This week was rough! There was a lot of information we covered and it hit me just how much we need to know in a short amount of time. I'm not studying nearly enough. This program truly is demanding of both time and energy. Friday came and I was looking forward to a nice break over the weekend.
Yesterday I completed my third BLS ride along with the same station I had the pleasure of working with last week. I thought since they were so welcoming to me last week the least I could do was bring them some doughnuts from Banbury Cross. Eastwood has the biggest sweet tooth I've ever seen. As I arrived at the station they were leaving on a call and I took my wallet and keys, locked my car and hopped straight into the engine with them.
There was something in the air yesterday. There was an unusually high amount of both respiratory and cardiac arrests. I had a feeling that I was going to get to experience my first go around with CPR and resuscitation. Our first patient I would be surprised to hear if he made it through the rest of the day. He didn't not look good and I could tell that his family was prepared and ready for him to die. Our second call was a man complaining of Pneumonia, we didn't get to interact with him too much, Gold Cross was on scene and ready to transport. He thanked us for responding and hopped in the ambulance so he could go get treatment at the hospital.
The third call of the day was rough. It was dispatched as a pediatric respiratory arrest. They said the child was not breathing and mom was performing breaths and pediatric CPR. Luckily by the time we got there mom had gotten the child breathing again. Grandma was on scene and kept saying make sure they both go. We found out that this little one that was fighting for his own life had a twin brother and Grandma wanted them to be transported together so they could stay with in sight of each other. Needless to say, we didn't spend much time on scene and Gold Cross was quick to transport the baby up to Primary Childrens for further treatment. Mom was unusually calm during this whole thing. We suspected she was on something and very high. It makes me sad to see the situation a lot of patients we interact with are in. It makes me appreciate the life and choices I have made for myself.
Things quieted down for a bit and just as we had finished dinner our last call of the night came in. It wouldn't be a ride along with out an overdose. This one was the worst yet by far. We knocked on the door and tried to enter but it was locked. A man answered and said She's not breathing. We rushed in and found her unresponsive on her bedroom floor. One of the Firemen I was riding along with suggested we move her into the living room where we would have more room to work. Good thing he suggested it because we would soon need all the extra room we could get. We opened our boxes and got ready to start CPR. I was first in charge of the airway. I continued to breathe for her using a Non-rebreather mask while the rest of the crew started on compressions until the medics could respond, administer medications, and hook her up to a heart monitor. I got to see them intubate her as well as start and Interosseous Access line. Which is where you drill a needle into the bone marrow when IV access is unavailable. I also got to step in and perform CPR compressions along side the crew. It was a textbook version of organized chaos. We were able to get a heartbeat back. Gold Cross soon after transported her to the nearest hospital but I would be shocked if she survived the ride.
Today was a day of firsts for me. I love the work I do and the people I have the pleasure of doing it with. When the going gets rough the tough get going. I have a renewed appreciation for the field of work that I hope to someday play a bigger role in.
Don't ever take life for granted.
Until next time,
Katie
