2-2-2000
Ground Hog "A"

                                This is my favorite day to be at work...
Ever since I saw the movie Ground hog day staring Bill murray I have tried to make  the most of this day. This is especially true when I am at work and this year was no exception. Now if you think I am silly for feeling this way think about your morning shower... Have you ever been caught in a wash-rinse-repeat cycle and not realized it till you have washed your hair or armpits 5 times?

This shift was not  an exceptionally busy one but it had it's moments. This day was one of those where the opportunity to make a difference presented itself several times and was not ignored. My partner Ken had a case in which an elderly gentleman was complaining of crushing pain in his chest and right arm. but lacked many of the "tell-tale" symptoms of an m.i. but Ken was not convinced that this was any thing but a cardiac problem and swung into action right away giving the man the proper intervention as early as possible.(baby asa,nitro,m.s. etc...) and upon further evaluation at the er the pt was rushed off to the cardiac cath lab to relieve a blocked artery in his heart. 

The day had it's non-emergency moments as well we transported a lady from allen memorial hospital to Elyria for Continued treatment of a brain tumor.
this patient was not only ill but very scared and upset about how her treatment was going. she has been in the hospital for about a month w/o significant improvement. I tried to make her as physically comfortable as possible but that was not important to her.
She was too upset to notice if she could be more or less comfortable on our cot.
And after  talking with her for a while about how often I see patients and how well they are treated at Elyria memoral she was more receptive to the "change of scenery" Then while transfering the pt to the bed from our cot I was talking (like usual)and made a wise crack that went something like " if I have to be in an I.C.U. "I" would  like to "C"me in this one" the patient and the nurses both laughed together and I think they started off on the right foot.

But  Later that day after a few calls and a real nice quiet Lunch
we were dispatched on another transport. This Call was a Very difficult situation. The patient was being discharged from the C.C.U. to his home. His prognosis was so poor that I was told he would "probably Die on the way... But if that happens Continue the trip. he want's to make it home."

Let me say right now. "Good for him! I would say the same thing for me!"

I was expecting to find my pt in a condition that coincided with this prognosis but i did not. he was not frail or unconscious... no he was Strong looking like any other 66 year old man. he was standing up putting his pant's on one leg at a time but his heart was so bad there was barely any circulation and if you got closer you could see he looked ashen and cyanoitc. But he did not look the part of someone who could not make it home... his wife was there and her eyes spoke volumes about the good man she was watching die. I helped him get on my cot and covered him with blankets and a quilt to kee him warm.  we had a polite conversation in the elevator and on the ride to his house him and his wife seemed more curious about me and my job than I had expected. To me it was more like sharing a cab home from the airport than taking someone home to die.

After we arrived at their home my partner and I carried the man in to his house on a stair chair and he proudly walked to his bed,grabbed the remote and thanked us for our help.

I said your welcome.

His wife was crying and hugged me for bringing him home.

I told her I didn't bring him home... we Just shared a ride.


All that night I hoped that none of the calls that came in were from their home.
But just in-case I told Mike (the dispatcher) "if a call comes in frome their address I would take the call no mater who was up.

They didn't call.

                                                        Good Night.