Personal question

[emtnerd]

I prefer not to dwell on the "gross" things. What tears at my heart strings are the calls where we take a person home from the hospital to die.

[emtkelley]

I get asked this sometimes myself, what is the nastiest thing I have ever seen on a call. Like so many before me have stated, it's the emotional stuff that tears us up the most. I can take the yuck that comes along with this job because that is what it is, a part of the job. But no textbook I have ever seen prepares you for some of the examples in this thread. Accidents that should have never happened, hearts which didn't have to break, babies who didn't have to die.

moments that stick out in my mind: A guy and his girlfriend were out on a nighttime motorcycle ride and crashed. He is DOA and she is lying 50 feet away screaming his name out. We get her to the hospital and he is transported as well. Only a curtain separates the two while she is yelling his name and a nurse is holding a sign up telling us she has not been informed of his death. The next day, I witness his corneas and organs harvested.

The first time I use a combitube in the field, my patient's husband is pleading with me to "make her live, this is our 60th anniversary today". My heart broke for him.

Perhaps there should be a forum for this type of subject. It seems to have opened up alot of feelings we would prefer to keep inside.

It's not the vomit or the blood that comes with this job that bothers me. That washes off. The memories just kinda linger and can be just as nasty. They never wash away.

[MeekoBB]

Michael: I can't see where anyone here has been too harse at all, I think that you may be a bit over sensitive to the comments provided. I think Holocene got exactly what he asked for..... education and in-sight, dare to ask hard questions dare to receive hard answers, in fact he apologized for asking because the realizing that this can be a very sensitive topic for some that in itself speaks volumes, I don't believe that he needs someone to defend him at all. A lot of these posts really spoke from their hearts and please don't think of it as easy but in fact it could be very therapeutic for some to get it out, put it on paper, and hit SEND.

Just a premature conclusion by myself but the "gross" things persay are not really the most difficult situations for EMS providers. In fact its the humanity side of things that is the real trend here..... quite reveling....... hey EMS workers are actually humans too! WOW!

Just to be crystal clear here:

Quoting myself: I believe its blatant morbid curiosity, edit (its a human trait) but agreed totally it is annoying and quite rude to my way of thinking. edit (the point here) I have often been at a social gathering when someone asks the standard question.

I think R/r and hammerpcp summed this up nicely. I too have had some nightmares "that wake me up in a cold sweat" that I (can't remember) when I do wake. How about 8 arrests in one shift and not one survived....hmm.....I was the last person to ever talk to those good folks........ How about 16 burned to death in a train wreck, then 96 more to give care too with some being the living relative's....don't think that haunts me? I rarely get into this type of topic because one just can't explain this to the lay person, or even an ex wife :roll: Then someone decide's to post their religious values or beliefs believing that their way is the only way, now that does frost me to be certian.

... so like I was saying back to the free shrimp and doubles.....cheers.

And at the same time, those who felt uncomfortable by his question and curiosity, however morbid, they were not forced to post their experiences.

Everything you say and do on the forum is YOUR CHOICE. It's your choice to have responded with your memories. It was not forced.

[windsong]

Gee this sounds familar, we wont go there either. :roll:

[Dustdevil]

Plus 10 to Paramedicmike, Ruffems, and hammerpcp for excellent answers.

Personally, I haven't seen anything gross yet.

[medic001918]

And at the same time, those who felt uncomfortable by his question and curiosity, however morbid, they were not forced to post their experiences.

Everything you say and do on the forum is YOUR CHOICE. It's your choice to have responded with your memories. It was not forced.

The question itself is enough to stir thoughts and memories regardless of if you choose to post them or not.

Shane

NREMT-P

[Eydawn]

The question itself is enough to stir thoughts and memories regardless of if you choose to post them or not.

Shane

NREMT-P

But that is something that could happen every day, in any location depending on the nature of the memory and the stimulus recieved. For example... walking past an open door in my dormitory, seeing a young man sitting there in the same position at the same desk that another young man once sat at, before he decided to end his own life in that room 2 years ago.

Or having someone bring up that their last name is XXXX making me think of that young fellow's last name. Or someone asking me what the lamp post that is never turned off alongside the path means.

You can never tell what's going to prompt a recollection of something that had a profound emotional impact on you. I think it is a wise decision to try to find out what many of us actually face as a routine part of our careers before investing the money in EMT or Paramedic school, beginning a career, and then finding out during the first (or the second) gruesome/difficult call that you really can't do it after all... it saves the trouble of instruction and perhaps safeguards us from another situation- where someone loses it because they can't handle it. Now granted, being aware of it and actually facing it are two different things, but just knowing might be enough information for some.

And if it prompted recollections for you and was hard, perhaps you didn't read through the rest of the posts? I purposefully shut my eyes in movie theatres when something that I feel might mess me up is about to be shown (graphic rape scenes, for example) and wait fo things to move along... perhaps a measure of "knowing thyself" and censoring your forum reading intake might help. Just an idea.. maybe it doesn't work like that for some people.

That's my .02

Wendy

NREMT-B

CO EMT-B

MI EMT-B

[Dustdevil]

/ trying to visualise a non-graphic rape scene. :?

[Eydawn]

There are scenes where you know it occurs but it's not explicitly shown.. I think that's the only difference, I guess. I should have just said "rape scenes" or something- you are right. I have a huge problem with visual depiction of stuff like that (really descriptive books, movies, etc) so that's what came to mind.

Wendy

NREMT-B

CO EMT-B

MI EMT-B

[Michael]

trying to visualise a non-graphic rape scene. :?

Non-graphic = suggestive: "Pretty much anything in my pants could be used as a weapon."

Graphic = explicit: http://www.emtcity.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.ph...ighlight=#84324