A Knife called Envy

As we turned the corner the cop cruiser whipped around in front of us and flashed his directional bar light as if to say follow me. We knew it was going to be a legitimate trauma, as the cruiser turned the corner and pulled up on scene we were fifty yards behind rolling up to the cruiser when he jet further down as if to say there he is boys do your thing. My door opened as I called out on scene fighting through radio traffic, throwing my glasses on the dash I approach the screams and agony through a driving rain. In front of me stands a burdened woman in complete suffering. Drenched either from rain or her sorrowful tears the young woman weeps in misery. This early twenty's white female stands unable to control her frantic shaking. At my feet lays her man, my patient, with his legs over a guard rail and a bystander holding a towel on his shirtless torso. He's Limp and becoming ashen in front of my eyes, he's my age and laying in a puddle. Turning his head ever so slightly with his last gasp for air. Its as though I feel every drop of rain falling as time slows down. I remove the towel and see a non sucking chest wound just left of the sternum and one just under his left arm pit. The on lookers circling like vultures with their beady eyes gazing on my crew. A Sergeant from the Police approaches me and asks what I need, I gaze up through the driving rain and yell over the approaching sirens that I need these scavengers roosting on the railings and side walks gone. I stand to see my medic rounding the corner of the rig with his monitor in hand and the newbie in tow with the drug bag. I jump back to the rig and inform my medic in passing the locations of wounds. Grabbing the radio with my wet gloved hands I call out in an apathetic tone, "County and Control from Medic Two; Advise Trauma Two we have a traumatic arrest with two to three stab wounds to the chest; will advise once in route." I walk to the rear compartment of the rig to grab out the back board and collar bag, throwing them closer to the patient. Its no lie to say I felt no sorrow for this gang banger, though I still had a job to do. I grab the intabation kit from the inside cabinet and proceed back towards my medic. Opening the intabation kit and drug bag I prepare for a quick and systematic approach to the call.

Various other units have been arriving on scene from the Fire medics to the detectives. The street looking like a block party with rave lights bouncing off the buildings. The officers stringing the DO NOT ENTER yellow tape around the scene and various people receiving shiny linked bracelets There is no blood exiting the wounds, even if there were the driving rain would have washed it off his cold limp body. We are joined by two of the Fire Medics I would trust with my child's life, One an RN and the other an EMS instructor. The two of them and my medic use a tag team approach. My Medic Intabating, squatting in the puddle as to not get his pants soaked. The Nurse Medic throwing a large bore IV in the left AC, and the instructor Medic preparing the IO gun in the rig. I toss the prefilled Epi and Atropine to the RN medic and take the drug bag to the rig where I hang another thousand bag. I know only first round med's will be given before they move out of this rain, its cold dark and damp on the street. They secure to the body to the back board and throw it on the stretcher, wheeling it to the rig. Inside five providers pile and I close them in. Jumping in the drivers seat I put the rig in drive, kick the emergency lights on and head to Trauma Two. Just twelve minutes have elapsed since the initial dispatch.

I realize five additional occupants may seem like a little much but I wasn't wasting time to weed any out. We were only a few blocks from the highway on ramp which we jump on to head a village over. Slow and steady I proceed only topping out at 60mph. I have precious cargo, a back full of standing providers working there ass's off to save this man. Regardless of his social or economic background he is our patient and he will have every chance to survive we can give him. Slowing for the exit I hear the boys in the back quickly consult each other over the diminishing lung sounds. A Chest decompression is in order, preformed and quickly realize a shock is to follow. Pulling the rig over to a shoulder, I hear "3,2,1, Clear" and accelerate the rig back up to speed we are minutes away from Trauma two.

Arriving we hand off to the ER. having gotten him back momentarily we were hopeful. Only for all that hard work to come up short. Later we find out this was all over a girl...Not a good reason to loose a young life.

Be Safe
Ambulance Junkie

The Yoda kid

"Medic Nine respond with the police to the school with out walls for a child having behavioral out burst" The radio squawks "Medic Nine copy's en route" I chatter back. Pulling up on scene we exit the rig and pull our stretcher out. Wheel it up the ramp and through the main doors, we follow the staff down a hallway past heavy thick steel doors slammed shut. The children glaring through the glass encrusted wire windows with a teacher valiantly trying to educate them. The echo of our foot steps trailing down the hall we are presented with a wall of staff members standing awaiting our arrival along with an officer. "he's not violent but somethings definitely going on that I think your better off handling" the officer says. As the staff parts allowing me to pass, the last of which opens a large door as if for royalty. My eyes adjust to the dimly lit room, the walls with white padding from top to bottom all inked up with sketches from inhabitants pass. The single browned out light bulb in the room is surrounded with a cage lined with dried snot and spit. In the shadows in the far corner my eyes lay sight to a young dark skinned male huddled down. I approach cautiously.
This young man looking at me begins to speak "What looking at are you" "Excuse me? Whats going on today man?" I ask in wonder. "Do you understand the language of the Jedi not?" the boy asks. I turn to the officer in confusion and disbelief. "yeah I don't really have authority to transport here, so that's where you come into play" Says the officer.

Lucky me I think as my partner and I take this non violent young student on our stretcher and secured him with leg lap and chest straps. As we roll the patient out of the building I ask the typical questions like his name, if he is having any complaints, and SAMPLE history. The patient looking at me states "Yoda ki-adi-mundi, my name is. Yes, hmmm. No concern of yours, the rest is." At this point we have loaded our young Jedi Master into the rig, his sudden psychosis or his possession by a fictional character I test his devotion to this act ir the seriousness of the situation. "So you said your name is Yoda Ki-Adi-Mundi right? Like Yoda from star wars huh? than explain to me why are you taking a Jedi Master of an unknown species and combining it with a complete seperate Jedi Master?" The Patient looking at me begins to have the slight enjoyment wash off his face, "well...well....Your Mom!" the patient shouts. "So that easily you've given up your little game huh?" I ask, "I was expecting more, I mean as elaborate as your escapade was to get out of school you could at least sell it to me" "PING" my cell chirps as a text from my partner comes in. I glance quickly reading: you just Jedi Mind tricked his ass! 

The rest of the trip in was rather uneventful. Taking vitals and grabbing what little history the kid felt like sharing. I understood this kids desire to get attention, his outward cry of desperation. It wasn't a long ride into the Hospital, I don't think a two hour trip would have allowed this kid to receive enough time away from his inner demons. Pulling the stretcher out of the rig with our young Padawon in tow we enter the ER. "Afternoon folks, Let me introduce to you my young patient....Yoda Kid, He's been acting out today and is in need of a Psych eval." Glancing out of the corner of my eye I wink at my young troubled person. He smiled back and continued on his way, "Yoda the great Jedi master I am." The staff none the wiser.

Be safe
Ambulance Junkie

The ugly truth

"I don't know how long she's been down" says the bystander. We enter through the doorway into the room. We behold our patient, a Lincoln Continental sized woman. The lifeless body buck ass naked on a mattress that was dwarfed by her size. The inner concern arises as we conceptualize a way to extricate this patient. Is this even possible? There is no way the two of us can move her. I couldn't even believe she would fit through the door way.

"She wont even fit on the elevator" my partner whispers. "Not laying down" I whisper back. "so we put her on the elevator car 1 and hit the lobby button, than jump in car 2 and race to the lobby?" my partner suggests. "are you kidding my? I'm not taking the stairs!" My partner looks at me holding back the laughter "how does you taking the stairs come into the equation?" he mutters, "I don't know, I was feeling confusion, We have a job to do" I say as I enter the room leaving my partner in utter confusion.
We approach, placing the monitor on the floor, and begin our assessment. A truly mute thing at this point. Neither of us are truly thinking this is a viable option for resuscitation, but relying on training we proceed with the steps to confirm. I chirp out a quick radio transmission of an additional truck and the police to the scene. My partner places the four lead on and glances at the monitor, while I throw a set of defibrillator pads on our patient. The Monitor reads Asystole yet her body is still slightly room temperature. We debate our options in the room more for show. We point out the lavidity in the legs and arms setting in, the staff unable to understand the words coming out of our mouths. We pack up and await for the police officer to take over the scene. The instant sign of relief washes across my partners face.
We as EMS providers are imagined as super humans. We arrive on scene and are expected to save a life. We are supposed to operate with no emotion but show compassion. We are supposed to be confident in our ability to over come the largest of obstacles, some times though our human nature and concerns get in the way. We are only human after all, we have our own ways to cope with the dismal and dark side of the world. We often dont deal with people when they are having a good day. EMS typically wont be called until a persons day turns to crap, and we must remain light hearted in order to continue in this job.

Be Safe

Ambulance Junkie

Stop and Listen

The first call of the night went smoothly, and I find myself in the Emergency Room cleaning my stretcher. I begin to listen to the sounds around me and become very enthralled by them. Listening to my personal orchestra I take a moment to enjoy the smallest of pleasures.

Swoosh swoosh of my hand wiping down my stretcher, I listen as a doctors introduction gets drowned out as a passer by talking on her cell with an angelic southern draw "Hello, I'm Doctor..." "Ya, so I ain't to shur but I reckon he'll be admitted" Trailing off as she walks down the hall. "This is the stethoscope and it goes here on your chest to listen to your lungs" the doctor tells his young patient. Click Clack, Click Clack, Click Clack, As Miss registration walks down the hall giving me a sweet hello smile. Beeeep, Beeeep, Beeeep, Beeeep of a patients monitor alarm telling the staff of problematic vital signs. Squeak-squeak-Squeeeak, swoosh woosh woosh woosh woosh the trailing off of the passing environmental services cart wheeling by and the sound of sticking shoes from the cleaner walking behind.

"Hey Boy" says one of my favorite nurses, "How are you stranger" "Hey girl, I'm good, what are you doing on still?" I ask "I'm here till 1900" She says in passing. Click-Clack Click-Clack, as Miss Registration passes by while returning to her station. Ping as my phone receives a text, "Hi, I'm from radiology. I'll be taking you for an X-ray" Says a tech "Excuse me, Nurse" a patient yells out, "OK, so the CT scan came back negative..." states doctor to a nurse. "Room 12 Fire" says a Nurse to the Fire Ambulance Medics.

The singularity of the voices begin to muffle together and build on top of each other. One drowning out the next, becoming an indistinguishable chatter perpetually becoming louder and louder. Then a sudden silence as I slip into my thoughts and think of the perfect blog post for the day. Realizing the the irony of this moment I smirk and just like that the silence is broken. Ring Ring Ring of the nurses station phone, "Med control from Medic 13" the radio chirps "Doctor Strong to Level two North, Doctor strong to Level two north" the over head speaker alerts. The hustle returns to life in the E.R. and I go about dressing my stretcher having enjoyed my little moment of observation.