - If the patient is heavy,
the elevator is broken, and the lights in the stairwell are out.
The Rules of No-Transport:
A Life-or-Death situation will immediately be created by driving
away from the home of patient whom you have just
advised to go to the hospital in a private vehicle.
The seriousness of this situation will increase as the date of your trial approaches.
By the time your ex-patient reaches the witness stand,
the Jury will wonder how a patient in such terrible condition
could have possibly walked to the door and
greeted you with such a large suitcase in each hand.
The First Rule of Bystanders:
Any bystander who offers you help will give you none.
The Second Rule of Bystanders:
Always assume that any Physician found at the scene
of an emergency is a Gynecologist, until proven otherwise.
Corollary 1 - NEVER turn your back on a Proctologist.
The Rule of Warning Devices:
Any ambulance, whether it is responding to a call or traveling to a hospital,
with lights and siren, will be totally ignored by all motorists,
pedestrians, and dogs which may be found in or near the roads along its route.
Corollary 1 - Ambulance sirens can cause acute and total, but transient, deafness.
Corollary 2 - Ambulance lights can cause acute and total, but transient, blindness.
Note: This rule does not apply in Lincolnshire, where all pedestrians
and motorists are apparently oblivious to any and all traffic laws.
The Law of Show-and-Tell:
A virtually infinite number of wide-eyed and inquisitive
school-aged children can climb into the back of any ambulance,
and, given the opportunity, invariably will.
Corollary 1 - No emergency run will come in until they
are all inside the Ambulance and playing with the equipment.
Corollary 2 - It will take at least four times as long to
get them all out as it took to get them in.
Corollary 3 - A vital piece of equipment is missing
and motorists are apparently oblivious to any and all traffic laws.
The Law of Show-and-Tell:
A virtually infinite number of wide-eyed and inquisitive
school-aged children can climb into the back of any ambulance,
and, given the opportunity, invariably will.
Corollary 1 - No emergency run will come in until they
are all inside the Ambulance and playing with the equipment.
Corollary 2 - It will take at least four times as long to
get them all out as it took to get them in.
Corollary 3 - A vital piece of equipment is missing
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
concussed
so for the first time today i saw an incident happen, an innocent game of rugby...a smashing tackle...a motionless player...oh dear.
At first i left it to the captain and the manager to sort, it's not my place to get in the way. But after a while and hearing about loss of memory i ask if they need help.
Of course all i could do is the normal eyesight test, touching of nose and all that palava and he seems all good.
But he struggled to work out the day, didn't remember anything from waking up to the moment he went down...hmmm, not good.
He ended up going to the MIU with his mother, job done.
At first i left it to the captain and the manager to sort, it's not my place to get in the way. But after a while and hearing about loss of memory i ask if they need help.
Of course all i could do is the normal eyesight test, touching of nose and all that palava and he seems all good.
But he struggled to work out the day, didn't remember anything from waking up to the moment he went down...hmmm, not good.
He ended up going to the MIU with his mother, job done.
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
St John
RESULTTTT!!!
Finally a fully qualified member of St Johns :D
Turns out the assessor didn't know i'd done a...little bit of first aid before. Now just need to try and sweet talk them all and get on the AFA course in april :D
Finally a fully qualified member of St Johns :D
Turns out the assessor didn't know i'd done a...little bit of first aid before. Now just need to try and sweet talk them all and get on the AFA course in april :D
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
University
Right!!
Got my choices, personal statement perfected, all courses entered in...now just waiting for my reference...great
Got my choices, personal statement perfected, all courses entered in...now just waiting for my reference...great
Sunday, 25 September 2011
Bored
Ok i'm actually hating the fact i've got no first aid to do!! The most i'm gonna have in the next week is a big cadet field comp where i get to do a little basic stuff for about 10-15 mins...roll on december!!
Monday, 12 September 2011
Training
Sooooo, i keep making training powerpoints that are damned detailed...even though i no longer help with teaching or run a team...what a waste of time.
oh well, might as well finish whats nearly done i suppose, might come in useful one day
:(
oh well, might as well finish whats nearly done i suppose, might come in useful one day
:(
Friday, 2 September 2011
Breathing Difficulty
On camp again, just walked out from a relaxed night when a guy runs out shouting for help. Of course, me being me, I oblige and walk in to a young lad, sat up in bed straining for breath, straight away i ask if the on site Doctor has been called for, so someone hot foots it over to get her. First Priority is obviously try to calm the guy down, luckily a guy who came with is used to this as he knows people with Asthma so he's there slowing down the guys breathing using a method i've never seen before but that seemed to work. The candle method, basically hold up some fingers, wave them about and tell them to 'blow the candles out' it's a new one but it seemed to start to work, his breathing slowed and he wasn't straining half as much.
I set to getting some ob's from him as a guy behind the room partition tells me there's a guy shivering...this may not appear to be too abnormal but everyone else was sweating profusely. So obviously i set him straight down into bed and, as you would expect, he was burning up. Just then the Doctor arrived, I did a full hand over and left it to her as it had been one hell of a day. I saw them both the next day, fine and ready to work.
I set to getting some ob's from him as a guy behind the room partition tells me there's a guy shivering...this may not appear to be too abnormal but everyone else was sweating profusely. So obviously i set him straight down into bed and, as you would expect, he was burning up. Just then the Doctor arrived, I did a full hand over and left it to her as it had been one hell of a day. I saw them both the next day, fine and ready to work.
Intro
Just realised...I've got this blog about my life as a First Aider but I haven't actually told you my story.
Well started off at the age of 12. Within the ACF we have to do some basic first aid to get through the syllabus. I managed to fly through the course...it all seemed so natural to me, I continued to do the courses gaining Heartstart at first, then SJA Young Lifesaver Plus award.
As you probably also know, at the same time i was a scout, I'd just passed my SJAYLS+ award when i went on a weekend camp with them, my best mate was working with the First Aid team.../pair, and they were struggling so he asked me along to lend a hand. After this camp, i was 15 he was 16, we decided to make something of it and tried to become the Scout Districts First Aid team, the district were having none of it because it'd cost them way too much so we set up our own team.
We gained contracts with a county council covering their events and also a school's while still covered the scouting events. After a year my mate had to step down as the team leader so i took his place, putting him down as 2IC while i ran the show. I quickly decided that we wouldn't be able to afford running it off our own backs so i amalgamated the team with another, still maintaining the TL role but under the guidance of another, much larger, scouting team.
I spent about 6 months in this role before i left for personal reasons and instead joined St Johns Ambulance all in May 2011.
On top of all of that i work with one of the largest scout First Aid teams in the country and cover large jamborees there working alongside doctors, nurses, paramedics, ambulance crews and other first aiders.
So there you are, that's me. I'm now studying A-levels with the aim of going off to university to join the prowess of the Healthcare Proffesionals' and hopefully onto the Armed Forces to work!!
Well started off at the age of 12. Within the ACF we have to do some basic first aid to get through the syllabus. I managed to fly through the course...it all seemed so natural to me, I continued to do the courses gaining Heartstart at first, then SJA Young Lifesaver Plus award.
As you probably also know, at the same time i was a scout, I'd just passed my SJAYLS+ award when i went on a weekend camp with them, my best mate was working with the First Aid team.../pair, and they were struggling so he asked me along to lend a hand. After this camp, i was 15 he was 16, we decided to make something of it and tried to become the Scout Districts First Aid team, the district were having none of it because it'd cost them way too much so we set up our own team.
We gained contracts with a county council covering their events and also a school's while still covered the scouting events. After a year my mate had to step down as the team leader so i took his place, putting him down as 2IC while i ran the show. I quickly decided that we wouldn't be able to afford running it off our own backs so i amalgamated the team with another, still maintaining the TL role but under the guidance of another, much larger, scouting team.
I spent about 6 months in this role before i left for personal reasons and instead joined St Johns Ambulance all in May 2011.
On top of all of that i work with one of the largest scout First Aid teams in the country and cover large jamborees there working alongside doctors, nurses, paramedics, ambulance crews and other first aiders.
So there you are, that's me. I'm now studying A-levels with the aim of going off to university to join the prowess of the Healthcare Proffesionals' and hopefully onto the Armed Forces to work!!
Wednesday, 17 August 2011
new order
sooo, just put in an order with a certain leading medical supplier, it came to £10.50, i was happy with this...until they added postage and VAT... BOOM, double the price, cheers random leading medical supplier i'm not going to mention the name of *coughSPcough*
Monday, 15 August 2011
Asthma
Just sat down to a coffee when one of the nurses calls me through to have a look at the next patient. She’d been rushed through as a priority 1 as she should’ve had an ambulance called for her immediately instead of having her brought in.
She was wheeled through in a wheelchair, clutching her inhaler. She appeared very distressed, forcing every breath, straining the muscles in her neck and chest. Her face was lacking colour.
Her son told the Nurse she’d been like this for 3-4 days but she didn’t want to go to hospital. That morning he called NHS direct and they told him to call 999 but instead, at the request of his mother, he brought her here instead.
The first thing the nurses did was call 999, then while trying to find a working pulse oximeter they got her sat up on the bed.
All available pulse oxis’ were in use at the time due to the shear amount of patients in that day so she was put straight onto a neb mask to dilate her airway, which seemed to help and the wheezing started to go.
The student on that day asked whether I’d like to check her pulse. I can’t remember the exact figure off the top of my head but I seem to remember it being quite rapid but still strong. Her oxy saturations were low when we finally got a machine to measure.
Other than recording obs’ there was very little we could do before she got in the ambulance.
Friday, 12 August 2011
Fit
Imagine the scene, just pulled myself out of bed after a knackering 2 days. It's stupid o' clock in the morning, I've just woken up a room of kids and i'm ready for my wash.next thing i know i'm being whisked off to an empty room to a guy, i'm told, is having a fit. As i walk in there are a few others looking down at what appears to be a pile of blankets behind the metal framed bed, there he is, staring blankly at me as i try to tell him who i am and why the hell I've been rushed over to see him. His pulse was over the norm but not too worrying, he had blood coming from his mouth and was laying on his back, so i moved him to his side in an aim to secure a patent airway and to keep it there in case he went again. He told me this had never happened before which made a whole load of possibilities, at this point the doctor walked in and my part was done, she measured his temperature which again was slightly high.
Turns out later that he had had these sort of episodes before, that was the last i heard but i'm sure he returned later that week.
Turns out later that he had had these sort of episodes before, that was the last i heard but i'm sure he returned later that week.
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