I'm OK

[CaptainPanic]

So its been 9 months and counting, and I've moved on from EMS. I made alot of good friends, enjoyed the ride, but in the end, there is no possible way I can make a career out of it, although there are times I still wish to.

Why? Because it is just not physically possible. I have found out that I have a rare disorder called Usher's Syndrome. I was born hearing impaired but never believed it would hinder me until I got on the ambulance and realized there is no way I can pick up BPs, and as for on-scene communication forget it, if your on the wrong side of me there is just no hearing you. What will eventually happen is I will be deafblind by the time I'm in my mid 30s to mid 40s. I'm only 23 now so Ive still got some time yet to enjoy the things that I want to. I am already night blind thus I can no longer drive at night, and I am getting tunnel vision a bit during the day. They say it is a slow process and for others it is more rapid. As of today there is no cure for it.

All I know is God's got a plan, and there's not much I can do except roll with it. I have kept you guys in my thoughts and prayers and I hope everyone here is doing well.

-CP

 

[Tincanfireman]

I have kept you guys in my thoughts and prayers

And we will keep you in ours; enjoy what you can and I'll say a prayer that the progression of your disease is slooooow. Blessings....

 

[EMTBandit]

And we will keep you in ours; enjoy what you can and I'll say a prayer that the progression of your disease is slooooow. Blessings....

Same here. Wish I was here longer to have gotten to know you better as an EMT and such. But god bless my friend.

 

[DT4EMS]

Hey Girl!!

It's nice to see you posting. I have wondered how you were getting along. How's your daughter?
How about the dog training?

 

[Epi-do]

Wish I had been around sooner so I could get to know you better. Ihope things progress slowly for you so you have as much time as possible to enjoy everything you want to do.

 

[jmaccauley]

Remember the saying, "Those who can...do. Those who can't...teach?" Well, you started down a road with your medical training and now find that you have limited physical abilities. Perhaps to the point of not being able to ride a rig with your crew, but there are many new people coming up in the field who need trainers, mentors and advisors. Find a way to transfer some of your passion to the newbies. You'll be greatful and so will they.

 

[CaptainPanic]

Kip,
So far I am doing OK, but wish I could be doing better if you know what I mean. Maddie is now 3 years old and will be entering preschool in the fall. She turns 4 in September. The dog training is flopping and flailing at best, its there but its not doing anything productive. Due to my financial instability I had to rehome Narcan. I miss that bugger every day and I wish I could have him here snoozing at my feet. but he's where he will be taken care of and his training will be continued.

Mac,
I really wish I could teach/mentor/advise, but with very little experience myself, I doubt anything I have to say will be beneficial to the new EMT. Not only that I had to let my certs lapse. That was the hardest thing to do, but it had to be done since I could not financially manage the CEUs and physical training to some extent.

Maybe I could helpe an EMT-student go over their PAs and whatnot, but as far as teaching or mentoring in an official basis, I dont think I qualify.

I do however would like to find a way to join a research study on US (Usher's) and hopefully someday find the exact cause of it and possible cures or slowing of the process for some people.

As of right now I am learning ASL (American Sign Language) so that I will still have a form of communication, and I will likely find myself needing an interpreter sometime in the future for large events such as classrooms or lectures where I may not always be able read the person's lips. As my vision deteriorates I will find lip reading difficult to do and sign will be much easier. For those that dont know sign, I will have to carry a pen and paper with me to write back and forth (using mostly yes/no questions).

Coming to think of it, maybe I can find a way to combine what I know about EMS with what I am learning about the Deaf, and somehow collaborate with an instructor on working with patients who are Deaf. It is one thing to work on a patient who is HOH and may wear a hearing aid, but it is different for someone who is profoundly Deaf and a hearing aid is of no benefit for them and they may not be able to read lips. (some Deaf do and some don't) Maybe teaching some basic signs to get certain things across especially in a truama situation where you may not have time to mess with pen and paper. This would be beneficial for Medics who work an an area with a large Deaf Community (such as around Gallaudet University and Rochester Institute of Technology and in towns where they have state schools for the Deaf). In more rural areas you run into the deaf who are more likely to have grown up orally (speaking Deaf) and those who are mainstreamed and have Cochlear Implants. Something to toss around a bit, but it will take a long time to get the ball rolling.
​

 

[jmaccauley]

Actually, it looks like you just got the ball rolling. Now follow up on that, use the internet, contact people who can help. Volunteer when you can. It takes 16 hours to certify as a CPR/first aid instructor, so you should easily be able to at least get that certification back. I don't know you personally, but as Kip can tell you, "can't" is hard for me to accept. My first martial arts instructor was deaf, but man could he pack a punch!

 

[firetender]

...and why not do something like getting your hands into teaching CPR, or BLS to the deaf? As JM recognizes, you've got the ball rolling, and that's a reasonable, doable thing that will act as a gateway.

Beyond all that, no matter how you cut it, you have a lot of moments left. The place to be is the moment that is, where you'll find yourself exactly as you are. The name of that game is continue to work with what you have rather than live in anticipation of what you won't. I'm not saying don't prepare. I am suggesting a direction to your focus that seeks openings rather than anticipates closings.

 

[Tincanfireman]

The place to be is the moment that is, where you'll find yourself exactly as you are.

Damn, I like that line. Profound and succinct, all rolled into one sentence...

 

[MMiz]

Sorry to hear about your setbacks, but I'm somehow excited at the opportunities this presents you. I think that some basic ASL would be great for medics, so maybe you could make that your passion. Find a local EMT program that supports your endeavor and go from there!

You'll surely face quite a few obstacles in the upcoming years, but I hope you truly make the best of them. Realize that you have the knowledge and experience that few people possess, and try to share what you know.

Take care, and don't be a stranger!

P.S. What brought you back? There have been several times I've thought about PMing or emailing you but didn't want to be too intrusive. You used to be a regular here, and we miss you, really!

 

[CaptainPanic]

Of all things I actually checked my "junk box" on hotmail and I had a email from EMTLife.com. (Even though I have my hotmail account as my primary email account on this site - sometimes emails still end up in the junk box of the filters thinks it is spam.)

I would have actually liked getting an email or PM from you, it wouldve let me know you havent forgotten about me, lol.

After I let my certs lapse I quit visting EMS sites altogether thinking whatever input I might have wouldn't be taken seriously.

At least now that I have a couple of folks here that believe that this is doable, I will make that my Decade Project, hoping that in 10 years I will have succeeded in that arena and be in a position to pass it on to someone else who shares the same beliefs about the project as I do when I am no longer able to serve in a leadership capacity.

Right now though, my focus is finding work that will allow me to put some money into Social Security so that when I am forced out of the workforce due to a handicap (blindness), I will get part of it back hoping I can make a decent living with it.

As for the local EMS I may ask the medics here locally what they think about it, and then I will try to contact some people at MEMS in Little Rock where they have the Arkansas School for the Deaf and see what they think about the project. At first people may scoff at me but you've got to start somewhere. People scoffed at me when I said I was going to be an EMT and when I got that certificate in the mail they quickly shut up. lol. Damn stubborness I tell ya!

Anyway I guess I can come back here, and knowing Kip has dealt with a similar situation with his DT4EMS program, he can probably offer advise as to how to get the ball rolling in the right direction and how to get support with out bugging the piss out of people and turning certain groups off.

Once I get this starting point organized, do you think it would be wise to hit up the AEMTA (AR EMT Assoc.) ??

 

[Jon]

Cap't... it is good to have you back... I just wish it wasn't like this.

This stinks.

I agre with Jerry.. teaching (either EMS in general, or medical professionals about the disease) might be GREAT.

If you need ANY help, let me know... I'll do what I can.

Jon

 

[Mercy4Angels]

god i cant even imagine being in that situation. my thoughts are with you and prayers are for you !:sad:

So its been 9 months and counting, and I've moved on from EMS. I made alot of good friends, enjoyed the ride, but in the end, there is no possible way I can make a career out of it, although there are times I still wish to.

Why? Because it is just not physically possible. I have found out that I have a rare disorder called Usher's Syndrome. I was born hearing impaired but never believed it would hinder me until I got on the ambulance and realized there is no way I can pick up BPs, and as for on-scene communication forget it, if your on the wrong side of me there is just no hearing you. What will eventually happen is I will be deafblind by the time I'm in my mid 30s to mid 40s. I'm only 23 now so Ive still got some time yet to enjoy the things that I want to. I am already night blind thus I can no longer drive at night, and I am getting tunnel vision a bit during the day. They say it is a slow process and for others it is more rapid. As of today there is no cure for it.

All I know is God's got a plan, and there's not much I can do except roll with it. I have kept you guys in my thoughts and prayers and I hope everyone here is doing well.

-CP