Many people complain that Good Samaritans are few and far between. But actually I don’t believe that that is a true or fair reflection of affairs. I am always comforted by just how many kind souls do often stop to help our patients prior to our arrival; especially older patients who have suddenly taken unwell…
Monthly Archives: October 2009
Korsakoff’s syndrome
Martin and I continued our shift and were next called to a residential home for people with mental health problems. We were there to see a lady of about fifty years that I shall call Jean, who was complaining of stomach pains. We were soon to discover that assessing Jean wasn’t going to be easy;…
Roll up roll up
I don’t get angry with people very often or easily but on a call one evening I was getting pretty close to it; the ignorance of some people never fails to astound me. Martin is a doctor, friend and colleague and he spent the day with me on one of my shifts on the car….
Fall from a ladder
So, after that call I explained to Charlotte how unusual it is to get someone back from cardiac arrest. Changes in the way we carry out basic and advanced life support have dramatically improved the odds; however it isn’t something that a paramedic sees everyday and happy endings are unfortunately rare. The risk of brain…
The Day I Didn’t Die (by a man who isn’t called Jack)
By now you all know Charlotte (see previous posts): she is the one that always means we have a real emergency or a bit of trauma when she is out with me for the day. This day was no exception. In the morning we were called to a 36 year old professional man talking with…