You Got to Get Hep!

A man with a head cold, coughing up yellow phlegm, feeling weak. My BLS partner wanted to tech it, but I decided to tech it instead, just because he said he almost passed out. I got him in the back and we started to the hospital. I checked his pulse. It was 36. I put him on the monitor. He was in a second degree heart block. He said he had no heart history. I didn't do anything for him because he was maintaining a good blood pressure, but I pointed it out at the hospital. They ran a 12 lead and he was back in a regular rythmn. He said he was feeling better. They treated him for his cold.

We picked up a drunk. As we approached the corner we saw one man flagging us down with one hand, and holding up another man who looked unsteady with the other. We were on the other side of the street, and while we waited to do a U-turn, the man instead, dragged his buddy across the street to meet us. His buddy wore a Colorado Rockies hat and looked glassy eyed. He muttered that he was okay and didn't want to go anywhere, but his buddy insisted that we take him. "You got to get hep!" his buddy shouted at him. "You got to dry out. You got to go wit them. You got to go wit them now. And then I see you in a couple days. Right here! Right here! You go get some hep, then I see you right here!"

We took an old woman discharged from the hospital back to a convalescent home in a distant suburban town. I had a great bowl of clam chowder at a seafood market on the way back to town. That was clearly the highlight of my day. A hot thick chowda with lots of clams. I was sure glad I ordered the bowl and not just the cup because it was good chowda. Yes, sir.

I don't remember the other call. Not for the life of me.