A Work in Progress

Everyone wants to talk about overdoses these days.  My job is now not known for daring rescues and fiery crashes, but our menial contribution to a disease that has finally caught public attention.  I am baited upon meeting new people and I fall for it.  "What's your most common type of call?"  "Have you ever been on a heroin overdose?"  "Do you carry narcan?" Ah, damn!  Next thing I know I am in a conversation about the good old days, how kids are spoiled, or 'why don't they all just quit?'. One of my first calls as a student was for an overdose.  My first.  My preceptors 5000th. "Pump the brakes"  I am told. No, you won't get to intubate this patient. At best you will finish this call and not have been punched or yelled at. So, no, giving narcan is not news to me. Giving it on the regular in a town of 6000 residents, that is noteworthy.  That is something we've all noticed.  One thing I resolved to do was not "...

(way overdue but who cares?!) Everyone needs a set of friends whom move all over the country to new places and are the picture of kind and generous hosts.  Mine moved to Texas last year, a place I had never been, nor had more than a passing interest in until my favorite family was there. It took a while to get myself together, but headed to Texas for a week in April.  This was the first time I did anything remotely interesting with a spring break.  I think everyone else in the world is really onto something. I got a wonderful personal tour of Ft. Hood, Killeen, Waco and the surrounding area.  I went to my first real rodeo, but lasted only 7 seconds.  I really was happy to drive around a chase blue bonnets, the Texas state flower.  Texas in the spring spoiled me.  It is (allegedly) the only time when the weather is perfect and things are lush and green and flowers are in bloom.  A week or so in any direction on the calendar turns the T...

A lovely old man who fell down. We had to break into his house. Twice. A patient with sepsis. Nursing home claims she was 'just fine an hour ago'. A patient fell down the steps and died. On thanksgiving. Lady whom needed us to fetch and pack the entire contents of her closet and living room before she was ready to go. Dear oldie who gets picked up off the floor at least once a week by EMS. When you know the names of your patients' pets, it should be a red flag. Nursing home patient who had the worlds smallest laceration. “Everything must go!” Same nursing home gives patient three nitros within 10 minutes. Blood pressure changes seem to be a surprise. Woman noticed a problem. Called 911 eight hours later. WHY? So much why.