Just got some good news… all of my past EMS experience has been verified by my past employers and letters have been faxed to the paramedic program! Yahoo!

Apparently Friday was “Puke Day”. I didn’t get the memo, but the patients I had in my truck were kind enough to fill me in on the special significance that puke day afforded.

See, apparently, on puke day patients are allowed, nay encouraged, to vomit copious amounts of apple sauce/pudding/unidentified chucks all over themselves, the stretcher (right into the strap buckles, don’t ya know), the floor, the bench seat and yours truly. Oh yeah, the kicker is this vomiting must come with absolutely NO warning. And to really make it extra special, Puke Day is always held on the first 85 degree day of the year when there is no AC working in the truck.

My first celebrant of this auspicious holiday was a 47-year-old woman who had been discharged the night before from a local hospital. She had spent the last three days being treated for gastroenteritis. She apparently saw the Puke Day memo stuck to her fridge with a magnet so she immediately summoned 911 to invite us to celebrate with her. As she heaved into a plastic bread bag she showed me the scrips that the discharging RN had given her. Zofran and Phenergan. Hmm.

I looked at her and said, “Ma’am, why didn’t you fill these? The Zofran will help prevent the vomiting.” She peered up at me over the top of the bag, “I didn’t want to take no more pills, I just wanted to stop puking.”

You just can’t argue with that kind of logic. We continued to the ER.

Later that day we responded to a call at a Group Family home in the middle of BFE for Abdominal Pain. Our patient was an 85 y/o woman with a history of dementia who had been feeling unwell for the past few days. This woman was confused and scared by the all the firefighters and other people crowded into her room. Of course, due to the dementia she was unable to answer questions and her caregiver was not exactly forthcoming. When I stared to question her she just blew me off, so I had to pry the chart from her hand to get a list of current meds and an idea of her history.

We placed her in the truck and started for the hospital. As I was on the phone with the ER she coughed a few times. I looked up and she smiled at me. I smiled back looked down at my PCR to answer a question and then I looked back up at the patient. She smiled again, I smiled again and then, without warning, she opened her toothless mouth and unleashed a ginormous glut of stomach contents into the back of the truck, coating everything within a 2 foot range in a gelatinous layer of muck.

No warning. No time to get the puke bucket under her chin. No “Hey I feel sick.” I think I may have shouted “Holy Shit!” My partner looked back in the mirror and started laughing as I was talking to the patient. “Oh my, you sure did make a mess back here.”

A mess was an understatement. It took forever to decon that stretcher.

Of course, as I mentioned, it was 85 degrees, the truck was one of the older rigs in the fleet and the exhaust fan wasn’t doing a great job of sucking out the smell. I let loose with a few gags and dry heaves as I tried to mop up and red bag as much of the effluent that was sloshing around as possible before we rolled into the ER.

We got the woman into a bed in the ER, changed her into a gown before the RN got there and laughed about the simply ridiculous amount of puke. The patient was oblivious to the whole event. She didn’t know she had puked. She wasn’t aware of who we were and had no idea why she was covered in partially digested applesauce.

Later that day, my partner, still chuckling, said, “That call will make a great story, although I may have to embellish this a bit when I tell it. Don’t worry, I won’t make you look too bad though.” I looked at him indignantly, “What do you mean, ‘make me look bad’?” He cracked up and did a falsetto impression of me, complete with some dry heaves, “Ohhhhh dear, (urrrp) you sure did make a (gaaaggggg) big mess back here!”

Happy Puke Day 2009.

I had my oral interview for paramedic school today. I think it went pretty well. I found out that I scored the highest score on the entrance exam and was told that I’m in a “very competitive spot” for one of the seats in class. The only minor snafu is my lack of documented past EMT calls. A previous ambulance service that I worked for destroyed all of their past employment records and can’t (or won’t) verify my past calls. So, I’m going to call a supe from the good old days and see if I can get letter as a “good faith estimate” of my past calls. The program director said that would be enough to make the difference between getting in and maybe not.

I’m really excited that I’ve gotten this far … and I’ll know if I’m in by mid June.

It’s amazing how much more I enjoy working at OAC compared to the time I put in at IFT. The difference is amazing. The professionalism of the crewmembers is great, we’re always busy with a mix of Fire and transfers, and everyone at OAC has goals. The majority of EMTs want to get a Fire job, so they’re all constantly testing for any available opening. Many, like me, aspire to move on to medic school or other areas in health care. Unlike IFT, the bitching, when there is any, is good natured and typical. Everyone likes their job and they let you know it. It’s such a welcome change. I’m really enjoying it.

I’m heading in for the second 13 of the week and then I’ve got a couple of days off. I’m ready for the medic school admission oral boards on Thursday and should know if I get in by mid June.

It’s been a beautiful couple of days in the PNW and I’m enjoying every bit of the sunshine. To my EMS brethren, have a great, safe day.

Its Memorial Day and my partner and I are posted at one of usual spots. The truck is resting in the shade of a couple of trees at the local park. We're sitting on the sidelines of an astroturf soccer field, watching a mom and dad take practice shots at the net that contains their goalie daughter. Its a beautiful warm day in the PNW. The kind of day that teases with a taste of the summer to come.

We've been on since 7 this morning and have only rolled to one Fire call, a dizzy 85 year old woman who adamantly refused to go to the ER with us. Her BP was 144/78 and she said she "felt fine, damn it." It was too nice of a day for kidnapping so we just said "OK ma'am. Have a nice day and call us back if you feel worse." Dispatch, show us Code Green and enroute back to post.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Wow! One of my past posts about a partner at IFT was included in the latest edition of “The Handover.” It’s pretty flattering to be included in the same post with these outstanding writers.

Lt. Michael Morse of Rescuing Providence compiled a slew of partner stories from all across the blogosphere and all are great! (I loved the story of AD and Moses on the trip to Little Rock…)

Read them all here.

Great posts, all!

I just did my first call with Fire at the new job. Ready to go again.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

I’ve set up my blog to allow posting via my blackberry, so I can post when the urge strikes. Since we’re currently posting, I thought I’d post as well.

The first day is going really well. We’re about 5 hours in to our 13 hour shift and we’ve run 4 calls. We’re currently sitting on a side street in Seattle, waiting for the next one. My partner for the day is catching some zzz’s and I’m sipping a very fine Americano from a little independent coffee joint on the corner. Our FTO has his eyes closed and the paper spread across his lap. Apparently the news wasn’t stimulating enough to hold his attention, and he was overcome by sleep, too.

It is a very quiet rig. We’re dispatched via MDT, so there’s no chattering radio to disturb the silence. Just the wind and birds chirping above the constant dull roar of the city in the background. The occasional train horn or fire siren provides a counterpoint to the continuous percussive rumble of wheels on concrete roads.

Yes, all is mostly quiet on The Hill. For the moment.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Hello Constant Reader. I’m back with an update on what’s new. As I mentioned last week, the initial training for my group is now complete. We’re all cleared to drive, we learned the correct method of report writing, we’ve been fitted for uniforms, can find our way just about anywhere in the district with a Thomas Guide and now we’re just waiting on our final shift assignments. I’m working 3 13 hour shifts this week with another experienced new guy and a FTO, just to make sure we’ve got it down.

I mentioned in a previous post that there are a few very busy “trauma heavy” posts available. These are 24-hour shifts on a very busy truck. When the Ops Manager told us about these, everyone perked up. While I wouldn’t mind working a super busy car, I also would be OK with a posting that was a little more laid back. Fortunately, the company is working out a new 911 contract with a Fire agency and basing a 24-hour crew at the North end of the county. This is significantly closer to where I live, I’m much more familiar with the area and the truck won’t run balls to the wall all day and all night. When we did our post request meeting, I asked to get on that new North End 24. Hopefully that will work out.

I just received my letter from Paramedic School confirming my interview. I’ll be facing the board on Thursday, the 28th at 4pm. This is the last hurdle to jump. If I do well in the orals, I’ll be in the Fall ’09 class. I’m really excited, but at the same time dreading another year of classes and clinicals. I know that I’ll feel better once it starts, but right now the thought of it is a little daunting.

The boot camp routine is getting easier. Waking up at 4:45, having a quick bite to eat and then driving to meet the rest of the recruits has become a habit that gets easier every morning. I’ve always been slow to warm up and I find myself silently cursing the instructor for the first 25 minutes. After that I’m totally warmed up and rockin’. Although, I must admit that a nonstop set of jumping jacks, pushups and crunches does kind of suck. I’ve lost about 10 pounds. I think that’s the workouts coupled with drastic changes in my eating habits. I’m working it. It’s hard, but anything that is worthwhile usually is.

Other than that, all is good. I hope all of you are well, taking care of yourself and finding some time to enjoy family and friends. That’s the real important stuff.

We’re just about done with the initial training and we’re going to get the lowdown on shifts tomorrow. I’m still hoping for a 24 in one of our busy districts. There’s one part of the service area where we run two 24 hours cars as the BLS rigs with fire that’s known as “The Knife and Gun Club”. A medic I ran into told me that I really should work in that district because our crews see so much trauma and the medics are so busy that some of the stuff that would be an ALS call in another city, goes BLS here.

Sign me up for the shifts in that house, please!

I know, I know… I’ve been meaning to write a new blog post for a couple of days, but between the new job and the early morning boot camp (4:45 anyone?), I’m just spent.

At OAC, we’ve been busy learning proper report style, specifics to our station and spending a goodly amount of time with mapping, as we cover abig chunk of the county. We do a pretty fair amount of 911 with fire and you really need to be able to map your way to just about anywhere they may want to send you. I personally enjoy mapping, so I’m kinda having fun with that part.

As far as the physical training goes, it’s kicking my ass. Seriously. Think about 60 minutes of balls to the wall PT every morning. That’s what I’m doing. This 39 year old fat guy is on a roll! However, my quads are staging a revolt.

Oh yeah, I saw one of our new trucks and a pallet load of the new Stryker stairchairs today. Schweet.

Thanks to Epi for pointing out a new addition to her blog roll, which I promptly added. (Of course, she’s a co-author, so she’s biased.)

http://paramedicine101.blogspot.com/

This is a blog full of Good Stuff.

Friends, I scored a 92% on the written exam and have been invited to the oral interviews.

WooHoo!

If no news is good news, then I’ve got the best news of all. Yep. Still no letter from the folks at medic school. I’m hoping it comes before the weekend. Maybe today.

I?m enjoying my last couple of days before work starts again. Next week I’ll be doing the orientation at OAC and trying to squeeze in a day of orientation at the water park. My initial group orientation at the water park was pretty funny. As we were all milling around, the HR woman immediately came up and grabbed me and another guy and said, “You two must be the new EMTs.” We asked how she knew. She wordlessly looked at the rest of the folks gathered around and then looked at us again. We all laughed. Oh yeah. We’re the only guys present that look like narks in a school lunchroom. The majority of the crew working at the park are high school kids. Lots of pierced noses and such. The only exception is senior management and the EMS crews. Nonetheless, I still think it’ll be fun to hang out at the park a few days a month this summer.

The daily gym routine continues. It’s nice to note that I’ve been less tired over the last few days. I really think working out every morning is giving me more energy. Today is the pre-boot camp meeting with the trainer. He’ll do a BMI measurement (I hope he has BIG calipers) and assess my general fitness. There’s a follow up measurement at the end of the month. I think I’ll be OK. I’m one of those guys who loose weight quickly. Or, I always have been in the past. I hope that trend continues. So, yesterday my wife ordered the P90x program. She’s pretty jacked about starting it and I’m going to do it after boot camp. Hey, I don’t need to be Baywatch ripped, but some semblance of a six pack, rather than a keg, would be nice.

UPDATE @ 1710: Nothing in the mail today, either.

Good morning readers. It’s a beautiful sunny day in the PNW and I’m enjoying a few days off before I start orientation at OAC. I found out that a few of my friends from IFT are interviewing at OAC as well. It would nice to see some familiar faces, and I hope they land jobs. It’s a lousy time to be out of work. On Friday evening, several of the ITFers met up at a local watering hole for drinks and billiards. It was good to see everybody together for the final time. Even some former IFT Folks that had left a while ago came down to celebrate with us. Although a bunch of the people are now unemployed, the overwhelming feeling from just about everyone present was, “Thank God that mess is over.”

I mentioned that I’m getting back to the gym everyday, and I’ve been on a roll. Three days last week and Saturday, Sunday and this morning I took a spinning class at the gym. I’m a huge fan of indoor cycling. I’ve also started to make drastic changes at to what I’m eating. Much more fish, chicken, salad and fresh veggies. I’m also watching the portions carefully. For instance, I love nasty, greasy Egg McMuffins. But, rather than stop at McDonalds, I now make a small Egg Beater omelet in the microwave with half a piece of ham and a half slice of cheese and throw it on a whole wheat English muffin. Just as good, cheaper, and better. Plus, no hash brown. Couple that with a glass of lowfat chocolate milk and breakfast is served. (Chocolate Milk is a great recovery drink after a workout. I know? Who’d have guessed!)

The McMedic Breakfast Sammich.™

Getting ready for boot camp next week … hopefully a slightly smaller, leaner M7 will be the result.

I’m still waiting for the letter from Medic School. Maybe today.

Hello Constant reader: As I look back at the past few entries, it seems like I’ve been writing less about the fun EMS type stuff and more about the minutia of my life. I suppose if I want readers to keep coming back, I will have to write more stuff about my life while on the ambulance. With luck, I’ll have something good and “EMS-y” to blog about soon. In the meantime, here’s more about my day to day. 

I worked my last shift at IFT on Wednesday. It was a slow shift, only two calls, but the first one lasted for hours. We took a very angry at the world paralyzed guy to a doctor’s appointment at a clinic at the Big City Trauma Center and we waited with him while several docs examined him. It took forever. This guy was in almost  constant 10/10 pain and was one of the most miserable people I’d ever met. I promise to write about  more about this later. In short, since I spent so much time with the guy, we had a lot of time to talk. Some strange things were discussed and I hope I gave him the right answers to some of his questions. Anyway, that will be another post, when I can gather myself together enough to write it. 

Yesterday at IFT was the final day. As my partner sarcastically muttered when I mentioned it, “Too bad, so sad.” I stopped by, dumped off my uniforms and pager and grabbed my severance check. “Thanks and buh bye folks.” Oh, and no, I will not be attending the station closing keg party. Prior to grabbing my final check at the station, I spent the morning at the Toyota dealer around the corner, trading in my ’08 FJ Cruiser for an ’09 Corolla. The improved gas mileage alone made the trade worth it. I’ll really miss the truck, but for commuting to school and work, 35mpg can’t be beat. Also, the lease payment is $150 a month! Thanks Toyota! 

I picked up my uniforms for the water park today. I have the feeling I’ll be able to get a lot of reading done at that job. From what I hear, it’s mostly Band-Aids and twisted ankles. 

I start orientation for the new job at OAC on Monday the 11th and I start a kickass fitness boot camp the same morning. The boot camp is a 5 day a week month long training regimen that will start to whip me back into shape. I hope. I know I need to rebuild my base fitness, lose some fat and build some muscle. After the boot camp, I’ll either do crossfit or P90X. (On the advice of friends I’m leaning toward P90X.) Either way, I’m making positive changes in my life. It’s important. I’m 39, 6’1″ and 240 pounds. I need to get my shit together or I’m gonna be that 300 pound diabetic guy calling 911 when I get stuck in my recliner. No thanks. Every time I don’t feel like going to the gym or go work out, I’m going to picture that guy and remember how I swore I’d never let that happen to me.