911 Update
911 Updates are where Ambulance Driver gives the readers a taste of my workday. All entries are masked in a manner to avoid revealing any personal information.
Busy day in which my Department responded to 105 911 calls during my 12 hour shift. Eight were assigned to me.
1) Was a call for an elderly gentleman who fell in recent days, injuring his right knee. He hadn’t been able to bear weight for the last 24 hours. The knee was quite swollen but no obvious fractures. Being he was a hefty fellow, it was a chore to get him out of the house, through the snow and into the ambulance.
2) This patient was one of our frequent flyers. Always intoxicated and profane, this time they wished transport for evaluation of an old injury that doctors had declared healed. Given that this person had a rather odd hospital of choice this time around, we speculated that “drug seeking” was the motive for calling 911. Just a guess.
3) Was a call for a person lying on the ground and apparently intoxicated according to the caller. When we arrived with the police, no such person was found.
4) This person is a diabetic who had not taken insulin for many months and had been non-compliant with all medications for several weeks. States they just wish to die. From the looks of things they are going to get their wish if this keeps up. The blood sugar was off the charts. Family called.
5) This call was for an elderly man who was experiencing an anxiety attack due to the medical problems of his spouse. She was in the hospital and in very bad shape. Wanted to go to be with her.
6) This “patient” was driving a car that was bumped by another in a parking lot. Speed was reported to be a crawl. No damage to either vehicle. Taken to hospital for evaluation of……something.
7) Was a patient who had fallen during his daily exercise. Looks as if he broke his hip. The good news is he is young enough to recover.
8) Was an infant whose mother “thought” ill because a sibling had a cold. Baby looked fine to me and slept during transport. Mother non-English speaking so it was difficult to assess the concern.
That was it for today. Stop by tomorrow for another installment of 991 Update.