tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498194182629204271.post7063770571211901861..comments2023-09-26T12:58:21.651+00:00Comments on The Paramedic's Diary: Dawn of the hand-scrub alcoholicsXfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08189044083128101123noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498194182629204271.post-84966530946959848542008-06-22T19:28:00.000+00:002008-06-22T19:28:00.000+00:00Dave G'day mate...thanks!Dave <BR/><BR/>G'day mate...thanks!Xfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08189044083128101123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498194182629204271.post-43401887248588438342008-06-22T19:27:00.000+00:002008-06-22T19:27:00.000+00:00anonymousSorry I have been so long answering your ...anonymous<BR/><BR/>Sorry I have been so long answering your questions but they are actually best sent by email...you can probably see that I have little time to reply to all the comments and have yet to catch up. <BR/><BR/>Nevertheless, you are of course right, she didn't want to go to hospital, thus the letter but we didn't see that letter until we had gone through our procedure for ALL epileptic fits; oxygen, BM check, diazepam IV if still in seizure after a prolonged duration (7 minutes counts as prolonged).<BR/><BR/>This is standard procedure at my level...people have died for the lack of Diazepam, so the risk is there. I could be struck off for not giving it.<BR/><BR/>First aiders (unless trained) need only let the patient 'get on with it' if they absolutely know that the fit is limited to a certain duration and feel safe to allow it to continue but unfortunately, especially in London, nobody wants that responsibility, so they dial 999.<BR/><BR/>Her colleagues chose to ignore what her letter said and that's something I have no control over.Xfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08189044083128101123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498194182629204271.post-78106443953775681452008-06-22T19:10:00.000+00:002008-06-22T19:10:00.000+00:00Okay so some people died – I had never heard of th...Okay so some people died – I had never heard of this happening in the past. They may have died by people not knowing what to do or doing the wrong thing. So what has this to do with "taxi service" and "warm bed for the night”? The woman went as far as giving work colleagues a letter to say that on no account was an ambulance to be called. She clearly did not want a "taxi service" or a "warm bed for the night". Not only that but she was obviously having the kind of fit that did not require treatment so the Diazepam and oxygen were therefore unnecessary.<BR/><BR/>This advice had come from health visitors who regularly visited our school at the time, as well as an actual occurrence. Perhaps it was this kind of common fit that bystanders were given advice about. Anyway Stuart's blog is recent and that is how “patients” treat the service now. I am talking about days when people were more inclined to help each other without threat of being sued! <BR/><BR/>The woman clearly did not want an ambulance – full stop. A person should have the right not to have to be molested by ambulancemen.<BR/><BR/>And my three questions have still not been answered – preferably by Stuart who would know what actually took place; so I am asking him again –<BR/><BR/>1. Why did you need to give the 30 year old woman diazepam and oxygen if she was simply having a fit? <BR/><BR/>2. Was it an injection/IV? <BR/><BR/>3. Was this letter written by her own hand or was it by her doctor?<BR/><BR/>Years ago the advice given was that if someone was having an epileptic fit, you should put them in the recovery position with nothing in their mouth and leave them to ride out the fit so why is it that an ambulance seems to be called now?<BR/><BR/>Thank you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498194182629204271.post-91790131043093746052008-06-17T19:36:00.000+00:002008-06-17T19:36:00.000+00:00Yes, and people died! If you read Stuart's blog ca...Yes, and people died! If you read Stuart's blog carefully, you'll see that "ambulance" now means taxi service, or a warm bed for the night!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498194182629204271.post-77110926332818387822008-06-13T19:15:00.000+00:002008-06-13T19:15:00.000+00:001. Why did you need to give the 30 year old woman...1. Why did you need to give the 30 year old woman diazepam and oxygen if she was simply having a fit? <BR/><BR/>2. Was it an injection/IV? <BR/><BR/>3. Was this letter written by her own hand or was it by her doctor?<BR/><BR/>Years ago the advice given was that if someone was having an epileptic fit, you should put them in the recovery position with nothing in their mouth and leave them to ride out the fit. Why is it as in your blog that an ambulance seems to be called now?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498194182629204271.post-12117267307210765822008-06-09T13:36:00.000+00:002008-06-09T13:36:00.000+00:00they make it in little personal bottles, with the ...they make it in little personal bottles, with the extendable clips for staff - that should reduce the problem in areas like that.Hughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01938454354858784095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498194182629204271.post-22583159494734925662008-06-09T04:00:00.000+00:002008-06-09T04:00:00.000+00:00IIRc the new Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh had an a...IIRc the new Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh had an alcoholic patient die after he drank the alcohol gel from the end of his bed. Now the GI ward has all its gel dispenser at teh nurses station.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06329448556395742786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498194182629204271.post-48400590353236962042008-06-07T07:01:00.000+00:002008-06-07T07:01:00.000+00:00Great read xf.Of the 1/2 dozen blogs I check out e...Great read xf.<BR/>Of the 1/2 dozen blogs I check out each week, your's is by far my favourite.<BR/><BR/>Sounds just like what I do (but I'm in the truck as we don't have FRU's here), but it sounds like you have a much greater problem with alcohol than we do in Tassie (not you personally).<BR/><BR/>G'day from an Aussie Paramedic.<BR/><BR/>Regards<BR/>DaveAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498194182629204271.post-36921020183129904972008-06-06T21:24:00.000+00:002008-06-06T21:24:00.000+00:00glad to have you back xf! hope you had a nice (wel...glad to have you back xf! hope you had a nice (well-deserved) rest and enjoy the weekend!<BR/>emma xmiss emmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11542201028341284303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498194182629204271.post-37064849875474331592008-06-06T19:49:00.000+00:002008-06-06T19:49:00.000+00:00Well if they ever start drinking it because of the...Well if they ever start drinking it because of the smell - watch out for hospitals with the Braun stuff (green bottle) - its smells lovely.Hughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01938454354858784095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498194182629204271.post-29379384295438650512008-06-06T19:07:00.000+00:002008-06-06T19:07:00.000+00:00The problem with devoted dipsomaniacs is that they...The problem with devoted dipsomaniacs is that they can "drink through" the Bitrex.<BR/><BR/>George Best was drinking even though he'd been fitted with Antabuse pellets which when combined with alcohol makes the drinker feel very sick. That didn't stop him either.<BR/><BR/>Someone like that really can't be helped.Button Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08567543552986999914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498194182629204271.post-5268151266267594812008-06-06T15:32:00.000+00:002008-06-06T15:32:00.000+00:00I have to agree entirely with your comment about t...I have to agree entirely with your comment about these people that we, as tax payers, support. <BR/>I have always maintained that any foreigner should be deported back to thier country of origin if they commit a crime. Perhaps that would lessen the demand on our already over burdened ambulance staff, police, hospitals, jails, welfare benefits.......<BR/>I am not racist, I just hate injustice.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498194182629204271.post-82508027944422049152008-06-06T15:21:00.000+00:002008-06-06T15:21:00.000+00:00hughYes, I belive this was tackled before but I do...hugh<BR/><BR/>Yes, I belive this was tackled before but I don't think anyone told these guys and it's still a problem because they are finding other liquids in hospitals to do the job.Xfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08189044083128101123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498194182629204271.post-40790527600768583672008-06-06T13:51:00.000+00:002008-06-06T13:51:00.000+00:00I thought that they put bitrex in alcogel, to stop...I thought that they put bitrex in alcogel, to stop people doing that?Hughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01938454354858784095noreply@blogger.com