To me, each day is a lesson. Sometimes it takes some extra searching, but the lesson is indeed there. Each patient we encounter is a different experience. Not one person is the same. Some people teach by disease, some by actions, others by stories. No calls will ever go the same way, and there is no telling what your next call will be.
I can think of many calls that taught me lessons that I will in fact never forget. Some range from my first loss of life, to my first STEMI, which presented as left ear pain and dizziness. Other lessons I learned came from long, 1 to 2 hour transfers with our nation's veterans, the ones the world forgets about.
My first death was a friend of mine. I did not know it at the time, but that call alone taught me a lot about what my job is about. I entered that scene nervous and scared out of my mind. Once I realized I knew the victim, I was surprised about how well I could handle it. That was until the call was done. I dreamed of that call for weeks. I envisioned the scene, the mangled car, his lifeless body, the CPR. To this day I can still visualize where his apparent injuries were. I learned that I was not invincible. I learned how much this job could really get to someone. I needed to talk to someone, and I chose to call the one person I knew of in the medical field, the one that would know what I was going through, and that was my aunt. As time went on the memory disappeared but the lesson I learned will forever be with me. I am not superhuman.
The second call that always stuck with me was a 41 year old male patient. We got called to a doctors office for the patient experiencing dizziness. We arrive on scene, thinking this call was probably nothing. We made patient contact. I start my evaluation. The patient presents as pale, and slightly diaphoretic. I ask the patient what seems to be the problem, and he replies to me with "I was fueling up my car, I got light headed and almost passed out, I have been dizzy ever since. I also have this weird pain in my left ear that just will not go away." I didn't know why, but my super-emt spidey senses started tingling. I had a suspicion, so I activated ALS. I gave my patient 324mg of Aspirin, got my vitals, and took him to my truck. ALS arrived and did a 12 lead. I was right, the patient was having a STEMI (ST elevation myocardial infarction.) I learned a couple of big lessons that day, firstly don't ever ignore your gut, sometimes it may know a little bit more than you do. Secondly, things are most definitely not always going to be textbook. This patient had no complaints of chest pains, or chest discomfort. I learned to always be suspicious ,and to evaluate thoroughly.
The other calls that have always stuck to me were simple transfers. Some of the patients I transported had some amazing stories. Stories of wars, to stories of the great depression and how they, and their families survived. I learned that we are truly blessed to be able to have contact with such amazing people. They have lived lives of struggles and triumphed. Their problems were so much larger than ours. It took me awhile to realize it, but we were caring for living history lessons! How amazing is that? I don't exactly know when this epiphany totally struck me, but ever since I have made sure to treat my elders with the best care that I could possibly give them. I was once sitting in the ER with a family friend who had overdosed on benzodiazepines. While wandering the halls, I came across a lady. Person after person walked by her, and each time she tried to reach out to them, whispering help. I was disgusted. With my mother in tow, I approached this woman and asked her what she needed. She simply replied to me with "my feet are cold, I just wanted a blanket." I looked at this poor woman, and said "Absolutely my dear, I will go get you a blanket right now." So, I walked to the blanket warmer, grabbed her a couple of roasty toasty blankets, and covered her up. This is the part that touched me, she then looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, "I love you, thank you so much!" of which I replied "I love you too, I hope you feel better soon." My mother was in shock. This woman, who survived such hard times deserved the best treatment. After all, don't they teach you antiques are breakable? We must handle our elders with the best care.
I suppose I could go on and on about the lessons that I have learned being in this field. Heck, I am sure I could write a novel about it. But the point here is to show you the importance of each and every call. Always be suspicious, always take care of yourself, and always treat your elders with the utmost respect. We will be living history some day, and I could only hope that the youth we encounter will take a moment to appreciate our lives.
Have a great night folks!
RU-Responders Unite
Thank you RU.
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