Miracles can happen. Believe that to your very core! Not naively...with hope but understanding that it might not be time for your miracle, but elsewhere- it IS time for someone else's.
In the back, they Tube her. (Intubate- in field means of providing mechanical breathing for patients unable to maintain or do so on their own.) An open flood gate of drugs on board to do so. The doors close. This is the last we will see her, unless another call brings us to her later tonight. Lone and I walk back to wash away the look of what happened, off the sidewalk. Lone Ranger- startled by the siren as they rush her in, "Holy cr*p...do you think she is gonna make it??" *SHRUG* "It would be amazing if she did. She's pretty bad. Neck down- no sensation. Non-verbal...I hope so, but doesn't look like chances are too great." *SHOULDERS SINKING* "Man. Well, that sucks. That was my first call with so much blood, ya know? Did I do okay?"- he asks like being graded on a report card. *SMIRKING* "You did fine. And Thanks for backing me. I'm sure you were just as scared sh*tless as I was when I spoke up, but I appreciate you holding ground with me." *PUSHING GOGGLES UP ON HEAD WITH ONLY CLEAN SPOT OF GLOVED PALM* As he looks away-"Yep. Think we're gonna get talked to?"...
..."Absolutely. Always do. Be shocked if we don't." *HEAVY SIGH*
"You can show us clear." Lone Ranger mumbles as we climb back in the rig. "OK. Got you your next"....
Our night goes on. Never once getting back to the same *INSERT LOCAL ER HERE* that they took her to. Oddly enough, no phone call ever came through to our Supe. Guess it's our lucky night. Sucks though, that we would still get called in for trying to do the most good for a patient all because of a previous history with the Eye Roller. Not the first time his lacking interest in doing the right work was visible. A previous patient, (dumped on me and another partner) resulted in his severe adult scolding by the higher ups...to explain a little into his spiteful and ego fueled interactions with me- run by his ever depreciating opinion of me after the outcome of earlier behaviors.
We sign out at the end of shift, "I wanna know what happened to her...can we check?" Lone asks as we part ways to our cars. "Yea, we can look in to it, but without a name it will be harder. Don't know if they made her a DOE or not. I'll see ya later.We'll figure it out."
About a week later, *RINGING* "Hello?" Lone Ranger blurts out on the other end, "She wants to see us." Puzzled, "What? What are you talki-?" Before I even finish my question, "I was working earlier and ran a call with the Eye Roller's partner from the other night...she asked to see you and me. 'The girl and they guy that talked to my roommate'...when are you on next? He said he went to see how she was doing, on shift the other day. I'm gonna go see her today while I'm on shift." (Since we all know visiting patients off shift is a NO-NO.) "I'm on tomorrow. Let me know what she says to you...weird. Well she's talking so I guess that is a plus, right?!"
From what was told to us, she told the Doc's and her family that she "went out for a smoke. I was on my phone when I shut the door, not even thinking to make sure it was unlocked. Didn't notice until I tried to go back inside. Texted my roommate, but she was in the shower I guess. The window next to the fire escape was open. I thought I could make it...that's the last thing I remember."
Where this window was, was about 5-6' away from the fire escape. The ladder- only 4 rungs. But, left you below the window sill but about 3'-4'. Our "Man Down" was, on a good day with the right pair of heels- 5' 5" tall...you do the math.
When I saw her, a week and a half after the fall- when she had stabilized more, she said 9 words through her "trache" (tracheotomy- a surgically created hole in the neck, through the trachea to more easily deliver oxygen) that I will never forget, "I heard everything...thank you...for- saving my life.". That was the only time that I saw her, sitting upright in a chair- only able to move from the neck up.
30 days later...she WALKED out of the hospital. After her 20-25' fall, she suffered multiple, massive fractures in her skull as well as damage to her spine so severe, she was diagnosed as a Quadriplegic and told she would never walk again...let alone breathe on her own or eat solid food again. Hearing that she walked...W-A-L-K-E-D...out of the hospital was the best part of my day, when one of her nurses told me in passing. She will be able to keep running her Marathon's...Let's hope she quit smoking too.
In the back, they Tube her. (Intubate- in field means of providing mechanical breathing for patients unable to maintain or do so on their own.) An open flood gate of drugs on board to do so. The doors close. This is the last we will see her, unless another call brings us to her later tonight. Lone and I walk back to wash away the look of what happened, off the sidewalk. Lone Ranger- startled by the siren as they rush her in, "Holy cr*p...do you think she is gonna make it??" *SHRUG* "It would be amazing if she did. She's pretty bad. Neck down- no sensation. Non-verbal...I hope so, but doesn't look like chances are too great." *SHOULDERS SINKING* "Man. Well, that sucks. That was my first call with so much blood, ya know? Did I do okay?"- he asks like being graded on a report card. *SMIRKING* "You did fine. And Thanks for backing me. I'm sure you were just as scared sh*tless as I was when I spoke up, but I appreciate you holding ground with me." *PUSHING GOGGLES UP ON HEAD WITH ONLY CLEAN SPOT OF GLOVED PALM* As he looks away-"Yep. Think we're gonna get talked to?"...
..."Absolutely. Always do. Be shocked if we don't." *HEAVY SIGH*
"You can show us clear." Lone Ranger mumbles as we climb back in the rig. "OK. Got you your next"....
Our night goes on. Never once getting back to the same *INSERT LOCAL ER HERE* that they took her to. Oddly enough, no phone call ever came through to our Supe. Guess it's our lucky night. Sucks though, that we would still get called in for trying to do the most good for a patient all because of a previous history with the Eye Roller. Not the first time his lacking interest in doing the right work was visible. A previous patient, (dumped on me and another partner) resulted in his severe adult scolding by the higher ups...to explain a little into his spiteful and ego fueled interactions with me- run by his ever depreciating opinion of me after the outcome of earlier behaviors.
We sign out at the end of shift, "I wanna know what happened to her...can we check?" Lone asks as we part ways to our cars. "Yea, we can look in to it, but without a name it will be harder. Don't know if they made her a DOE or not. I'll see ya later.We'll figure it out."
About a week later, *RINGING* "Hello?" Lone Ranger blurts out on the other end, "She wants to see us." Puzzled, "What? What are you talki-?" Before I even finish my question, "I was working earlier and ran a call with the Eye Roller's partner from the other night...she asked to see you and me. 'The girl and they guy that talked to my roommate'...when are you on next? He said he went to see how she was doing, on shift the other day. I'm gonna go see her today while I'm on shift." (Since we all know visiting patients off shift is a NO-NO.) "I'm on tomorrow. Let me know what she says to you...weird. Well she's talking so I guess that is a plus, right?!"
From what was told to us, she told the Doc's and her family that she "went out for a smoke. I was on my phone when I shut the door, not even thinking to make sure it was unlocked. Didn't notice until I tried to go back inside. Texted my roommate, but she was in the shower I guess. The window next to the fire escape was open. I thought I could make it...that's the last thing I remember."
Where this window was, was about 5-6' away from the fire escape. The ladder- only 4 rungs. But, left you below the window sill but about 3'-4'. Our "Man Down" was, on a good day with the right pair of heels- 5' 5" tall...you do the math.
When I saw her, a week and a half after the fall- when she had stabilized more, she said 9 words through her "trache" (tracheotomy- a surgically created hole in the neck, through the trachea to more easily deliver oxygen) that I will never forget, "I heard everything...thank you...for- saving my life.". That was the only time that I saw her, sitting upright in a chair- only able to move from the neck up.
30 days later...she WALKED out of the hospital. After her 20-25' fall, she suffered multiple, massive fractures in her skull as well as damage to her spine so severe, she was diagnosed as a Quadriplegic and told she would never walk again...let alone breathe on her own or eat solid food again. Hearing that she walked...W-A-L-K-E-D...out of the hospital was the best part of my day, when one of her nurses told me in passing. She will be able to keep running her Marathon's...Let's hope she quit smoking too.
Fuc#+&g AWESOME!
ReplyDeletewords can't describe what you guys do... this is very well written!
ReplyDeleteThank you VERY MUCH!! I try to do all that I can to recreate it so people can experience our calls just as we do. This is, to this day- one pd the top 5: Clear as day calls in my mind. Thank you for reading!!
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