Why do they always call at 2 a.m.?

[Epi-do]

We've all had patients like this.....they call 911, complaining about chest pain or think they are having a stroke or countless other complaints. We show up and there isn't a darn thing wrong with them.

Last night we were dispatched to a stroke at 2 a.m. We show up and it is a 19yoF laying on the couch and doing the worst acting I have ever seen. She tells us her entire left side is tingling and numb and she can't move it or feel anything at all, while putting the back of her left hand on her forehead and doing the "I feel so sick" bit, moaning the entire time. Her entire family is standing around her carrying on like they just know she is going to die.

All of her vital signs are completely normal, no slurred speech, no deficets to the left side at all. She gets up by herself and walks completely unassisted to the cot because she insists on going to the hospital. There is absolutely nothing physically wrong with this girl!

I really wish that something could be done about people like this that abuse the system. While we were dealing with her, a run came out less than a block from our firehouse. It was a serious MVA with entrapment. One of the people involved was pretty messed up. They really needed our help, and instead of us getting there in no time flat, they had to wait for the next closest and available units to get there.

I really do love this job, but sometimes I really wish I could tell people they are full of crap and if they want to get attention from their family, there are other ways of doing it besides wasting my time and pulling me out of service when someone else really does have an emergency and needs our help.

Just needed to get that off my chest. I know it won't stop people like that from calling, but I really just needed to spout off about it a little bit.

 

[jeepmedic]

Some places in North Carolina have a Right to refuse transport. Now thats Cool

 

[premedtim]

We've all had patients like this.....they call 911, complaining about chest pain or think they are having a stroke or countless other complaints. We show up and there isn't a darn thing wrong with them.

Last night we were dispatched to a stroke at 2 a.m. We show up and it is a 19yoF laying on the couch and doing the worst acting I have ever seen. She tells us her entire left side is tingling and numb and she can't move it or feel anything at all, while putting the back of her left hand on her forehead and doing the "I feel so sick" bit, moaning the entire time. Her entire family is standing around her carrying on like they just know she is going to die.

All of her vital signs are completely normal, no slurred speech, no deficets to the left side at all. She gets up by herself and walks completely unassisted to the cot because she insists on going to the hospital. There is absolutely nothing physically wrong with this girl!

I really wish that something could be done about people like this that abuse the system. While we were dealing with her, a run came out less than a block from our firehouse. It was a serious MVA with entrapment. One of the people involved was pretty messed up. They really needed our help, and instead of us getting there in no time flat, they had to wait for the next closest and available units to get there.

I really do love this job, but sometimes I really wish I could tell people they are full of crap and if they want to get attention from their family, there are other ways of doing it besides wasting my time and pulling me out of service when someone else really does have an emergency and needs our help.

Just needed to get that off my chest. I know it won't stop people like that from calling, but I really just needed to spout off about it a little bit.

You know I have this nagging question which I need to get out so here goes. Doesn't everybody know that the usual ambulance ride to the hospital costs $800, give or take a few hundred? That's some expensive attention to receive. And btw I do agree that's complete bull:censored::censored::censored::censored:. Too bad law enforcement can't get involved in obvious cases of abuse of the system. I bet people would stop doing that :censored::censored::censored::censored: if it was illegal and the law was enforced.

 

[Epi-do]

With some of them, I think it is more a case of they just don't care. They have made "playing the system" a lifestyle and just won't pay the bill when they get it. In the end, the taxpayers are the one that pays for those transports.

I do think there are some people out there that truly don't know what an ambulance ride costs. Before I started doing this job, I didn't know. I had never had a need to call so the whole "how much does it cost" never crossed my mind.

I am thinking this girl fell into the "just don't care" catagory since she told us it wasn't the first time she had taken an ambulance to the hospital.

 

[Jon]

Gotta Love Medicaid!

 

[macinfire]

We were running on a lady every shift, overmedicated, fell out of her chair....laying in the yard, etc.. I now know how APS works. Filled out the online form (Texas), got a call back a week later and they told me she was placed in a nursing home (no doubt where she needed to be). So I guess things can be done for some of those late night calls for BS. But there are many more out there! Keep on keepin on.

What I realized was the hotline # to APS is not an instant response kind of #. I asked what if it was very urgent and the pt. could not be left alone... They said PD will take care of it if it is very urgent??? Anyway....

 

[Airwaygoddess]

I know how you feel, it's people like that, that put a big strain on the system and our nerves!! Thank God for vacations!

 

[ffemt8978]

For patients like that, we have a form that we make them sign. Basically it says we think the transport is medically unnecessary, but if they insist we will take them to the hospital. It also says if they insist we transport them, their insurance/Medicade will NOT pay for the transport and they will be liable for the entire bill, which we will send to collections if necessary.

 

[Celtictigeress]

I feel you there..... I earned the nickname Miss Congeniality... why??

So we get a call MVA (the chick rearended someone) No damage to the cars...but the Sheriffs Dept had shown up to take a report... so I Unload the stretcher get the bag...everything... she says "I dont need it..." fine...good save me effort I reload after my partner is sure shes "okay" and gives the go for it...this being said when she realizes shes getting a ticket...she starts with the my neck my back (Damn it was almost at the point of her signing a ride refusal)she demands she go to the hospital that shes feeling numbness blah blah blah...round 2 with said stretched....so....this being a "Potential trauma" I get spine board....collar......the works....(Im a B**ch at times) wheel it over.....measure her collar her board her vitals (which were normal aside from elevated pulse...we had been there for like 30 min) anywho.... I was nice enough to tell the S.D where we were transporting her and that they should follow if they like so that they could issue the ticket she was trying to avoid (Arent I Kind???) well I start checking resp sounds once loaded...and I hear wheezing, I listen again...wheezing... "Ma'am can you open your mouth and breathe deep I cant quite hear" and low in behold what dont I hear...wheezing.... oh did I forget to mention Pulse ox was 98 and she was complaining og SOB???let me add that.... Now our dept is getting nailed with calls left and right major calls (we wound up to a call later after dropping her off that involved a 3yo....she didnt make it..another story that ticks me off) so i reach over and I grab intub equipment.....Parner asks what Im doing and I state "well shes in respiratory distressI think her airway is closing I need to secure it through the means of endotraech intubation" Suffice it to say...she straightened up her breathing....miraculously she felt "Better" she cried.....in the hospital when asked Partner told the story..of course Im directing S.D to sai area (again looking out for fellow man)after that I was called Miss congeniality..but funny thing, no more stupid calls at 3am due to cries for ttention....or ticket avoidance

 

[YYCmedic]

Some places in North Carolina have a Right to refuse transport. Now thats Cool

Damn! I wish we had that here sometimes!!

 

[jeepmedic]

Yea but it can get you into trouble at times though. You have to be careful how you use it.

 

[Celtictigeress]

Damn! I wish we had that here sometimes!!

Here here....between the "Ow my back" or the ones with headaches that want to see a doc but not wait with n appointment....Not to mention the one guy we had here that called for a splinter in his foot.....

 

[emt4life]

I HATE when they call at 2am as well, especially when you ask them how long it has been going on and they say "oh since around 8am this morning" :wacko: I mean come on, if it has been going on since then, get your butt in the car and drive yourself or have someone drive you!!!!

Another is when they have a sniffle or sneeze or a small cut and want to go by ambulance, again get in the car and go yourself. Where i work, if they got in the car and left they could be 1/2 the way there by the time we get paged and get out there.

I do believe that they do not know what it costs until they get the bill, the other thing people are really shocked to find out is just how much we actually see as far as pay goes from that bill.

 

[Airwaygoddess]

To quote my old paramedic supervisor, " Because of the stupidity of others, we stay gainfully employed!":wacko: I love vacations!

 

[Tincanfireman]

Let's not forget about us private service folks who get to take them home after their 10 hour stay in the ER when they are hungry, (I was there 10 hours and that nurse :censored::censored::censored::censored::censored: didn't even feed me), tired (All them sick people were making so much noise I couldn't even sleep), and dissatisfied (All they did was pull that splinter out of my thumb, I could have done that myself); not to mention our routine drug seekers (can I have a shot of morphine? It hurts so bad I won't be able to sleep). Why won't they take a cab? Because they've stiffed the cab companies so many times they won't even send a car! This is definitely not referring to our regular nursing home patients, who always seem to be genuinely appreciative of us having to get up at 3 am to get them back into their own beds. Y'all bring 'em, but we take them home .

 

[Epi-do]

Well, I am back on shift today, and guess what? The "patient" in my original post called for an ambulance on each of the two other shifts. Once as a sick person and once for an allergic reaction. When the crews arrived, she told them the same things she told us...that she was having numbness and tingling. Apperently yesterday she also said she was having thoughts of hurting herself, so hopefully she is being treated to a nice stay at the psych pavilion and her hospital of choice. I guess the next 22 hours will tell....

 

[jeepmedic]

Hey you all are forgetting the dispatch that says "its the house with 8 cars in the driveway" That the pt. meets you outside with the suit case.

 

[jeepmedic]

Oh yea, and they all follow you to the ED in the 8 cars.

 

[Celtictigeress]

Okay is this before or after they look at you with "were in the middle of dinner can you give us a moment?" or the fact when you call the hospital to give them a heads up they automatically go "Oh so and so again well have their usual room ready" ???

 

[jeepmedic]

Had a little old lady tell me once that she wanted to wait untill the end of the Daytona 500 to go to the hospital. (only 2 laps left so we watched and waited)