DwayneEMTP

Is it possible that it's because you guys are assholes? Just wondering... :-)

After giving this a bit more thought, I'd really be interested to know what it is you're trying to accomplish? Not sniping at you, just trying to get a better picture. The reason that I ask is that intubating a cadaver that's not still warm is going to give you almost nothing useful in teaching you to intubate. The anatomy will be relatively fixed, yet fluid in the field. The head/neck will be very difficult to nearly impossible to manage, again, unlike a live patient, in most circumstances, in the field. What is it that you are trying to accomplish exactly? We maybe able to be a bit more helpful if we understood that.

I guess that I don't really see the issue with this. If it was a life threatening illness that effected him only, then I would have huge issues with it. But a contagious disease that he refuses help eliminate the spread of...Man, I don't see the issue. Not really that much different from drinking and driving it seems... Though I probably shouldn't have commented until I'd given it a bit of thought.

Yeah, I hate to take this thread in a more serious direction, but I get really tired of crying for teachers. As one that's gone through the public school system, and now been involved with it on an almost daily basis for much of Dylan's 15 years, I'm really, really comfortable saying that it's way past time the image of the selfless school teacher goes away just as should the image of the heroic fireman. I remember maybe three teachers from my 12+ years of schooling. 5 or 6 if you include college. Amazing, life changing individuals. My life is certainly better, and kinder, and more open minded because I was blessed with their care. But how many hundreds of teachers was I exposed to during my education? And I remember three? C'mon...that's not an awesome friggin' average. It's fun, and we all feel like better people for jumping on the 'teachers as saints' bandwagon, but it doesn't solve the very real issues plaguing our public (and possibly private, though I have no way to know) school systems today. Kids are still failing at alarming rates, those that pass are being found to be scarily undereducated, the system is broken in almost every case. And that's only when considering normally developing kids. Add in the special needs kids that are not only not educated, but abused and killed 'while at school!' and it paints a much bleaker picture. And does anyone find it ironic that teachers enjoy a paradoy of "The parents just want to make excuses and have someone else solve their problems!"? Isn't this the pot calling the kettle black? Ok, as you were... Dwayne

Yeah, that struck me too. I'll be interested to see if there is any follow up.

I think that as a basic you'll have a really hard time finding a place. You'll find if you choose to move forward in your EMS career that cadavers are not just pieces of meat to be mutilated but human beings that have made a significant sacrifice to allow us to learn from them. They should be, and have been in any environment that I've been exposed to, treated with the ultimate respect. My guess would be that no reputable place would allow you to intubate unless you could show how the sacrifice made by the person donating their body would make a real contribution to EMS, or medicine in general in some other way. No offense Brother, but it's unlikely that anyone is going to let you just play with them for your general interest. The CAP Lab given every year does give you such an opportunity though. And it's ridiculously inexpensive. Intubating, I/Os in all locations, some even did field amputations. Do a search here and you'll find some really good threads on it. I'd be interested to know what you find... Good luck.. Dwayne

What a terrible story... But almost more terrible? That it will get very little attention most likely. Now, if this was puppy instead of a human being the outrage would/could be national, and as we've seen now and then, worldwide. Breaks my heart...

Helping you out Mike... There....see, you feel better, right?

+4 I was going to give you a +2, but then saw what appears to be a properly used semicolon and felt that that was worth at least two more....Just sayin'... Excellent point above I think...

You know the preview only showed me. [JEMS NEWSFEED] Binge Drinking Reaches Crisis Level in Br... Why did I assume that was going to say Brisbane?

(Edit: Mike, I left my post up for a few hours while creating it and treating patients at the same time. This post, though it follows yours, doesn't reference your post in any way.) You know, as much as I dislike that this is likely fake...What most often is worse are the hatefully things afterwards. If this is fake, lets not make it a ton worse by showing the world, and each other, how much we sometimes enjoy celebrating our open ended invitations to be joyously cruel. We've had some members here in the past that have been equally as lost. Some are still here. I also see no advantage in bringing up the names of anyone that may have had the spine to walk the painful path back from such a place and are now valuable, contributing members. Maybe we can all be grateful that we're not in a place to need to create such fantasies, and celebrate the brotherhood that we share here instead? Dwayne

Ruffster, as much as her being a bullshit artist is an issue, you're falling for it is an issue to my friend. You tend to jump on board with every sob story that comes down the pipe. That's not an insult, but an observation. There is medically no possible way that I can see this story being true. Unless her doctor is buying his AICD's at Walmart. Sorry Babe, you went of into the ditch when you tried to go down the "Oh, those silly defibs, we've tried and tried, but they all burn out, or short out, or fall out or something.." Plus, no one is terminally ill that knows so little about their condition as you and your mother seem to. You know, it should be easy enough. How about scanning and posting some of the doctors notes from your terminal visit to the hospital. When what that, yesterday? That might help. You're medically correct diagnosis should be all over those documents, which you mom should have, as well as descriptions of how they managed to revive you and decided to send you home. I look forward to reading them...

Maybe her mom would like some stuff still, regardless of Steph's outcome?

You'd have to ask him to know. So the value of exerting the effort for CPR boils down to Kiwi's perception of one's quality of life? And can you put that value into a protocol for me? I'm guessing it would sound something like, "I can't define quality of life, but I know it when I see it!" What happens when Dylan codes, and you know from previous experience that he's living no kind of life that you consider to have quality? Does he not receive resusc attempts based on being autistic? Grandma that chooses to get up every day despite her mental and physical frailties? I mean, hell, she's never going to golf again, let the bitch go. And how will you judge that quality of life to make such a decision? Dispatch rarely knows what's going on, you can almost never get a decent story from people on scene. What information are you going to use to make your decision? If I code in my living room I will gladly sell my soul and suck dicks in hell for eternity for the right to pry my eyelids open for just a few more minutes to see Babs and Dylan before I pass into nothingness. I get where you're coming from, and I like the argument and discussion, but I find everything about choosing to work or not work on someone based on an outsiders, particularly a friggin' medical provider's, perceived quality of life offensive. It's important to me that you all understand that my comments are not meant to be a holier than thou thread killer. I'm trying to be clear in order to contribute, not to try and pretend that I'm morally and ethically above such a conversation. Hopefully such bullshit would never fly with this crowd anyway... Dwayne

Thoughts of peace for her and those that love her... What is her illness? It doesn't seem to be a huge secret, but I've not heard officially.

Aren't those two statements contradictory? And this is funny as hell right here... "...Competent patients have the right to decline ... resuscitation in the event of cardiac arrest..."

The problem man, is that you want it all but don't want to step up to the plate. You need to make your decisions, and allow her to make hers. If this guy is still a part of your life, that's your fault, not his, not hers. If this was my girlfriend, and/or my problem, it would be pretty simple for me (at my age. Would have sucked ass when I was your age.) "Hey Babe. I'm not a big fan of that guy. I don't really want that kind of energy in my life, or around my things. I get that you want to be friends, but if staying friends with him is really important to you, then I wish you nothing but peace and joy and happiness in your life, but it's time for us to go our separate ways. Not only do I not really want to hang out with people that choose to continue down a path so different than mine, but I'm trying to enter a career that makes it really unwise for me to regularly associate with felons when it can be avoided." "Oh, you don't like ultimatums? I don't blame you. Neither do I, but...Kiss kiss. I'll see you down the road." If he is that important to her, then it's time to walk your path and let her walk hers. If not, then he can find his own way without either of you. Should you make it clear that you don't want him around and yet he still chooses to continue to come to your home, work, whatever, pound his head into a puddle and then walk the puddle dry. He'll get the message. See, all very zen... Dwayne

What is even more funny, though 'ha ha' funny this time, is that I just deleted a spam post right below yours! Thanks to all for reporting the spam posts. It makes them a lot easier to track down. Killing them is a team sport with only part of the credit going to the moderators...

Yeah, here's the problem with allowing her family to look after themselves. She's a medic. Before she was a medic she had a medic's heart and attitude. She's lost her brother to suicide in this same geographical space. She pig headed to the extreme. She loves way too hard for her own good. She will gladly trade her health and sanity for those she's caring for, all the while telling herself that she's so strong that neither could ever be at risk. Do I really need to go on? Because I could... You know what Kaisu? I truly love you back. What an amazing person you've been in my life, over and over....And I miss you. I'm not going to ask you to do the right thing and look after yourself because you don't listen to that kind of advice.. But I will ask this favor. A true favor, as your friend...that you don't stay gone. That you stay connected to your friends here and elsewhere, and that you ring my phone, or answer my friggin' phone calls once in a while. You need a place to stay centered and to find your balance sometimes. It tends to be your way to run away when you get tired and sad, and I just wish that you wouldn't do that this time. Yeah, I know that this kind of stuff belongs in a private message and that I risk ruining your whole 'tough bitch' persona with mushy yacking. If anyone asks just pretend that you have no idea what I'm talking about and swear that I must have confused you with someone else. Just as long as you know better... Hey! And consider making a stop in Colorado between AZ and Mi, Ok? Good luck girl. Dwayne

Man...I feel you Brother. My last 7 months of medic school I was just completely done. I couldn't think, I couldn't focus, I'd started having anxiety attacks. Should you ever decide to be completely and thoroughly humiliated try being an old fat guy and having an anxiety attack, which was of course assumed to be a heart attack, in the middle a paramedic class. I came here and said something like, "I can't do it. I'm not smart enough. I wanted to be able to call you guys peers but after all of this effort I know now that I can't do it." If they would just halt class for two or three weeks, so I had nothing to do but study I was sure I could catch up. But instead when I'd almost gotten a grasp on about 30% of the material, we moved on...it was too much. Then Asysin2leads told me, and this is truly what kept me from quitting, "I know it seems to much. That your mind is just a big pile of mush that makes no sense. But one day soon it's all going to come together. It will all make sense. And when it does, it's a beautiful thing." Something very close to that. And it friggin' did! It seems that one day I felt stoned, and completely lost, and then the next there were all of these little compartments in my brain that would all speak to each other. When I wanted information, it came to me. When I didn't know an answer I just had to keep asking questions until the answer 'presented itself', which is how it still feels to me today. I got to where I knew that I couldn't do it any more, so I would make deals with myself. "I'll go to class tonight, and say goodbye to everyone, but this is my last night. I'm not doing this any more." I'd then find that I didn't have the balls to tell anyone that I was quitting, so would go through class, and then do the same thing the next night, the next clinical, for the next test. If you're meant to do this, then you will. You'll go to class, one day at a time. You'll make sure that you don't miss any more friggin' tests. You'll study when you're too tired to breathe. And then one day, and you're almost there! You'll walk out of class....and have nothing to do. Nowhere to be. And your new life will have begun. Keep the faith Brother.