TODAY IT WAS NOT MY FAULT

Not sure if today was a good one or a bad one at the office.Of the nine jobs 3 of them actually required an emergency response, which is ,sadly, a pretty good percentage.

Sometimes you turn up and have a great day. For no particular reason you enjoy the company of the patients and have good crack with your work partner. The illnesses are never out of the norm but seem more interesting. You get to a good trauma and everything just slots into place. The patient gets assessed, packaged, delivered and you leave hospital feeling like you did a good job.

Not one of those days. It could of been if it was not for the second last job of the shift. Sometimes you turn up at a good trauma and feel like a clown.

We were at the hospital dreaming of food and a hot coffee when we got a call to a rugby ground for a "traumatic injury, dangerous body area". Not having any more information and not knowing if this means that the patient has very sharp fingers which need to be kept clear of we hit the road. Now, I played a bit of representative rugby as a school kid so kind of like these jobs as I feel at home it the mud and the chances are I'll know the coach, or nowadays the parents of the team member.

Turning up at the ground I said to my colleague that we probably shouldn't go on to the grass as we could get stuck. I would stress at this point that I was NOT driving. Not this time. The patient was surrounded by waving friends all looking frantic and I had to close my eyes as we mounted the kerb. Four metres later there was the all to familiar feel of an Ambulance becoming sucked towards the centre of the earth. Oops but hay, at least I was not driving.

The referee ran up and gave us an idea of the injury which was spinal and potentially dangerous. We unloaded the spinal board, head hugger's, straps, blankets, oxygen, response kit, radio, mobile phone. Everything we could think of and headed off the 300m to the patient.

Someone had placed him in the recovery position which may not of been the best thing for the suspected injury. You should really leave them alone if possible, in my book, if the airway is clear. Anyway, it's usually the best thing to do so I'll let them off - no hand slapping's.

The story was that he had been tackled, landed on his head and his body had gone over the top forcing his head further forward than his creator intended. His creator was a generous man, at 5'10" and I guess 19 stone there was a lot of him. A good old fashioned prop from the 1970-80's before they all became professional athletes. Consequently there was not much of a neck to be in danger but this could be very serious so you always suspect the worse and treat accordingly.

His spine was tender from about c3 to t4/5 (middle of the neck to the shoulder blades) with some tingling in his left hand. Ahh, warning signs, I wanted to get a collar on, immobilise the man and get him out of the cold and on the way to hospital.

My colleague was at the bus arranging for a second crew to come and transport the patient so I tried to radio her on the mobile handset. It's broken - again; it was "repaired" 2 weeks ago.

Middle of a field with a stuck Ambulance, again, with an audience watching as I start to swear and grumble under my breath. Without our bits and bobs were first aiders like any other. So, as I was unable to do anything on my own I stood there for a minute trying to calm down and explain to the guy what a complete tool I was feeling.

Luckily at this point a couple of his mates ran up; one was a water fairy the other a life guard. Both with training in the use of a spinal board. Could I be saved? Yes!!! We were also joined by a consultant urologist who lived across the park. Magic, the doctor took control of the head/neck and on we put a stiff collar. This went terribly and I knew it would. I think I'm OK at my job and hopefully I'm at least that good. Getting even our shortest collar on to someone whose shoulders start around his ears is never easy. I hope the doctor know this because I felt like I had only thumbs with which to attempt this maneuver.

With the assistance of the buy standers we managed a log role onto the spinal board, got blankets back over him and then I discovered I'd forgotten the straps. Bugger!! Really I'm not this incompetent but with my mate still in the wind I was once again having to send a runner to the bus for equipment. Once on a board there is only about half an hour before they have to come off, bed sores develop and our A&E wont accept them. The clock was ticking.

At this point the other ambulance turned up we strapped the patient to the board and the long slog started. The patient had been on the ground for about 40 mins. by now and I wanted to get him warm and away a.s.a.p. Normally I bring the trolley out the bus which makes placing someone who is immobilised on it really quite easy. Not today though and with the helpers not knowing the footsteps required to dance in an ambulance we all but dropped the poor guy.

Anyway, away he went leaving us to get a tow out of the swamp by a very kind man with his Land Cruiser.

What did I learn:-
1. Do not drive on the grass.
2. Double check that I take everything I may require when walking any distance from the van.
3. My mobile phone is better than the service radio system (everyone knows this really, I've just never been caught out before).
4.If I do something stupid keep my head. Because there's a consultant something there that should not bother me, it normally dose not.
5. If it's my patient at the time work my way. Everybody dose the same thing but develops their own way of doing it, so - get the trolley out the back.
6. Even relatively straightforward jobs can leave you looking, and feeling, like a bit of a Gumby.

There will be more I learn from this as I ponder it through the night. I love my job and in particular incidents similar to this. I normally leave thinking that I've done a good job and feeling proud of what I do and how I do it. Not today though.

Bad day at the office.