Monday, June 14, 2010

Why Me?

There are some people who can go through day to day and have calm and quiet little lives. They work every day and go home to their families and don't think a thing about it. I think if my time in the ER has taught me anything, it is that I won't have that kind of life. Normal just doesn't seem to fit in my vocabulary these days.

I have been seeing a city medic who is the exact opposite of me. He's tall where I'm short, outgoing when I'm quiet, but makes me laugh every day and I'm a very happy girl. He and I were sitting in triage last night when we heard a screech and then a loud crash. We exchanged a WTF look and both took off for the door. My first thought was that some dumbass had hit one of the ambulances in the ER driveway. Instead we look down the driveway and see the rear of a car and smoke blowing. As we went to check it out we found a sheriff's deputy car had lost control and struck the building. There was smoke coming from under the hood and the inside was filled with smoke from the engine and the airbags. The deputy was screaming bloody murder as the medic used a fire extinguisher to put the engine out. I held c-spine and had our university police take her gun. (just what we would need is a hysterical chick getting ahold of her gun as we get her out). The medic's partner helped me get her out of the car and backboarded and we took her into the er.

I'm still getting over whatever crud I had down at the beach. I start hacking and wheezing from whatever the hell I've inhaled. I ended up in Green having one of my friends take a listen to me. She concluded that 1) I must have had a RLL pneumonia while at the beach (she can still hear the rhonchi) 2) whatever I breathed in has pissed my lungs off. I get put in a room, pulse ox on and breathing treatments. Let me just say... I really don't like albuterol. My normal heart rate is around 60. The medic started laughing when it hit 100 and I got the shakes. When it hit 120 I really started to feel like shit. Fortunately I had my friends checking on me and the medic to keep me entertained. 2 treatments, advair and 3 hours later I was discharged home with 2 inhalers and a 4 day work note.

So I've spent the last few days laying low, being a good patient, staying out of the heat (which is killing me!) and trying not to be bored.