Few questions for the paramedics on here.

[Locut0s]

How often did you get called to the scene of a panic attack? I have yet to have a full blow panic attack but I wouldn't be at all surprised if I ended up getting one at some point (been close one or two times). I know a lot of people who experience their first panic attack end up in the ER cause they are convinced they are dying.

How common was/is it to be called to pick up the same street drunk over and over? Over at the store my mother works at they have this street alchy who passes out in-front of the store all the time. He likes to drink Listerine and passes out having thrown up foam and or peed himself. People walking by fear for his life so they call 911 all the time. Someone finally got him into some kind of program and they now try to convince people not to dial 911, they have some other number they want you to call instead.

What percentage of the calls you attended were for crazy minor stuff like some hyper overprotective mother going crazy over their kid getting a minor cut? Conversely what percentage of your calls were for horrible body split open type accidents where the person was dying on you second by second?

How many times were you called to the scene where you got to help out some SMOKING hot babe? Or if you're a girl or gay SMOKING hot guy?

How enjoyable is/was the job overall? I am imagine it being one of the most rewarding jobs as well as one of the most defeating. Must feel great to help save someone's life, conversely it must feel like shit when someone dies on you and you know you might have been able to save them "if only for (insert something you couldn't avoid here)".

I don't like to use the term heroes as it it is do often tinged with politics and patriotism nowadays but I must say I consider you guys to be heroes.

 

[CrazyAznDriver]

The pay sucks donkey balls... :/ I liked it otherwise. You get frequent flyers some, you tend to remember the crazy ones the most. I didn't get to many smoking hot babes, more crack heads with AIDS.

 

[D1gger]

My wifes most severe panic attacks have always been at home, and she simply locked herself in the bedroom and was comatose for a few hours. No need to hit 911. Thankfully, she is past the worst of these and is better able to manage her troubles.

 

[Locut0s]

My wifes most severe panic attacks have always been at home, and she simply locked herself in the bedroom and was comatose for a few hours. No need to hit 911. Thankfully, she is past the worst of these and is better able to manage her troubles.

Comatose? Sure they were panic attacks? Panic attacks usually involve hyperventilating, rapid heart beat, shortness of breath, a feeling of doom, like the world is going to end.

 

[MedicBob]

Occasional panic attaks are gone to. Usually coaching breathing and ensuring their safety seems to help more then anything else we do.

As far as the rest, seen some amazing things and witnessed some mind blowing stupidity. Hot babes? Naa, usually to busy to notice the "babe" vs. getting information, treating injury/illness, writing the report, etc.

I will say after 17 years full time, I laugh every single day. It might be at a patient, my partner, a dispatcher, and even myself. The day I go to work and do not laugh is my last day there as a medic.

 

[911paramedic]

Panic attacks, yup. Not every day but it's not a surprise to get one.
Small stuff, yup. Most of the time it's from the person themselves and not a parent. We do get calls from onlookers quite often, they see something and think its really bad and call 911 without checking first.

Some of the drunks we get to know by name, but there are only a couple like that. The others we get called on a lot but we don't know who they are. (I worked in SF and Vegas, I imagine it's different in a small town.) There was a paint huffer that I knew by name in Vegas because he always used silver paint. He said it gave him a better high, Silver Torres was his name, lol.

The extremely sick or injured calls (again, big city) happen every day or two, or several times a day and then nothing for a while. It's not something you can put to a schedule. It is really frustrating when a person is crushed and stuck in their car, that's when you feel really helpless. You can't give them pain medicine and you just have to wait until they are extricated, which can take a while, before you do much of anything.

There were more babes in Vegas than SF, but that's from tourists being dumb or getting called to a strip club.

The job is very rewarding but it can be tough mentally after you see what the world is really like behind some of the closed doors out there. I wouldn't say it's for most people, but if you are the type it can't be beat.

 

[Nemesis 1]

Speaking to paramedics are any aware of these 2 events. If so care to comment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-whDR3lbD70&feature=related

 

[LookBehindYou]

Been called out to panic attacks on average of 3 times every 9 days. Drunks are often too.

But I'm not a paramedic, and I don't know who calls me if I'm without phones and left tube socks.

word.

LBY

 

[Locut0s]

Panic attacks, yup. Not every day but it's not a surprise to get one.
Small stuff, yup. Most of the time it's from the person themselves and not a parent. We do get calls from onlookers quite often, they see something and think its really bad and call 911 without checking first.

Some of the drunks we get to know by name, but there are only a couple like that. The others we get called on a lot but we don't know who they are. (I worked in SF and Vegas, I imagine it's different in a small town.) There was a paint huffer that I knew by name in Vegas because he always used silver paint. He said it gave him a better high, Silver Torres was his name, lol.

The extremely sick or injured calls (again, big city) happen every day or two, or several times a day and then nothing for a while. It's not something you can put to a schedule. It is really frustrating when a person is crushed and stuck in their car, that's when you feel really helpless. You can't give them pain medicine and you just have to wait until they are extricated, which can take a while, before you do much of anything.

There were more babes in Vegas than SF, but that's from tourists being dumb or getting called to a strip club.

The job is very rewarding but it can be tough mentally after you see what the world is really like behind some of the closed doors out there. I wouldn't say it's for most people, but if you are the type it can't be beat.

Great post thanks. How did you feel about the drunks and user you got to know? I know a lot of people have absolutely no sympathy for these types but I'd be close to the opposite. A lot of people who end up on the wrong end of life or throw away their lives even though they are still very good people once you get to know them even a bit. Which isn't to say they are all like this of course.

 

[CrazyAznDriver]

Speaking to paramedics are any aware of these 2 events. If so care to comment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-whDR3lbD70&feature=related

Wife is a trauma surgeon, she didn't deal with the Joplin tornado but with another tornado. They had lots of fungal infections in that one. Seems tornadoes kick up some nasty shit.

 

[Locut0s]

Speaking to paramedics are any aware of these 2 events. If so care to comment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-whDR3lbD70&feature=related

Your tin foil hat isn't thick enough. Need a few more layers.

 

[Kaervak]

I work in private EMS so traumas, MVCs, GSWs are practically non existent for me. However, we do have our fair share of "shit hits the fan" situations. Some frequent fliers, some drunks in the ER being transferred over to rehab/psych facilities for treatment and whatnot. The most "entertaining" are the suicide attempts that we transfer over to psych. The only thing you're going to kill by taking a handful of tylenol is your liver. If you're going to do it, do it right. I've never been called for a panic attack, usually just get violent psych patients which are a hell of a lot of fun.

As far as patients dying on you or having a patient in really bad shape that you're delivering to the ER essentially dying right then and there, you have to be a bit calloused. I'll go to the ends of the earth to make damn sure my patients get the best possible care I can provide to them. But if they die, they die. If you let every single negative experience weigh on you, where you question yourself and every decision you made to the nth degree, you will have a nervous breakdown. EMS isn't for everyone, you have to be a little warped to want to do this as a career.

With all that said, I LOVE my job. There's nothing else in the world I'd rather be doing.

 

[FirNaTine]

Panic Attacks, I get some. Some of them manifest pretty obvoiously, others may have a medical component. As in chest pain/shortness of breath. They get treated as though the problem is not in their head until proven otherwise(usually at the ED).

Frequent drunks, yeah it happens but this definitely varies based on where you are working.

First time/worried parents can definitely lead to 911 calls. Of all calls, not just parents I would say 50% or more need only basic interventions and transport. As in checking vitals, maybe providing some splinting, or dressing a minor wound, etc. Another 40% require things like IV's, EKG's, medications and some advanced care. Probably 5-10% at most have a significant chance of dying if I don't treat the patient appropriately.

As far as attractive patients, I have had a few but they are by far the exception. And I don't really mind. If you look at those accessing health care, most are older, obese, in poor overall health. Not what I am exactly looking for, even if I was looking. Young healthy people generally don't need ambulances that often. The ones that do are typically trauma patients. I am typically too busy trying to figure out what may kill them, and what I need to do to stop it, to really figure how the patient looks. Besides, patients are (rightly)off limits, and you can jeopardize your career if you get accused of crossing the line.

It can simulataneously be rewarding and crushing. One semi accurate description is that it can be long be periods of boredom, interrupted by moments of sheer terror.

And you are exposed to some of the worst parts of the human experience on a routine basis. Coming to try to take care of someone after a rape, beating, shooting, etc. The most difficult ones have been where I am taking care of a child injured by their parents actions.

On the other hand coming in to a high priority call and having everyone look to you to make it better is something unique. You have not only the people effected, but even the other first responders, police etc. looking to you fix something they are unable to handle. The trust you are bestowed with is pretty extensive.

Looks like some of this has been covered others as I was typing this.

14 years in Fire/EMS with the last 10 years career and last 5 ALS (medic) in a fire based EMS system.

 

[Nemesis 1]

OK so what causes a panic attack . I cann't imagine anything other than a childs safty that would cause me to panic . Even than I doubt I would panic . Never have likely never will.

 

[Locut0s]

OK so what causes a panic attack . I cann't imagine anything other than a childs safty that would cause me to panic . Even than I doubt I would panic . Never have likely never will.

Brain neurotransmitter imbalance. Either caused by a medically diagnosed mental condition like clinical anxiety and depression. Or a once off incident.

As far as what "causes" it in terms of life events you are thinking wrong. It doesn't have to be caused by anything really evident, though usually there are some stressors involved.

Think of what you would have to feel like mentally to want to kill yourself. Think of what it would feel like to not want to live any more. To feel that killing yourself would by a relief, an ending to suffering, a lifting of a huge weight off your shoulders that you can no longer bear any more. This would be depression.

Now thing what it would feel like during the first 2 or 3 minutes after a doctor just gave you a diagnosis of terminal cancer, you only have 2 months to live. Or the feeling you might have when confronted with an angry gunman who seems to want to kill you. This would be anxiety.

The clinical manifestation of both of the above feelings are the same as you would feel if these events had occurred, but usually there is very little reason, or none, to feel this way.

 

[bart1975]

I have panic attacks a few times a month. I have never had to call 911 for them though. The first time I had one I thought I was having a stroke or heart attack or something. I only found out after going to therapy sessions that I should have been treated for anxiety and depression when I was child.

 

[cardiac]

I've been in EMS/Fire service for 29 years. I'm now our division chief of EMS for a municipal fire department in Indiana. Been a paramedic for 21 out of the 29 years. I still look forward to going to work every day. When it becomes a burden, then I retire. You never know what awaits you that day. We cover a few mile stretch of I-65 here and that can produce some horrific crashes. We also have some urban areas with homeless folks, drug users, etc. I treat them with respect until they no longer treat me with respect. Then it is game on.....

You can make a decent living at it. You need to get on a progressive paid fire dept as they have pretty good benefits, wages, and retirement. You can make $50k or so after 5 years on most departments. We are cross trained as firefighters too, and quite a few guys make $75k with a little overtime....

Bob