SS: Just took care of a man that probably had a stroke

[cheapie]

Sigh....i'm on the emergency response team here at work and i got paged to go upstairs because some guy fell and hit his head.

was one of the first people there and the guy was lying on the ground, diaphoretic with snoring respirations. i kinda had to take charge and make sure ems had been contacted, make sure his airway stayed clear, monitor his pulse and respirations, etc. we shoulda grabbed the O2 equip but it completely slipped my mind.

apparently he was talking and just keeled over, smashing his head in the process. i'm guessing stroke.

so...the ems shows up and i turn him over and get the guy's home number. i call his wife and check for medical history and relay the bad news. she's understandably upset and sounded like she was fighting the urge to completely freak out. i felt so bad not knowing what to tell her.

thankfully someone that knows her called her back and arranged to pick her up and take her to the hospital.

he sorta convulsed some and threw up. the ems had to do suction i'm glad they were there to do that. clearing his airway w/o the proper equipment would have sucked.

i'm pretty shaken up. i'm in the ski patrol so i deal with injured people all of the time. i deal with broken limbs, lacerated flesh, bleeding this or that all of the time. but i hate trying to help people that have serious internal problems that i can't do a single thing to alleviate. he's a really nice guy and i hope he doesn't die.

[ufcrusher]

WEll it sounds like you did all you can. Honestly in todays society thats a lot more than most people would do for fear of my type being called in.

*jab...jab* So what is this guys name *jab,jab* Seriously, congrats on helping out but I hope that your work has protective measures in place for your health as well as to CYA.

[LPMiller]

that doesn't sound like a stroke to me. That sounds like that other thing I can't spell. Aneyrism....anyerism......that thing.

[nickel]

well, that wasn't your run-of-the-mill day at work.
sounds like you did what you could cheapie.
let us know how the guy is doing.

[oblongmelon]

It sounds like it could be a stroke, but then again it could be a million other things..(diabetic induced coma,allergic reaction, drug reaction, etc)

[cheapie]

that doesn't sound like a stroke to me. That sounds like that other thing I can't spell. Aneyrism....anyerism......that thing.

and the cookie goes to....lpm.




he died. well, they're keeping him alive until the can find recipients for his organs.

[navyones]

and the cookie goes to....lpm.




he died. well, they're keeping him alive until the can find recipients for his organs.

Wow, that would really be rough for everyone involved. I am sure his family was appreciative for all you did though.

[cheapie]

i feel so bad for his wife. i gave her what details i had and said he's breathing and his heart rate is fine. i hope i didn't give her false hope.

[Grimm]

i feel so bad for his wife. i gave her what details i had and said he's breathing and his heart rate is fine. i hope i didn't give her false hope.

No, you kept her calm enough that she didn't panic. She was already fearing the worst. It's not like you lied to her, you gave her accurate information to keep her together long enough to get to the hospital.

[nickel]

i feel so bad for his wife. i gave her what details i had and said he's breathing and his heart rate is fine. i hope i didn't give her false hope.

yeh, don't dwell on what you told her. you told her your accessment of the situation at the time.

so he suffered from a brain aneurysm? or don't you know the details?

[cheapie]

yeah...found out this morning.

[LPMiller]

you didnt' do anything wrong at all, man. And frankly, there wouldn't have been anything you could have done to improve things. brain aneurysms (cut, paste, thanks nickel) can just happen, and boom, you're dead. Good friend of my mom died that way. One second they were walking and talking, the next, she thought her friend had tripped. You couldn't have known what was going on, and nothing you could have said other than what you did would have made any difference at all, in fact, what you did say likely made the difference between raw panic and her ability to hold it together.

[speedracer120]

You were calm, and you kept his wife calm in what was in any view a devestating situation. Props to you for doing what you could. I'm sure the wife appreciates what you did too. I think it's admirable.

[cheapie]

thanks for all of your support! i have a ski patrol outdoor emergency first aid refresher tomorrow. kinda makes it more relevant.

[ufcrusher]

Thats really too bad that the guy didnt make it.

[Jenny]

Very sad! Good job, tho. You handled it better than I probably would have!

[cheapie]

my wife is always amazed at how calm and cool i am in those situations. or job interviews, confrontations with store managers, etc.

but afterwards i'm a mess. shaky, , etc.

[ShawnLee]

Dude, I'm sorry to hear it man. And I here I was wallowing in my self-pity...

[LPMiller]

my wife is always amazed at how calm and cool i am in those situations. or job interviews, confrontations with store managers, etc.

but afterwards i'm a mess. shaky, , etc.

I'm the same way. Calm during the crisis, meltdown when i get home.

[Kevster]

I'm the same way. Calm during the crisis, meltdown when i get home.

Same here too. When I helped this older guy in a Ralph's parking lot about 3 1/2 years ago with CPR, I was sitting down and I couldn't stop my hand from shaking. That's when it started sinking in what I'd just done. It's something I have no control over and it's kind of embarrasing.

[revil]

I'm the same way. Calm during the crisis, meltdown when i get home.

ah... the adrenaline shakes.

[Grimm]

Now that you have had time to recover, I have to ask if you remembered to boost his wallet?
Did you at least go through his pockets for loose change?