I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up...

[beanbean]

My moment of grace last night:

Responded as a crew member for our second rig last night - ended up with two calls back to back. Upon arrival at the ED with our second patient, I attempted to exit the back of the ambulance. My left foot landed in a pot hole in the parking lot, my ankle twisted in a very painful way and I fell on my a$$.

I slept last night with an icepack and a pilllow splint on the ankle. I have a Dr's appointment after conference this morning. Nineteen years in EMS and I have never had worse than a bruise or sore muscles after a call. Oh well, I guess its better to drop the EMT on the pavement rather than the patient.

Deirdre

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[Febrifuge]

I guess its better to drop the EMT on the pavement rather than the patient.

That's the spirit!

But ohhh, ouch. I'm sorry to hear it. And why the hell was there a gaping crater in the one place where there really should never be one? What if you had been stepping out with the gurney right behind you?

If I were of a different political bent, I'd say "sue the bastards!"

 

[lytesnsyrens]

I guess its better to drop the EMT on the pavement rather than the patient.
Deirdre

speaking of dropping the patient, I did that on my first day on the rig. It was a kinda heavy patient and when I lifted the gurney to lock it in place, it apparently didn't lock on my end. So when we let go of the gurney, the medics end stayed and mine (the feet) dropped to the ground. Poor lady, I probably gave her a heart attack right there.

 

[PluckyDuk8]

Before my old company (I'm now in school) moved garages (they knew they were moving so they weren't fixing the old one), one of the paramedics twisted her ankle stepping her foot into a pothole IN THE GARAGE! Way to get workers comp! I'm proud that my little 105 pound body that lifted patients over 3x my weight never got hurt in my year of work- and that and I never took a sick day. How I never got a cold from being sneezed and snotted on I will never understand. Hopefully my good immune system will hold up on rotations.

Get well quick bean!

 

[beanbean]

Well, I sprained it pretty good and will probably be on crutches for a week. What a pain it is to hop around school with my backpack!

This is what I get for responding for a call when I should have been studying for Friday's exam!

 

[v-tach]

speaking of dropping the patient, I did that on my first day on the rig. It was a kinda heavy patient and when I lifted the gurney to lock it in place, it apparently didn't lock on my end. So when we let go of the gurney, the medics end stayed and mine (the feet) dropped to the ground. Poor lady, I probably gave her a heart attack right there.

Wow, that stinks. Did you get in trouble for that one? I had a job lined up over the summer working for a private ambulance company--worked there for two weeks then got let go for not being able to lift enough (manager even said I had been doing a really good job w/pt assessment etc., but this still happened). They were basically afraid I would end up dropping somebody and were getting ready to go to court over a situation where somebody DID drop a pt. Sometimes it really stinks being 5'2" and 105 lbs...

 

[v-tach]

Before my old company (I'm now in school) moved garages (they knew they were moving so they weren't fixing the old one), one of the paramedics twisted her ankle stepping her foot into a pothole IN THE GARAGE! Way to get workers comp! I'm proud that my little 105 pound body that lifted patients over 3x my weight never got hurt in my year of work- and that and I never took a sick day. How I never got a cold from being sneezed and snotted on I will never understand. Hopefully my good immune system will hold up on rotations.

Get well quick bean!

Wow. How did you at 105 pounds manage to lift so well? Any tips? I always feel so wimpy compared to everyone I work with.

 

[PluckyDuk8]

A lot of it is about communication between u and your partner...Such as letting them know if you are getting tired and need to gradually put the patient down, lifting at the same time, etc.

Hrm some points...you probably know some of this but here it is anyway
-Proper lifting form is key: straight back, shoulders back, lift with your legs. If you are hurting after lifting (except for the first while when u are getting used to doing it in the first place) you are lifting wrong.
-Use the sheet to your advantage. Have it taught as much as possible to the patient, gather up the leftover sheet at their sides and grab the sheet as near to the patient as possible and usually at their heaviest point (butt and shoulders usually worked). Don't let their butt sag down when lifting with the sheet.
-We had the stupid two person cots- I made the other person lift the cot into the rig while I lifted the cot's wheels up (that's probably a weakness of mine, technically I could put it in the ambulance but the stronger person should do it- plus my regular partner didn't care).
-Evil stairchairs (which my company did a lot of). I usually took bottom. Buy lifting gloves or put on latex gloves to help from slipping. This was usually knowing my limits and good comunication. If it has a bar to do so sometimes I would use my thigh against the bar. Find your locked position so you won't buckle. With my regular partner I would let him know without being ashamed if I needed to take one step at a time or if I could go all the way up or down the stairs.

I didn't do it because I was lazy, but if you really want the job and have access to weight machines work out using motions copying the motions of lifting the cot, lifting patients, etc .

Hope that helps...

Plucky

 

[Oats]

Before my old company (I'm now in school) moved garages (they knew they were moving so they weren't fixing the old one), one of the paramedics twisted her ankle stepping her foot into a pothole IN THE GARAGE! Way to get workers comp! I'm proud that my little 105 pound body that lifted patients over 3x my weight never got hurt in my year of work- and that and I never took a sick day. How I never got a cold from being sneezed and snotted on I will never understand. Hopefully my good immune system will hold up on rotations.

Get well quick bean!

I broke my ankle this past February taking pictures of the recent snowfall (rare for this area). It was a little swollen, but I waited 3 months before getting it checked out by my doctor. Damn thing just wouldn't stop hurting (duh..). So it turns out I had a fx. that wouldn't heal because I'd been walking around on it for three months. Then, climbing out of one of our new (higher) ambulances on a call one night, I didn't calculate the fact that the ground was a lot lower, almost broke it again. Aaagghh! What can you do? As for getting sick on the job, it's only happened to me once in 7 years. Came on so quick. Tiny sniffles before the call, and after the call I told my partner I was in dire need of drugs. I thought I'd die before the end of the shift. Muscle aches like I'd been beaten to a pulp. Still came in the next night, but my partner made me go home. I swear, it's the worst I've ever felt. But, yeah, it's weird. As much as we're all exposed to such sickly people, it's amazing we generally make it through the flu months without incident. Hope the same hold true for me again this winter.

P.S. Am I the only one who wants to strangle these young, healthy pts. who call for transport because they've got a cold...especially when you feel worse than they do? Makes me want to punch them in the face...