In the River

A man jumped into the river tonight. I was asked to stand-by on the Embankment while the River Police, LFB and a helicopter searched for him but, after almost two hours of scanning the fast flowing water, he wasn't found. He is unlikely to have survived.

The activity on the river drew small crowds onto the bridges and Embankment area where I was stationed. Some of them clumped around with their children hoping to glimpse a body so that they could join in the excitement of it all. People are strange like that but its natural I suppose. A number of logs and floating debris became drowned men as sightings were made by onlookers. The witnesses to the watery jump (from a bridge apparently) introduced themselves to me and said that they had seen a body floating downstream - they were quite convinced. I called it in and the search vessels were pulled away to the area where they claimed to have seen him. Nothing was found.

The current tends to pull objects under the many boats that are moored off the banks. Its likely that he is still underneath one of them and will surface with the next tidal change.

A group of young women kept me occupied in banter when the search was called off and dusk fell. They kept me company for a time, which is just as well because Control forgot about me and I had to call them to ask if I was required on scene any longer! Still, thanks for the pleasant 30 minutes ladies.

Almost as soon as I greened up I was sent to a female DIB at a hotel. I passed the location because it was obscured by scaffolding and nobody came out to flag me down (I sometimes depend on windmills to get to the right place). By the time I located the establishment an ambulance was pulling up, so I left them to it.

I went on stand-by at my usual spot on the Square and a young woman walked by with her friend and said "thank you for all you do". She was, of course, referring to ALL of us in the service and I had to smile. It was a nice and utterly spontaneous thing for her to say and a pleasant surprise. It made a change from the usual nee naw sounds or requests for directions to places I have never heard of, some of which are probably not even in London.

Then an emergency call to a well known pub in Soho for a waste of time female who had faked epilepsy to get the staff to call us. Just before I left for this call I was asked to help a woman who had fallen down a few steps in a pub. I was about to radio in but this call came through and it was a higher priority, so I had to leave and instruct them to call another ambulance. When I arrived a few minutes later in Soho, the 'epileptic' was wandering around, quite drunk, with her boyfriend. Both looked like drug addicts and she certainly looked familiar to me. She told me she was okay and that she was sorry I had been called out. Then she weaved off into the sunset with her strange boyfriend. The member of staff from the pub was very sheepish and he too apologised. Can't blame him though.

I requested a return to the running call in Leicester Square and was told I could continue, so I made my way back.

The woman had fallen down a few steps at the entrance of the pub and she was extremely drunk and extremely tearful. She wouldn't behave herself for me, so getting information was difficult, although her small group of friends were very helpful...and apologetic. One of them became very tearful herself later on at the difficulty she was having controlling her volatile mate.

After ensuring that she had no injuries, I moved her to my car, with the help of another FRU colleague who had arrived soon after me. She wasn't easy to help - she wouldn't walk and kept falling down. In fact she did a lot of falling down. A lot.

In the car, she calmed down but it took a ton of effort and quite some time before she was ready to see the light and get a taxi home with her group. All her obs. were normal and she refused to go to hospital. It wouldn't have done her any good, they wouldn't have the patience for her to be honest. She did hit her head when she tumbled down the steps and I was careful to advise her friends to call an ambulance if her condition changed. The last time I saw her, she was being propped up on a corner while one of the group waved frantically for a taxi.

Then off to a gentleman with severe DIB as a result of an exacerbation of his asthma. He was in a bit of trouble but I have seen much worse, so I wasn't too concerned when I got to him. The crew arrived at the same time and we all went to check him out. He was sitting on his front step with his wife. He was a pleasant man and he needed help.

His wife made a point of telling us that he had been to hospital and had been treated as if he was wasting their time. She stressed that they both worked and paid their taxes. She was obviously frustrated about the treatment he received. I had to agree; pay your taxes, get your money's worth...without attitude if possible. I also understand the view of the hospital staff. They see a lot of nonsense and sooner or later it becomes routine to assume you are having your time wasted yet again. Nevertheless, its the sponging alcoholics and drug abusers who drain our NHS and that's the real problem.

We took care of him of course. We nebulised him with Salbutamol and Ipatropium but neither had any real effect, so he was taken straight to hospital by the crew. No time to waste really.

I got my break and enjoyed a bit of a rest until a call came in for a ? meningitis. I went with the ambulance to the address and the three of us piled into the lift and made our way to the flat. Inside, a young girl was lying in bed with a temperature of + 38 degrees. Apart from that, she had no other sign or symptom of meningitis. She was taken, with mum, to hospital where she will be monitored for a while, tested and checked then sent right back home to get better naturally.

A long period of nothing followed, so I had a nap at the station. These twelve hour nights, coupled with my 1 (sometimes 2) hour drive to and from work, tend to wear me out. The days don't seem to affect me so much.

My last call was to a male with chest pain. I found him lying in bed with abdominal pain and a recent history of vomiting. He had been prescribed Augmentin for an ear infection and had become ill soon after starting them.That was it.

Augmentin has a nasty habit of making you much sicker than you were before you took them. I had toothache once and was given this antibiotic. I was violently sick for days after starting them. Never again.

I asked about the chest pain and his daughter told me (he didn't speak much English) that he had described pain all over his body. That's a standard phrase when English is not the first language.

"Where's the pain?"

"All over my body...pain all over"

So that equates to chest pain? I don't get it.

Someone in EOC will have an explanation.

All his obs. were fine. He needed to see his GP but, as usual, the LAS were going to taxi him to hospital where a doctor will do nothing except give him another antibiotic. The sort of thing his own GP would do. Its all he needed. That and bed rest...and fluids.

The Marathon seemed to have emptied London because it was quiet for a Sunday night. I guess after having spent all day watching runners the last thing you want to do is stay out drinking til 3am. We should have a marathon every weekend.

Be safe.