Embarrasing calls that you were the patient.

[emt_wolfe]

I had this one time when I just finished a call when I had a sudden onset of acute dizziness and nausea. I felt horrible. My partner thought I was crazy because she thought I was drunk, but we were on the downside of a 72 hour shift, and she had been we me the whole time. Well needless to say, I was staggering and c/o a massive headache. She decided to take me to the ER. Well when I got there, embarrassed and confused, I had a whole battery of tests. Come to find out, I had a sudden attack of vertigo. I already have a mild form of hydrocephalus, so having this sudden pressure change in my head really hit me. Oh well I was given lasix, and left to pee off the fluid for the last stretch of our shift. Not too good a story I know, but it's mine.

Danielle

[Rezq304]

Holy CRAP! Seee.....that is my worst fear...right there....that I will have to call *gasp*...PARAMEDICS!.... LMFAO!

I am SO accident prone too...so...it's only a matter of time. We are such the worst patients...I think I'd have to be on my death bed. I DO recall an incident where I was very very sick about 2 years ago. Worst sickness I've ever had....threw up for 46 hours...and I'm NOT joking....I have no idea where it was even coming from....just ice chips, sips, the rest were just dry...well...I can remember going to the BR to throw up again....and I woke up about, what I can best figure, was about a few hours later....passed out cold... Should have called the medics right then and there...I was severely dehydrated, and had lost consciousness...but did I....no freakin way. Dumb...I know....really dumb...

:roll:

What can I say?

8

lol....know how you feel....if I EVER have to call for an ambulance response, the crew is going to hate me and I'll have to sign AIC, because I'll start my own IV and bark orders the entire way.

[Star09]

I lived with three EMTs. We were doing an IV in-service for fun one night. I had never had an IV done on me so I volunteered. My roomate begins one on my hand and suddenly I can't hold my head up. The next thing I know I'm on the floor with my legs on a chair and a wet cloth across my forehead. My one roomates trying to give me a sugar cookie to eat and another's going "wow! look how dilated her pupils are!"

[MRFD_82]

never had to call the medics,but i did sort of volunteer once.. lol

i went to drill with my mom..and the guys decided hey,lets use this poor helpless 7 y/o little gal to be our rescue randy..im like.."huh?...ok sure".. so they strap me to the backboard.. stifneck and all..lol.. and they go"well now what do we do?...hey,lets see if we strapped her in tight enough.." so they proceeded to turn me upside down,right side up,upside down,right side up,so many times that i didnt know whether to wind my butt or scratch my watch when they were done with me..lmao.. cant complain though,it WAS fun.. but strangely humiliating at the same time.. what can you do,eh?.. my brother got to be the volunteer for "lets figure out how to put a dislocated knee back in the right place.." all i heard was some minor screetches.. so i ran off..lol.. who knows what woulda happened afterwards if i hadnt..

any other great stories?

[thamesmedic]

OK since we are all fessing up...It was my first shift as a newly graduated Paramedic and I had to work the night shift with one of my instructors. Well the night was fairly quiet 1 transfer and a local rummy found passed out. At about midnight I decide to have something to eat so I go upstairs in the base so not to disturb anyone in the lounge that's sleeping. I'm sitting there eating when I start to feel a dull pain in my lower back.

I'm thinking that I must have pulled something when we picked up the Rummy earler. The pain is increasing 8/10 dull, mostly on left flank, mild nausea, urge to urinate.....any one see where this is going?

Its now about 1 am and I have to go and find my partner, she is sleeping and I gently wake her with.."I think I need to go to the ER" She of course says what? and I explain That I may have a kidney stone.

Well to make along story short I end up in the ER for the rest of my shift and sent home after a CT and ultra sound.

Boy do I now how to make a good impression, first day on the job.

[TTLWHKR]

I was a volunteer, before I even began my career. I was sitting in a costs determination meeting after a long forest fire, we must have been on the line for fifteen hours. Started feeling sick, came back with a really high fever.

House rules, you can't speak unless your standing in up. I started to talk while sitting, tried to weasle my way out of standing up, they got pissy.. So, I stood up to give my opinion and... fainted. I fought it, but it all went black. They thought I was joking, just let me lay there.. "Well, he is kinda pale".. I actually had an Api.. Never had any pain though, just a 104* temp... After that, they wouldn't let go of it, so I quit, went to college and here I am.

[medic_9]

ok, I'll add my major one. Background: Our service uses a two person BLS crew and an ALS medic on a first response vehicle (usually an SUV), and fire is tiered to all unconscious, VSA, and seizure calls. If the ALS medic needs to attend the patient one of the BLS medics will drive the SUV to the hospital.

Went to a call for a seizure, that happened to occur in a factory. We are suppose to wear helmets for any industrial setting, the ALS medic got there seconds before us (no helmet), I asked my partner and he said don't worry about it (as we pass a big sign that says wear your helmet). We go inside and a guy had a seizure while standing over this large bin, the ALS medic asks me to go and grab the backboard and straps. So I grab a firefighter and off we go back to the vehicle. By the time we got back to the patient, he was awake and was going to climb out of the bin (c-spine ruled out). The ALS medic or my partner (I don't remember) asked me to just get the stretcher ready and to forget about the backboard. I don't remember who was carrying the backboard, but it got leaned against another large bin. So I lower the stretcher by myself and start to get the sheets ready while everyone else is watching the patient climb out of this bin (3 firefighters, 1 chief, my partner, ALS medic and about 3-4 workers). So I flick the sheets open and the backboard falls (no one near it) and smacks me in the right temple then clatters to the ground. No one saw it happen so everyone turns around, and I'm just standing there partially stunned. My partner (or the ALS medic - don't remember) ask me if that hit me, I think I was able to mumble something about yes it hit me but I was ok. So we load up the patient and *I* drive the ambulance to the hospital, all the while thinking that I should hold my foot a certain way so that if I pass out I wouldn't be pressing on the gas. In hindsight, this was probably not a good idea... We get to the hospital and I have a killer headache, so call the supervisor and he's unreachable, so I had to explain to dispatch why I couldn't work anymore (and they and I are laughing) and they got a hold of the supervisor for me. Do the doctor thing, told no more working for that night. The doctor said to just have someone make sure I woke up easily the next morning. Did I mention that this happened on Dec 30th 2004? The supervisor drove me home, luckily my mom was staying with me cuz of the holidays. The next morning I wake up with a very very bad headache, I can hear my mom on the phone with my dad and ask her to grab me an ice pack. As she was coming up the stairs to hand it to me, I felt woozy then next thing I remember is my mom saying "Dear, dear, I have to go I have to call 911". I wake up and I'm lying on the floor about 4 feet from where I was standing. My mom asked me if I still wanted her to call. So she calls...panicking, and I'm trying to tell her what to say. I spent 7 hours in emerg under observation, CT Scan came back negative and I was discharged with instructions to not drive for 7 days, and to F/U in 7 days. I don't really remember anything about new year's eve or new year's day that year.

I got in trouble with my management for not wearing my helmet. I argued that it wasn't a piece of machinery that hit me it was my own equipment, and it could have happened anywhere including in someones house. No go, still got a note to file.

Lesson learned - Wear helmet.

[AnthonyM83]

Not EMS, but I had my tonsils taken out as a kid...sometime during primary school.

They gave me this drug to sip mixed with 7-up. I think it was supposed to calm me down...it sent me off the walls. They nurses told me to sit back in my bed and I responded with "No, I'm fine, look, I can even do jumping jacks, I'll show you" (I proceeded to do push ups and jumping jacks in the room)...

then my memory blacks out to a scene with the nurse telling me she's going to take my blood pressure and it's going to squeeze my arm, with me excitedly replying, "is it going to squeeze it so hard it's going to pop off!?"

Then a memory of being rolled to the ER room and the nurses kept having to push me back onto to gurney b/c I kept wanting to sit up and look around. Then the doctor telling me to breathe into a mask....then me waking up in an empty room with awful smelling oxygen.

[MO_EMT_Girl]

Ok, here's mine...

It was right after my last clinical shift for my EMT class. I was feeling pretty good because we had gotten numerous calls and various ailments. I was running late for a get together with some friends, because we got dispatched to a call right before I was supposed to leave, and I was all for staying. So I decided to change when I got there, it wasn't too far anyways. I am having a good ol time driving to her house, proud of myself for the days accomplishments when my car lurches forward and I black out. I wake up and realize that someone had rearended me. I was stopped at a red light and this kid going at least 40mph hit my car dead on. Well, me being me, go through the assessment in my head. I can feel everything but I can't move my neck. In fact, I try to move my head and my neck wouldn't support it at all. It hurt like crazy, but I wanted to play it off as no big deal. well witnesses had called 911 and had said how I had LOC so needless to say I got the full parade-PD FD and medics. This is probably a good time to mention that I had to wear a full uniform to clinicals and was feeling pretty embarrassed. FD is the first there and I can hear them trying to decide whether to backboard me or KED me. at this I proceed to yell "Don't KED me!" they laugh and agree. thankfully the medics that pulled up were from another district so I didn't know them, but the hospital that they brought me to was the one I had been in all day. The nurses actually thought it was a joke. I haven't lived it down yet, but I am sure I will do something more embarrassing soon :wink:

[Just Plain Ruff]

aside from my scenario I've been a patient several times

Been in two ambulance wrecks no transport but had to be evaluated for neck and back pain after that.

Was in 4 feet of water helping a pinned girl in the car and my knee got cut by the metal of the door - took 6 stitches

was stabbed by a patient in the back with a pen - no treatment but a tetanus shot.

was treating an overdose victim when the far end of the stomach pump tube got turned towards my face and out came all the contents pills and all. Lots of water irrigating and painful eyes

got out of the ambulance and twisted the ankle on a curb, called a 2nd ambulance to transport the patient and my partner transported me to the er.

was running away from a house where the guy had just shot his spouse and he still had the gun (LONG STORY ON THAT ONE) and tripped and hurt my knee. Luckily he was not interested in hurting us, just ending his life too. (he didn't get the chance to do that)