Saturday

All the cops in town were off on a multi-suspect foot chase -- a gang robbed Home Depot, then fled toward the city -- so they had no one to back us up. There is a man standing outside the house on his cell phone. He looks anxious. I grab the bag and go in past him. In the kitchen, a man is on the floor, seizing violently.

I have to admit -- I love being the first one on scene -- going into a house not knowing what to expect. Its a nice adreniline rush. It used to be like that in the city all the time. Then the fire department replaced the cops as the first responder and probably two out of three times they are there before us now. In the suburbs, the cops usually always beat us there. Now, I come in and go to the first responder and get the story from them. Its less exciting, although having them there to help carry is a benefit, particuarly when I am working with a smaller partner.

The man is seizing spastically -- not the tonic clonic seizing associated with gran mal seizures. I suspect he is a diabetic. I check his sugar. The glucometer reads LO, which means less than 20. There's the problem. I get the Iv while my partner tries to hold him down. I push the D50. He stops seizing, and shortly opens his eyes and is surprised to find himself on the floor. When we stand him up, he looks at the stove and says, "I guess I didn't get my eggs yet." We take him to the hospital.

***

Later we go down to the jail to examine one of the new prisoners. His only complaint -- he has mental problems and needs to go to the hospital. They can strap him down to a bed there, but he is going to the hospital. His vitals are all fine. I hand him a refusal. He signs it. I tell him to call back if he feels any change in his condition. We will be happy to evaluate him. I will be calling, he says.

***

Another nursing home train wreck. Oh Lord, this guy is deaf, blind, victim of a massive CVA, and is completely contracted. You cannot pull his arms away from his chest to get a blood pressure without causing him to scream in pain. And he is a full code. I can't get a BP or feel a pulse, but he is only going at 60 on the monitor and he has some cap refill so I just put him on 02. The complaint is abd distension and hypotension.

***

Watch the rest of Ocean's 12, except for the part I sleep through. I must have missed something important because while I liked Ocean's 11, this one was boring.

***

Go to the trauma room with a motor cycle accident -- stoic old guy with a broken clavicle and ribs and a big hematoma on his head. He has ropes for veins. I put in a 14, but could have put in a 6 if they made them that big. He is hurting, but not admitting it.

***

One of the guys working with me this afternoon just graduated from college. It seemed like just yesterday he was a new EMT graduating from high school.

***

The paper online says the guy struck by lightning is upgraded from critical to serious.

***

We get our usual Saturday night half an hour before I get off call. An old guy vomiting.

***

At least the prisoner never called back.