How many of you have done THIS?!

[alongman]

I had the pleasure of working last night. Usually, Tuesday's are rather benign, I mean hey, it IS Tuesday. HOWEVER, last night must have been the "Drink until you are stupid" Holiday and I missed the memo. Here's the deal:

Got called to a 50's y/o woman - unconcscious. We arrived to find this woman with her family (mother and brother) who were both obviously intoxicated!!! They said she had "two beers" then they found her lying on the floor. The woman was barely breathing and unconscious. I did a deep sternal rub (rubbing your knuckles up and down a persons' chest to cause pain and try to wake them) and she moaned, pooped her pants, peed all over herself and then started vomitting. EXCELLENT!!!! Nothing I like more than carrying someone with bodily fluids running out of everywhere. Because she was vomitting and was still unresponsive, I had to place a breathing tube into her lungs to prevent her from aspirating her own vomit. It was 25 or so degrees here last night, and we had to open the windows of the ambulance while we were driving as the fumes from the alocohol were too much for us to take. At the hospital, the woman ended up in the ICU with a blood alcohol of 0.642 (just for reference, in Minnesota, the legal limit is 0.08) - or nearly 8X the legal limit!!!! Holy cow!!!

Don't get me wrong, I do occassionally have a cocktail with my friends and family. I don't know anyone who drinks "two beers" (more like two kegs) with their family and ends up intubated in the ICU. Anyone else?

Sad, she wasn't the only patient I had last night that ended up intubated due to extreme alcohol overdose. It's only Tuesday.........OMG I work Saturday!!!!

 

[bfogg]

Adam I don't know how you do it! I have so much respect for people like you who do this day after day after day. Seeing the worst of it all.

The burn out rate must be incredible. My daughter took the training and when she told me what the pay was I was floored!

Even though it was what she really wanted to do she couldn't take a job doing it because she wouldn't be able to live on the wages!

My God EMT'S and the like are the people who should be making top dollar!

I don't know how you do it but i am so glad you all do it.

I hope Sat is a very quiet night for you.

Bonnie

 

[SWA]

Reminds me of "vents" my Dad would share too, back when he was a paramedic/fireman. This was years ago, I was like 9 or 10 or something) before they had those mouthpieces for CPR. I don't recall the exact circumstances but remember him saying she was passed out, not breathing, so he went to resusitate (sp?) her, just as she heaved a big flow if air and vomited all over him.

She was drunk as all get out.

Hope your Saturday shift goes smoother.

 

[alongman]

Well, I certainly don't do this job because of the money!!!

I do it for my love of people (there are just times that it stretches the limits....). They have made some huge advances in protecting us from bodily fluid exposure, but unfortunately, nothing is drunk-proof.

 

[minimomNC]

Gosh Adam, maybe after they said she had two beers, you should have asked how big the glasses were. I just don't understand why people want to drink until they embarress themselves, easy enough to do when your sober.

Bless you Adam for the job you do even if the people you help don't appreciate it.

Karen

 

[PaintedPromiseRanch]

yikes!!!

2 beers huh. hhmmm, sounds like my ex-husband...

wow.

here's hoping saturday is a better night for ya, since the "quiet" tuesday wasn't!

 

[Al B]

Believe Karen (minimomNC). I've been around her after 2 glasses of sweet tea.

Kudos to you Adam. That's one of the jobs I just couldn't do.

 

[Jesper]

0.08 what?

here you can have 0.5 0/00 (0/00 is 10th of a percent) and still drive (well under or at 0.5) above that you get a fine. so 0.08 sounds extremely low?

leathal dose is for normal people is about 2.0 0/00 and some have had like 4-5.0 and still trying to drive *shakes head*

 

[alongman]

In the US, the Breath-a-lyzer, is a measure of the concentration of alcohol in your blood. So 0.08 is 0.8% of your blood is alcohol at a legal limit. At a measure of 0.642, this woman had a concentration of 64.2% of her blood being alcohol. The lethal limit is variable between person to person depending upon weight, metabolism, the frequency of your drinking. But, in general, the normal adult would have great compromise at a level of 0.2 or higher.

 

[Jesper]

In the US, the Breath-a-lyzer, is a measure of the concentration of alcohol in your blood. So 0.08 is 0.8% of your blood is alcohol at a legal limit. At a measure of 0.642, this woman had a concentration of 64.2% of her blood being alcohol. The lethal limit is variable between person to person depending upon weight, metabolism, the frequency of your drinking. But, in general, the normal adult would have great compromise at a level of 0.2 or higher.

hmm I see a huge flaw there.

a human contains about 4-5 Liters of blood or roughly a gallon afaik

64.2% of that equals half a gallon of pure alcohol, if her blood was filled with half a gallon of pure alcohol she would be dead and WELL preserved and highly flameable.

Normal persons are well intoxicated around 2% and leathal dose is in the area of 4-5%

 

[alongman]

I completely understand and felt the same way..... each test is subjective. I did get confirmation from the MD treating the patient today that, although it seems impossible, this woman did have a residual alcohol concentration of that high amount IN HER SYSTEM!

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

I seriously don't know how you do it. You are a better person than I am that's for sure. I really don't think I'd have much tolerance for an "adult" who got that drunk. Two beers??? Give me a break! I agree with the person who said more like two kegs! OH!

Paramedics, policemen, firefighters, ER nurses...it requires a very special person to do one of those jobs.

 

[dangerranger]

25 odd years ago I still rember my brothers first pickup. it was a guy named Roland who checked into a dive hotel on the third floor with about $300 worth of hard liquor as his only baggage. when the hotel Mgr haddnt seen Roland for about 8 days He called paramedics to check on him. when they opened the door they found him in an easy chair that he had not been out of in many days. after carring him down 6 flights of stairs and putting him in the nice clean ambulance, he starts to puke. by the time they got him to the hospital he had coated everything in sight. while outside hoseing out the ambulance the ER doc came outside to get some air and told my brother that he had never smelled anyone that bad who was still alive!

 

[jdomep]

Adam I don't know how you do it! I have so much respect for people like you who do this day after day after day. Seeing the worst of it all.

My thoughts exactly! I know she won't be (because I doubt she'll remember anything) but she should be VERY thankful you were the one taking care of her -

 

[AppyLover2]

I've only had 1 occasion that I've dealt with EMT's....but I can say that their friendly professionalism sure makes you feel better when someone you love needs the kind of immediate attention you're unable to give them yourself.

God Bless the people like you who care enough about others to care for us when we're unable (or too stupid) to do it ourselves!!

 

[Winchester Farms]

im a cop in maryland. i see all this stuff too, carrying people who have been deceased for a month in august heat isnt the prettiest thing, if you can imagine. but anymore i have no tolernace for stupidity and drunks. i know how you feel! certainly tests your patience!!!! keep plugging, and as my grandfather says "dont let the b@stards grind ya down!"

 

[Laura]

I've only had 1 occasion that I've dealt with EMT's....but I can say that their friendly professionalism sure makes you feel better when someone you love needs the kind of immediate attention you're unable to give them yourself.

God Bless the people like you who care enough about others to care for us when we're unable (or too stupid) to do it ourselves!!

Amen! During my one (and hopefully only) need for an EMT (after our bad wreck with the cart), Mia and I were BLESSED by two wonderful people and the amazing first responders who took incredible care of us

 

[txminipinto]

Adam, you're a better person than me. I would have bailed when she pooped!

I can handle animal excrements, but not human.

 

[Marylou]

God bless the paramedics! My spine is fused 3 discs at both ends. If I go down I can't even crawl. They have come and picked me up 4 times in the last 5 years. They have made it clear to me not to let anyone else try to get me up as they could do great harm if it isn't done right. It takes 3 of them, 1 on each side and one with his back to mine . They do a thankless job.

 

[RockRiverTiff]

My mom works in ICU and the OR, and the stories she tells... I really admire you for what you do--you probably saved that woman's life!