Rescue Squad @ MindSay


 

   
Happy Easter!!!

Wow. I know it's been FOREVER since I've been on here. And saying, "Life happens, you know?" just seems like a cop-out, no matter how true it is.

 

Since I've haven't been here in a quite a while, there should be a lot for you to catch up on, but sadly, I'm afraid that is not the case.

 

I'm still working 24/72-hour shifts as an EMT, and volunteering as an EMT at the local rescue squad on my days off. It seems to most that I live, eat, breathe, and sleep rescue, but I do love it very much. My only complaints about it is the political drama with the higher ups, otherwise I'm content to check off my truck, finish my base duties, and run my calls. It's the nit-picky things that I try to not let bother me, and for the most part, I think I'm doing okay with that. However, on the other hand, the higher-ups are encouraging each shift to pick a charity to sponsor to increase community involvement (thus the March of Dimes post previously).

 

I really love the church I'm going to now. This morning's service was a baptism service. I can't remember the exact number, but I think around 80 men, women, and children were baptized today. And the energy was awesome. I told my friend who went with me today, that I believe that is the first church service I've ever been to where I felt like I needed to catch my breath after it was over from all the excitement. I'm also active in the nursery there (ages 2yrs and under) and those kids are just so precious helping pack up at the end of service, waving at me in the hall, and they're just so darn cute! And the pastor there does some pretty neat sermon series, (the latest one was "Express-o Yourself"). I do believe God has many more blessings in store for that place. Smiley

 

Oh! Before I forget, I am not Catholic, but I did observe Lent this year. I gave up potatoes. There were a couple of days in there where I really wanted a french fry ESPECIALLY when resturants would put them on my plate even when I specially requested that I did not want any, and I had friends trying to determine if I'd make it 40 days or not. But I did, and I did have some french fries at lunch today. When I was thinking of what to give up for Lent, I skimmed through my diet and realized that I ate a lot of potatoes, almost with every meal. So I bet you can figure out how excited I was to find I had lost 4 pounds, just by going potato-free (but that was the only difference in my diet, the rest remained the same).

 

So outside of working, volunteering, and church, there hasn't been a whole lot going on with me. My family, on the other hand, has recently sustained a ding or two...

 

Mom was in the hospital for a few days last week with a kidney infection and an 8mm kidney stone on the left side, and two smaller stones on the right side (but hadn't moved from the kidney at that time). She had 2 stints put in for the infection to drain and she has to go back next week for the doctor to go in and get out the 8mm stone. They feel, for now, that the two on the right side are small enough to pass. We shall see...

 

Dad messed up his knee at the beginning of the year by stepping off the back of a pick-up "wrong," (I even took him in by ambulance). At first the doctor thought it might have been a severe sprain, but has since deteremined that he has a small hairline fracture to the top of his tibia, stretched the ligaments on both sides of the knee, and has a partial tear in the back of his ACL. We have also found out that Dad has severe sleep apnea (he stops breathing 33.1 times an hour while sleeping, well, that's what he said the Dr said), and when he goes in to surgery this coming Tuesday for his knee, the doctor is going to keep him overnight to make sure there's no adverse effects to the medicine they're going to use to put him under.

 

My sister that's in the middle of me and our baby sister will be graduating in May from the community college with her degree/certification/whatever it is in General Studies. So she's trying to find a job and with the high unemployment rate, she's worrying she won't find anything.

 

And then my baby sister, she'll be coming home from college for the summer soon and she's been worried about the 'rents and this one really hard class she's in right now.

 

 

So yeah, other than hitting my head at work a few shifts back, hard enough to seriously think I may have given myself a concussion, I'm doing okay. Just staying busy taking care of everyone else, all while working, volunteering, and having a good time at church.

 

 

I hope you all have a wonderful Happy Easter! Smiley

 
 
   
 

I've been so busy...sorry I haven't kept in touch more...
I always want to say something profound. Something to make everyone stop for a moment and think. Something to put life into perspective. Instead, words seem to fail me when I need them most and I end up quoting someone else. But every once in a while, probably not even once a year, when I'm not looking to do so, I say or write something witty or something on the edge of profound.  Now, however, is one of those times when I must rely on someone else to put into words what I would like to say.
 
"Some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity..." -Gilda Radner
 
Just like this blog, apparently. There's no clear beginning, middle, or end; I'm just writing what's going through my head. There's a lot that I keep inside and don't share with everyone.I'm not exactly sure where this is going. I suppose it's more or less a reflection post.
 
If you had asked me when I was 14 where I would be ten years into the future, being a member of the rescue squad would not have crossed my mind even once. Nor would have my being a bank teller, or a substitute teacher. (Yes, I do wear many hats. I was even the photographer for my cousin's wedding this past summer. And that's not including  all the babysitting I've done in my lifetime.) Even just a couple of years ago, during my senior year of college, rescue was not something anyone would have thought I'd be interested in doing. When I did join and I called my roommate, she was in disbelief. She had told me stories of when she was a junior explorer in New Hampshire, but she never thought I be one to volunteer for rescue. Neither did I at that point in my life. I suppose everyone has my cousin to thank for my joining the rescue squad. It was the only place and time there was to spend any time with her. Now I'm there and she's not (so much)--but in her defense she is in the [EMT] intermediate  program at the college.
 
I really do enjoy rescue, even though I have to put up with the bs calls, and the calls that break your heart, it has become a huge part of my life. It's an ongoing learning process to know how to distance yourself enough for you to do your job--to help someone in need--but not so much so that you become unhuman. I've learned SO much since I joined last April, from the members here themselves and my EMT class I started in September. I'm starting to stress and worry about testing for my EMT. I have my final written exam for class on Wednesday and the state test on Feb. 16, and the closer that day draws near, the more nervous I get.
 
Anyway, like I said, I have no idea where this blog is going. But I think I'm done for now.
 
 
 
 
 

   
Adventures in EMS

Since joining the local rescue squad back in April, I have been one extremely busy chick (per Sandyquill). With teaching school, volunteering with rescue, and church and its various activities, I've had no extra time. Like today, for instance. I've been here at or with someone from the station for about a little over 56 hours now. We had two standbys--one last night, an afterprom for a high school (11:30p-5a), and the other from 9a-noon for a March of Dimes walk-a-thon thing, which we had to leave in the middle of to run a call. Counting said call, we've also had four other calls to run. I've quickly learned that when you join EMS and run calls, you are never guaranteed opportunity to eat or pee. Seriously, my bladder and stomach are slowly coming around to this way of life. Also, my body's had to learn to work on little sleep, or at least 1-2 hour power naps at a time. But I do love every minute of it, even the bad calls.

 

Take last week, for example. (I sent this to myself in an email, because I was at school and could not access mindsay to post it as a blog, Written May 2):

Well, yesterday was a very interesting day. First we had a Code Red at school, meaning there was a medical emergency and students are to remain in whatever class they are in until an "all clear" signal is given. This is mainly to keep them outof the way for medical personnel ( a.k.a. EMTs and Paramedics). Then I got to the station and thought the day was probably going to be like Monday night and that we wouldn't get any calls. Wrong. We had two, well, technically four, while I was there. The first one was a patient refusal, the second one came and I babysat while some of the other folk ran that call, the third call came in for a sports injury to the neck, but there were a lot of us and we all didn't need to go to the hospital. But the last call takes the cake.
 
At about 11:30 last night we got a call, and I can't release details, but I did have a lot of firsts last night. It was first time performing CPR on a person instead of a manequin, my first time running a code, and my first time driving an ambulance. It was both exciting and scary, and also sad. And I did cry...a couple of times, because it was a sad and scary situation, especially for the patient's family. But I am fine. And I am so ready to run another call. I just can't today because of work and church tonight. Oh, and I do LOVE driving the ambulance. It was awesome. :)
 
Anyway, I must go now since my last class is coming in. Later.
 
And then today, we had to run a GSW (gun shot wound) that we found out to be a suicide. What tore me up the most about this call is that the guy shot himself in front of his son (late teens, early 20s possibly).  I did get a little weak in the knees and had to sit in the front of the truck for a few minutes to collect myself. I can't really go into details, nor do I want to relive all the graphics. But everyone was great about the whole situation, telling me that I didn't have to help or look or anything if I didn't want to; however, if I am going to eventually be an EMT, which I am, I need to learn to get a handle on these things. So I braved it and didn't do too bad, although, I did decline to help with the body. I just couldn't do that yet.
 
Anyway, so life for me is crazy, but wonderful. Now, if only I could win the lottery to catch up on all my bills...life would then be outstanding! ;)
 
 
   
 

 
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