Eydawn

One of my former boyfriends is from there... went out to visit a couple years ago. Very nice, very small community... sorry to hear of the loss! Wendy CO EMT-B

What are you referring to as a nursing diploma? I thought the lowest form of RN was an associate's degree. Then, BSN is a bachelor's... Nursing diploma makes me think of an LPN. Wendy CO EMT-B

I'm going with acute pesticide/chemical exposure leading to respiratory distress and other wonderful effects... First off, let's get this guy out of those clothes and have him rinse off in the shower, and get any nearby neighbors to come take care of the dog. We need to get the chemicals off him so they don't completely fubar our ambulance and so no one else gets exposed. Don't bother with clean clothes... blanket wrap will be just fine. Shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes... but he needs line of sight support until he's on the cot, in case he seizures/fubars on us. Put him on the cot, get going, get on the phone with the doc and get ready to do some heavy duty respiratory support. Establish an IV and get more medical history if he remembers anything else... Based on what I'm seeing, that's what I'd do. Did he see any barrels or tractors or trucks with liquid type stuff anywhere nearby? Wendy CO EMT-B

Not eating would lead to hypoglycemia, doc... right? Not thinking type I diabetes, perhaps? Wendy CO EMT-B

I'm thinking his electrolytes are way off screwing with his cardiac function... but I don't know how to fix that prehospital. Someone else's turn... this kid is going to need to be intubated soon. Are there neonate appropriate doses of cardiac meds that would be appropriate to treat this? How about carotid massage? I'm not sure if the respiratory is being caused by the cardiac, or vice versa, or if there's something else entirely that I'm missing... Wendy CO EMT-B

Give the kid some sugar then. Try to get him to drink some juice, if not, well, we got that nice IV up there... Any improvement after sugar administration? With that respiration rate, time to think about assisting respirations as well. I'm starting to get way out of my league on this one. Wendy CO EMT-B

Would a low BGL be contributing to tachycardia like that? Get the BGL and give dextrose if warranted... What did the Mexican clinic do for the kid? Did they give him any herbal remedies or anything like that at home? Was this kid pooping normally before this all set in? Wendy CO EMT-B

Red spot as in a blood spot indicating damage from trauma? Or red spot as in allergy eye-red? What's the kiddo's level of responsiveness? Does he respond to stimuli, or is he pretty out of it? Awkward question... but has anyone shaken or dropped the baby, by accident or otherwise? Crap. This baby is not doing well. Can I get a 3 lead and a 12 lead? Let's see if we can get an IV on the little one... scalp access would probably be our best bet. Get SOME fluids in there. How do the fontanelles look? Breath sounds? Heart sounds? Bowel sounds? Wendy CO EMT-B

ROFL! Very well put... quite humorous! I especially like the bit about all the lawyers mixed in there.... I'm starting to see just how stupidly everything gets complicated when lawyers are involved... Wendy CO EMT-B

Those are all anthologized in a book titled "What's the Number for 911 Again?" and there are many more like it in there. Pretty funny stuff! Wendy CO EMT-B

True that! I wonder how ol' Dusty is doing. Anyone got an update on him for us? Wendy CO EMT-B

Left traumatic tension pneumothorax due to lung injury/compromise? And the emergent procedure would be a needle decompression, no? Maybe? Wendy CO EMT-B

Get baby and mom on-board and start moving. I can do all my assessment and treatment while I'm hauling butt for the hospital- this kid is going to need a doc ASAP. Vitals? How'd the pregnancy go? When did the baby quit eating? Have they been able to get the baby to drink water? BM? Urine output? Anything the family was told before being discharged from the hospital with their little one? Environmental conditions? Wendy CO EMT-B

He's hypercapnic due to a faulty scrubber and being unable to get his O2 content right. My official Scientific Wild Arse Guess (SWAG). Now, the real question is... why did it cause bloody, frothy sputum? Makes sense for why he blacked out... but why would he be having a fluid buildup like that? Wendy CO EMT-B

I think Dustdevil might just have a heart attack if he sees this thread... Way to stand with your hat in hand and be humble, dude. Testimony to the learning process, right there. Wendy CO EMT-B

It's been one of those weeks. I guess the thing that's bothering me the most right now is trying to process losing Carolyn, one of my SAR team members. I've lost people in my life before... but for some reason, her death is hitting me very hard. I think it was because it was so sudden and I didn't find out until a few days after it happened. I dunno. I'm feeling kind of lost right now. My one year evaluation at work, while mostly positive, contained phrases like "Sometimes seems disrespectful to management" and "Fails to display a can-do cheery attitude" (regarding a proposed situation that threatened client safety... I don't know how the hell I'm supposed to display a can-do cheery attitude when I'm trying to tell management that the outing they have planned is unsafe. Maybe I'm supposed to smile and say "I think this is a TERRIBLE idea, but let's just give it a go! I'm sure we can make it work! Never mind the fact that supervising two high needs clients in a swimming pool needs two staff... I'm sure I can just let one drown while I focus on the other!" :roll:) I'm sick, I'm burnt out from the summer semester, and I just feel like I don't have any reserves at the moment. And I really am glad that my supervisor discussed some things with me during my review and actually listened... but there was stuff in there that was completely ridiculous. Apparently I'm not adaptable or flexible... they thought I didn't want to work at the SO house at all. I put in that house as my TOP CHOICE for availability not a week ago... guess my stipulation about doing awake hours only there and not wanting to spend overnights in a house with three perverts makes me inflexible. Apparently I don't handle emergency situations well! Sorry... I apologize if my communication is blunt and to the point when a client is having a serious problem... Just not what I needed today. Thanks for listening... --Wendy

Rofl! I thought they used dolphins for water polo... Wendy CO EMT-B

Carolyn Randall died along with two companions while climbing the Matterhorn. At least she died doing what she loved... but her absence is already felt. She will be missed. She was a registered nurse and WEMT with a heart of gold, and an unstoppable passion for the outdoors. She was a newer member of the Larimer County Search and Rescue Team. We went through training together. My heart aches. There are not words to describe the loss of this amazing person. Wendy CO EMT-B

Well, Ruff? When ya gonna start the race? Wendy CO EMT-B

2 cc's of 70% alcohol introduced into anyone's nares is ASSAULT. Not a way to sort out fakers, not a way to ascertain level of responsiveness- it is ASSAULT. You can cause damage to their mucous membranes, they can inhale the stuff, you could trigger an asthma attack in an individual who is sensitive to chemicals (like myself), you could cause a bloody nose... WTF happened to DO NO HARM, even to the arse you know is faking because this is the 18th time you've seen him in 2 weeks? What are you going to do when you think you have a faker but you really have a psychological emergency instead, that is manifesting as faked medical symptoms? How will you justify your actions when that person recovers and remembers the intense pain that was completely unnecessary, and hauls you into court? What if your person is really and truly unconscious but just a weird patient, and you inflict damage with your little alcohol trick? That sounds like a frat boy trick, rather than the actions of a competent and ethical medical provider. Go ahead. Try it yourself when you're sick and feel like crap. See how well YOU like having that stuff up your nose! Even my brother, who's only a 17 year old First Responder, immediately said "Oh no! Lawsuit city!" when I mentioned your idea to him. Wendy CO EMT-B

Your best bet is to do some serious fundraising with your post members. First of all, make enough to send someone to get their instructor's cert to teach First Responder. Then, start accruing gear... Also, see if you can get a hospital contact/ friendly physician to associate with your post. They'll be able to offer invaluable advice where staying within legal parameters is concerned. What does your post plan to do? Provide medical support at community events? Go up to scouting events to do med support? If they're not doing something active, they'll die really really quickly. PM me if you want more discussion... I got my start in a Venturing Crew that does EMS. Wendy CO EMT-B

I love this song! Wendy CO EMT-B

I used this to help me write my paper... I like the article overall! Wendy CO EMT-B

Having been part of the exact process being discussed, no, it is not a HIPAA violation. At the summer camp I worked at, when we check in the parents and kiddos, we require them to give the medics a health form listing meds, allergies, pertinent history, etc. and if they don't have it, they go home. We also verbally ask about serious health conditions, allergies to bees or similar, and allergies to food. Most parents with kids with food allergies are ecstatic to realize that we're trying to keep their kids safe, and readily share all info with us with the implicit (and sometimes, if they ask) explicit knowledge that this information will be shared with kitchen staff. It's also good for the folks checking in everyone to have a "face" to go with the SEVERE PEANUT ALLERGY WE WERE CALLED ABOUT 7 TIMES BEFORE THE SESSION... lol. If the kids need special, separate meals, the meals get sent to the shelters from the kitchen with the kiddo's name on them and the allergy listed, just as an extra cross-check. Also... only in very rare instances will we share more than the kid's first name with the kitchen staff. "Connor" with the "dairy" allergy at "Eagle's Nest" is usually sufficient. Wendy CO EMT-B

Like I said, if it's not an EMS agency, who gives a flying flip what they call their medical folks? If we really want to educate the public, the LAST thing we need to worry about is the Parks Service. Wendy CO EMT-B