Panic Attacks, being an EMT

[denverfiremedic]

Im not calling the guy who asked the question an idiot just so thats clear. Working on the ambulance I think he would be fine, Fire .. No! I've had good friends that I've worked with have to leave their careers due to mental and physical conditions, you dont think going into a burning building will give you an attach??? yes it will due to the fact every person who has ever done had one.. Further thats really not even the bad part, any decent fire department will have you almost crying "in most cases crying" when you go through RIT , confined space, collapse and search and rescue. Its hard enough with out already having a health condition, thats all Im saying

 

[mycrofft]

denver, here's a Xanax.

Easy to pass judgement and flame on people behind a keyboard (as in, I quote, "idiot"). The anonymous Internet makes it so. Just do the Otis Redding thing and "try a little tenderness".
Back on thread, sort of, I hate it when (oops flaming sorry) psychologists and psychiatrists make a "diagnosis" of "panic attacks". That's like a dx of "chest pain". Chest pain is helped by morphine, the heart attack underlying it does not.

 

[vquintessence]

Im not calling the guy who asked the question an idiot just so thats clear. Working on the ambulance I think he would be fine, Fire .. No! I've had good friends that I've worked with have to leave their careers due to mental and physical conditions, you dont think going into a burning building will give you an attach??? yes it will due to the fact every person who has ever done had one.. Further thats really not even the bad part, any decent fire department will have you almost crying "in most cases crying" when you go through RIT , confined space, collapse and search and rescue. Its hard enough with out already having a health condition, thats all Im saying

Jesus, and I thought Atropine's repeated jabs at private service were irritating... At least he's easy to dismiss.

Anyways, by your logic, it's perfectly kosher to deal with situations where you may be responsible for sick and hurt individuals... but it's totally out of the question to be on a fire or rescue scene?

I understand where you're coming from regarding the situations you've described... however... don't pretend that the life of you and your comrades is any more valuable than the life of any other person who "just needs an ambulance".

**quoted post removed**

I'm still chuckling.

 

[medichopeful]

**removed quoted post**

You're right. He's probably not a firefighter. Instead, unlike you, he actually CARES about working on an ambulance or in the medical field. And, unlike you, he is mature enough to NOT start calling you names. Now, I have no problem with firefighters, but just because you are one does NOT mean that you have the right to start insulting people on this site.

 

[RESQ_5_1]

It appears to me, by reading the thread, that there are at least a few people with some type of anxiety problem functioning well in EMS. I am the complete opposite. I don't get any kind of adrenaline rush when the tones drop. I simply answer the call and do my job.

To the OP, it seems like there are some who have overcome some type of minor disability to continue to perform in EMS. I would go with the advice of those that have the experience in what you are going thru. The rest I would take with a grain of salt. However, if you don't start to see improvement, I would consider another career field.

In the meantime, good luck on your endeavours and I hope everything works out. If I had known how much I would love EMS, I would have started 18 years sooner.

 

[wolfwyndd]

You know. I'm actually going to have to agree with John E and Firetender. If you can't control your panic attacks without heavy medications, I'm not really sure I'd want you treating ME as a patient, I'm not sure I'd want you as my PARTNER in the back of an ambulance on a stressful call, and I'm not sure I'd want you as my PARTNER going into a burning building to either pull out a victim / patient or for fire suppression. With just about any of those situations, it's quite possible that I could very soon be either doing the job all by myself, OR at the worst, be taking care of TWO patients.

While there is some truth in what you are saying you should remember that there is no one type of person that "is for this field". I love working with a diverse group of people, and I really am able to draw on a strength when it comes to calming patients down and talking to people because of what I have been through as a heart patient and an anxiety patient. I know how scary it is to face a potentially serious and/or fatal disease.

I respectfully disagree. I also love working with a diverse group of people, HOWEVER, all of the diverse people I work with are (relatively) healthy. Does these mean we should open the field to those who have MS and are confined to a wheelchair? I realize that's an extreme example, but this is the point I'm trying to make. At what point do we, as a profession, draw the line and say, 'NO. You can't work in this field.'

 

[eveningsky339]

**quoted post removed**

First off, you have no idea what you are talking about. Secondly, a professional EMS provider doesn't need a fire-monkey to know what to do in a situation. There are some great FF/EMT's out there, but you aren't one of them. And, thirdly, your department has been forced into EMS in order to run more calls and be "worth the money." You are hardly in a position to even be on an EMS forum.

 

[Sasha]

Would you want to be partners with someone who relies on prescription drugs to control their emotional state?

If it is adequately controlled... why not? Do you ask every partner if they're on medications for depression, or ADD, or bipolar disorder before you work with them? What's the difference between that and panic attacks? Or how about someone like Kaisu, who takes meds to control her pain level?

If it's adequately controlled, then no, I don't think it should hold you back. However from what you are describing in your OP it is NOT controlled and you should not be in EMS until it is.

 

[JPINFV]

Its not posible to have panic attacks and be a fire fighter!!! Period

Yes... because everyone in medicine wants to be a fire fighter, right? Don't worry though, the fire department has no problem with having their members drunk or on crack while on duty. So if you do illegal drugs, stay with the fire department.

 

[JPINFV]

Would you want to be partners with someone who relies on prescription drugs to control their emotional state?

If the provider is under the treatment of a psychiatrist with a diagnosed and properly treated and controlled illness, why not? Should anyone with diabetes not be allowed to work? Heart conditions? Thyroid conditions? Need I go on?

 

[Seaglass]

I think it's silly to say someone can't be a reliable partner just because they depend on something external. I run with a couple diabetics. Lots of my partners are nearsighted. Oh no, what if they forgot their snacks or glasses? With that kind of attitude, we'd be out of EMT's pretty quick. If a problem is under control, then it's not a problem for me.

That being said, it sounds like you're thinking yourself into attacks. If you haven't already, see if you can find a good cognitive-behavioral therapist who can teach you to stop the thought processes that lead to attacks. The idea of riding as a third person to gradually get used to it isn't bad, either. The goal of good therapy is to try to get you to a point where you don't need therapy anymore. If your current doc is prescribing Xanax as an indefinite management plan, rather than a stopgap to give other techniques time to work, I'd recommend shopping around.

 

[bunkie]

Speaking with a professional to find your trigger would probably help you tremendously. I think it might be the "pressure and/or responsibility" that triggers it for you. When you are on your own you just immediately go into the zone, you only have to answer for you. Not your crew or your associations of where you work. But when you are on duty all those extra stresses come with it. Just my best guess, but hang in there, find your trigger and unplug it. You can do it.

 

[bunkie]

While there is some truth in what you are saying you should remember that there is no one type of person that "is for this field". I love working with a diverse group of people, and I really am able to draw on a strength when it comes to calming patients down and talking to people because of what I have been through as a heart patient and an anxiety patient. I know how scary it is to face a potentially serious and/or fatal disease.

And that's who I want treating me/my family. Someone who's been on both ends of it and knows exactly what it feels like. I'm glad you have that for your patients.

 

[atropine]

First off, you have no idea what you are talking about. Secondly, a professional EMS provider doesn't need a fire-monkey to know what to do in a situation. There are some great FF/EMT's out there, but you aren't one of them. And, thirdly, your department has been forced into EMS in order to run more calls and be "worth the money." You are hardly in a position to even be on an EMS forum.

First off how do you know he has no idea what he is talking about?, second ems is NOT a profession, I mean a private company would probably hire this guy. My department handles ems well, and yes this guy would not get hired with a fire based ems juritiction, because of his condition, but not to worry any for profit private company would take this guy in a heart beat.

 

[mycrofft]

I'm at work gotta post fast.

1. If the applicant can perform the duties as specified in the job description, he/she has to be considered. Find "no psych cases" etc. However, that's what probation is for, sort it out before they get permanent hire.
2. Ahem, being an ex lifeguard/firefighter-rescueman/EMT-A ("Basic" to you)/USAF MedTech and now RN (soon to be RN Emeritus), I resemble those remarks.<_<

I'm so conflicted.

OP, thanks for asking a personal question. Hang tough, see your docs.

 

[Aidey]

Im not calling the guy who asked the question an idiot just so thats clear. Working on the ambulance I think he would be fine, Fire .. No! I've had good friends that I've worked with have to leave their careers due to mental and physical conditions, you dont think going into a burning building will give you an attach??? yes it will due to the fact every person who has ever done had one.. Further thats really not even the bad part, any decent fire department will have you almost crying "in most cases crying" when you go through RIT , confined space, collapse and search and rescue. Its hard enough with out already having a health condition, thats all Im saying

Ok, I'm going to explain this as simply as I possibly can. Some people have panic attacks that are ONLY triggered by a specific thing. Just because that have a panic attack when facing that thing does not mean they will have one in a burning building, or on a fire scene, or during training.

If it is adequately controlled... why not? Do you ask every partner if they're on medications for depression, or ADD, or bipolar disorder before you work with them? What's the difference between that and panic attacks? Or how about someone like Kaisu, who takes meds to control her pain level?

Exactly, before passing judgment on people you may want to stop and think who you may be offending that you work with. A number of the people I work with (or have worked with) see a counselor, or take an anti-depressant, or ADD meds, or are in AA etc. That is just what I know of, I'm sure there are even more people I work/worked with that I didn't know were doing those things. Remember, you never know what a person has been through, or is going through just by looking at them.

 

[daedalus]

Some people here have a poor understanding of panic disorder. Let me copy Aidey's post because it is worth repeating.

Ok, I'm going to explain this as simply as I possibly can. Some people have panic attacks that are ONLY triggered by a specific thing. Just because that have a panic attack when facing that thing does not mean they will have one in a burning building, or on a fire scene, or during training.

Aidey is spot on. Tones, burning buildings or mountains (I live in SoCal), driving code 3, working a code blue, etc are all things I can handle with relative calm. They do not trigger panic attacks. I do my job well, and I plan on doing it better in the future (we are always learning). As well, the things that do trigger episodes are things I have worked on with therapy, and also use other methods for long term control.

Atropine, I consider what I do and will do as a paramedic as a profession. Say what you want, but I have more responsibility and a larger scope just as an intern than you do as a paramedic in LA.

 

[Chimpie]

Keep the conversation civil and on topic, or the thread will be closed and infractions issued.

 

[atropine]

Some people here have a poor understanding of panic disorder. Let me copy Aidey's post because it is worth repeating.

Aidey is spot on. Tones, burning buildings or mountains (I live in SoCal), driving code 3, working a code blue, etc are all things I can handle with relative calm. They do not trigger panic attacks. I do my job well, and I plan on doing it better in the future (we are always learning). As well, the things that do trigger episodes are things I have worked on with therapy, and also use other methods for long term control.

Atropine, I consider what I do and will do as a paramedic as a profession. Say what you want, but I have more responsibility and a larger scope just as an intern than you do as a paramedic in LA.

Yeah , but will you make 140k a year in your internship, or private gig.

 

[firetender]

Here's something else I'll throw into the mix since I did read the comment about actors heaving before going on stage.

That example is specific time and place oriented. The actor, presumably, knows him/herself and there are limits to what happens.

So I'll add this: If you really understand the parameters of your attacks -- triggers, typical duration, physical manifestation (shaking, sweating, etc.), and recovery period then, maybe it would be workable.

The point is, if you really KNOW what happens to you why and when, then that's something that can be worked around.
IF, however, their elements are unpredictable, then, no, I don't think it's good for you or your partner or your patient.

Once again, on the meds, once you've found the med or combo that really does control your responses, and are used to using it, THEN think about ambulance.

And don't discount emergency work in an ER. Figure out what you really love and go for it regardless, but be open that it might not be the form you thought you wanted -- it could work out much better!