Eydawn

You'd better be careful over there! I hope you get some good experience and have a good time... And you better come back. Or I'll have to take matters into my own hands! Wendy CO EMT-B

ROFL... I thought that one was pretty dang funny... But I grew up with a sick sense of humor. Wendy CO EMT-B

Well, first of all I'd *really* like to know what his blood sugar is and all of the medications he's on. Including vitamins and herbal supplements. I'd also like to know what he ate last, and when... and if he's had any recent illness or medication changes. Any other medical problems- associated with the diabetes or not- like cardiac history, etc.? Type I or II diabetes? Insulin dependent? Pupils? Basic 3 lead ECG? Blood pressure? Tolerate the OPA or no? Any signs of traumatic injury- bruising, bleeding, etc. especially in the head region? Since she didn't see the seizure (if that is what happened) and he was down against the toilet he might have whacked himself on the way down... That'll do for starters. Wendy CO EMT-B

I knew about the poppy-seed confounding factor... but sesame seeds? Do elaborate! Wendy CO EMT-B

*Dude*... can ya break your text up into smaller snippets please? The big long paragraph is bugging me for some reason. Little snippets. Like this. With spaces. Helps folks read it and makes your diction seem less rushed.... Wendy CO EMT-B

Hi, fellow Coloradoan. First off, SLOW DOWN. If you really want this education, do yourself a favor and enroll in a full time EMT-B class at the local community college, and take Anat and Phys with it concurrently. You also seem to have a grave misconception about the COF stipend; it isn't a "limited fund" type deal that you can "save up" and use all at once. You get a certain amount of stipend PER CREDIT HOUR and DEPENDENT ON INSTITUTION- you just have to authorize its use. You can use it for both the Basic AND the Paramedic. And the Anatomy and Physiology. And Underwater Basket Weaving... see where this is going? You also may qualify for additional funding dependent on your parents' income, or your status on the FAFSA. *Always* fill out the FAFSA and submit it- it's worth a shot. You can also go "zero to hero" as it were through the Community College of Aurora; the program is designed to get you through and get your NREMT-B and CO EMT-B while you're taking the medic level classes. While not my first choice, it is a decent school (where I took my initial Basic) and will get you right on through to Paramedic. PM me if you have more specific questions... I can walk you through your options better if I know exactly where you are. Wendy CO EMT-B

And he should be put in an isolation cell barely big enough to sleep in. And the families should have the ability to come harangue him and emphasize all the evils he has committed. Wendy CO EMT-B

I don't know enough about lab values to know what the results mean. Here is where my education is as of yet severely lacking... So negative for acid fast bacteria = no TB... Narrowing of the ventricles... swelling? Is it viral meningitis? How would we figure that out? Wendy CO EMT-B

You can belong to a frat and not act like a typical "frat boy"... you know what I mean. I don't automatically hate someone who belongs or has belonged to a fraternity. I dislike those who fail to objectively evaluate their brothers' behavior and absorb the "go along with what the house wants to do" mentality. Plying women, and underage minors with alcohol and hucking flaming couches out of windows is moronic, and inexcusable... Wendy CO EMT-B

"Don't Trust Me" 3 oh! 3 (local band from Boulder who is playing the Vans Warped tour... whitest guys you've ever seen!)

What are those cloudy regions? Is that tissue degeneration from an infectious process, or tumor? Sputum culture time... Waitaminute... could this be tuberculosis?! Tuberculosis meningitis? Would that explain the cloudy regions in the chest x-ray and the seizures... http://professionals.epilepsy.com/page/mycobac_tbm.html But how would his history of being a smoker factor in to that diagnosis? And if we suspect it, shouldn't the whole family be screened for TB infection? Am I off in left field? Wendy CO EMT-B

TKE is a problem in a lot of universities... so is SAE. Friggin' fraternities. I hate frat boy behavior. Some frats are ok, but they're in the minority in my experience. Wendy CO EMT-B

Can we look at arterial blood gases? Might give us some info on this guy's saturation levels, pH, etc... :oops: I fess up, I have no idea what labs to order... :oops: Someone else's turn! Wendy CO EMT-B

Well, doc, if the guy has any kind of throat/lung cancer (longtime smoker) and it's spread, we'd use the CT scan and MRI to rule out tumors contributing to the confusion and seizure... as well as doing a full body scan to look for something we might not be able to see on the surface, like tumors elsewhere, evidence of clots... If we X-ray his lungs, we can look for damage/tumors there... little parts to help us figure out the whole. I also want to know if he's got nicotine patches on... keep too many on and smoke, and I've heard you can get some wicked side effects. Wendy CO EMT-B

All right. I'm going to have to try to get some better numbers that include the private response as well as the Denver Health responses, because none of us are operating with the full picture here at the moment. I know for a fact that I've responded to DIA from Commerce City with one of the privates, and that's when I was a gopher/observer about... 4 years ago. So DIA is not up shite creek as far as I can tell/remember for EMS coverage. They're a ways out of Denver itself, for those of you who don't know the area... Let's figure out the real picture from all of the angles before we go further with this. Wendy CO EMT-B

Mm, our docs are good and the health fees are included with full time tuition. Asthma and anaphylaxis are actually easier for this one nurse from what I gather.... just the physical trauma thing wasn't her cup of tea. Wendy CO EMT-B

Say what? Meld with Denver FD? Denver FD doesn't want that! (At least on the personnel level...) Waitaminute... isn't that kind of what is in the works? Anyone else confused? Wendy CO EMT-B

Well, I can speak with a friend currently in their employ and let you know what he has to say... are you actually trying to make a point here? Denver Health EMS is busted, much like so many around the nation. What makes our bust different? What's so special about Denver Health EMS taking a nosedive? Been a while since you worked there I see from one of your last posts... care to comment on your opinion now? Wendy CO EMT-B

Bear in mind that those who do clinic/doctor's office care usually see more chronic problems or milder acute illnesses. If you don't deal with your adrenaline reaction on a daily basis, and something happens, it's going to be more difficult for you to react appropriately... To wit: brought in a friend who landed on her shoulder on the soccer field to the college health center. I put her in a sling/swathe because it was *hurting* her... let me tell you, the RN flipped out when I asked my friend if she wanted me to go wait in the waiting room. Here I was thinking "privacy issues!" and the nurse was going "don't leave! Don't leave me with this! Don't leave her without a ride!" mentally... we had a good talk about it after she calmed down, lol. But you see? Not her cup of tea. Not what she does on a daily basis. Wendy CO EMT-B

DUDE! Do not *ever* confuse me with WendyT, who is a Canadian. I am Eydawn. My real name is Wendy, and I sign my posts as such. Sorry, lol... PM me and I'll clue you in to why I want that separated. Wendy (NO T!) CO EMT-B

Alright, I'm doing your homework for you... Which of these districts do you live in? * Black Diamond is located in Schuyler, Sullivan, Putnam, Adair, Scotland, Knox, Linn, Macon, and Western Shelby, counties. * Boonslick is located in Boone, Cooper and Howard counties * Chariton Valley is located in Randolph, Chariton, and Western Monroe counties. * Five Rivers is located in Cole, Osage, Gasconade and Maries counties. * Grand Prairie is located in Callaway, Audrain and Montgomery counties. * Kinderhook is located in Morgan, Moniteau and Camden counties. * Mark Twain is located in Pike, Ralls, Lewis, Monroe, Marion and Eastern Shelby counties. * Osage Trails is located in Saline, Pettis and Benton counties. * Boone Trails District is located in Saint Charles, Lincoln, and Warren counties in Missouri. * Cherokee District is located in Southern Scott, Eastern Stoddard, New Madrid, Mississippi, Dunklin, and Pemiscot counties in Missouri. * Egyptian District is located in Hamilton, Franklin, Williamson, and Saline counties in Illinois. * Grand Towers District is located in Saint Louis, Missouri. * Gravois Trail District is located in south Saint Louis County, Missouri. * Kaskaskia District is located in Perry, Jackson, Union, Alexander, Pulaski, and Johnson counties in Illinois. * New Horizons District is located in west Saint Louis County, Missouri. * North Star District is located in north Saint Louis County, Missouri * Osage District is located in Franklin and Crawford counties in Missouri. * Ozark Trailblazers District is located in Washington, Iron, Reynolds, Madison, Saint Francois, and Sainte Genevieve counties in Missouri. * Pathfinder District is located in mid Saint Louis County, Missouri. * River Trails District is located in Jefferson County, Missouri. * Shawnee District is located in Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Madison, Perry, and Northern Scott counties in Missouri. * Sioux District is located in Southern Reynolds, Wayne, Western Stoddard, Carter, Butler, and Ripley counties in Missouri. * Thunderbird District is located in South Saint Louis, Missouri. Let me know which one you're in and I'll see what more I can find.... until I know what council and district you're in, I can't find out if there's any Venturing programs that would fit the bill down there. Wendy CO EMT-B

Then it seems to me that taking the helmet would be the most effective way to indicate that I am *deadly* serious. If all else fails, if talking doesn't get the message across, if taking the tag is still not getting the message across, and I don't have time to pander to you, I'm taking your helmet and giving it to your c/o as a visual and physical indication of just how badly you screwed up. It's not something I'd do lightly, believe me. What do the firefighters think rehab is for, exactly? So we can play nurse? Like EMS doesn't have plenty of other things we'd rather be doing... I personally hate smoke, but I'll do my damndest to make sure firefighters in my care are adequately cared for and protected. If they're going to treat me badly because of it, why would I respect the tradition of the "lid"? Of course, I'd explain why I was taking the helmet and how the bullheadedness was dishonoring everything that helmet stands for... Wendy CO EMT-B

There are many very diplomatic ways to deal with things. Occasionally, one must use the Dust approach and wield the sledgehammer. Notice how I said I'd take the helmet, and turn it over to the recalcitrant firefighter's commanding officer? That implies a conversation with said officer, and respect for the equipment being removed. What's so emotional about the helmet? Enlighten me here... I have plenty of FF friends and have never seen this be such an issue. And I stand by what I said. I don't care *what* it does to your ego, you're not endangering your crew by being an @sshole. Sorry. Wendy CO EMT-B

If I have someone who is going to put themselves (and by extension, their "brothers") at risk by not obeying medical orders, I will do whatever is necessary to prevent their re-entry to the fire scene until the requirements are met *and* the idiotic attitude is lost. If that means I take someone's helmet and give it to their chief, so be it. I won't put 6 firefighters in danger of having to go rescue their buddy because he's too stupid to go through rehab like he's supposed to. Sorry. Wendy CO EMT-B

Are you just citing numbers from Denver Health Paramedics? If so, you're forgetting West Metro, Rural Metro, Northglenn Ambulance, Action Care, Capitol City, AMR.... Most of them don't run primary response until the system goes on overload (in Denver proper) but that happens quite frequently. Not saying that Denver's EMS isn't broken (it is) but DH is not the only one operating in Denver at both the 911 and BLS transfer levels. Wendy CO EMT-B