The nastiest call

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EMTBRosenbloom

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Last night I experienced the nastiest thing I've seen in my short time as an EMT.
I just did a crew swap and my new medic was telling me about a disgusting call that he had just run with the previous basic, they responded to a difficulty breathing and when they arrived they found an elderly gentleman with a softball-sized tumor on his neck. The gentleman also had a trach and was having difficulty breathing though it. But, before they had a chance to suction it the guy forcefully exhaled and shot a piece of dead tissue around 3 inches long straight at the basic!
Well my new medic and I were laughing at the misfortune of the previous basic when what happens? We get a call back to the same address!
We arrive on scene and the first thing that hits me it the overwhelming stench of infection, I never realized that tumors smelled that bad! Well, we enter the bedroom where the gentleman was and find him on the bed with a towel pressed onto his neck. My medic asks him to remove the towel so we can see what the problem was and as he does a 8" stream of blood shoots from the tumor all over me! Needless to say thats the last time I ever laugh at another persons misfortune on a call!
 
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EMTBRosenbloom said:
Last night I experienced the nastiest thing I've seen in my short time as an EMT.
I just did a crew swap and my new medic was telling me about a disgusting call that he had just run with the previous basic, they responded to a difficulty breathing and when they arrived they found an elderly gentleman with a softball-sized tumor on his neck. The gentleman also had a trach and was having difficulty breathing though it. But, before they had a chance to suction it the guy forcefully exhaled and shot a piece of dead tissue around 3 inches long straight at the basic!
Well my new medic and I were laughing at the misfortune of the previous basic when what happens? We get a call back to the same address!
We arrive on scene and the first thing that hits me it the overwhelming stench of infection, I never realized that tumors smelled that bad! Well, we enter the bedroom where the gentleman was and find him on the bed with a towel pressed onto his neck. My medic asks him to remove the towel so we can see what the problem was and as he does a 8" stream of blood shoots from the tumor all over me! Needless to say thats the last time I ever laugh at another persons misfortune on a call!
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lol wow. now thats what I call KARMA!


:lol:
 
EMTBRosenbloom said:
Last night I experienced the nastiest thing I've seen in my short time as an EMT.
I just did a crew swap and my new medic was telling me about a disgusting call that he had just run with the previous basic, they responded to a difficulty breathing and when they arrived they found an elderly gentleman with a softball-sized tumor on his neck. The gentleman also had a trach and was having difficulty breathing though it. But, before they had a chance to suction it the guy forcefully exhaled and shot a piece of dead tissue around 3 inches long straight at the basic!
Well my new medic and I were laughing at the misfortune of the previous basic when what happens? We get a call back to the same address!
We arrive on scene and the first thing that hits me it the overwhelming stench of infection, I never realized that tumors smelled that bad! Well, we enter the bedroom where the gentleman was and find him on the bed with a towel pressed onto his neck. My medic asks him to remove the towel so we can see what the problem was and as he does a 8" stream of blood shoots from the tumor all over me! Needless to say thats the last time I ever laugh at another persons misfortune on a call!
Click to expand...

lol... you know that you will still laugh at others misfortune just like people will be laughing at yours. I also have to say that makes me think he had an arterial bleed. but it still sux to be you. no matter how funny it is.
 
Nasty is when you bring in a motorcycle accident victim who then projectile vomits from across the room and nails the DR.'s immaculate white lab coat as he enters the room .

CERTGUY
 
A bit of advice to the new kids on the block, keep a small jar of Vicks vapor rub with you and when you have a call that smells bad, just put a little dab under under your nose. It helps some, and just remember that the patient is probably very self conscious and uncomfortable too. " It is hard work being a patient" A quote from my mom the retired registered nurse-_-
 
I can't even imagine how frightened that poor man must have been to have to go through such an experience. I really feel for him.
 
I think I may have been around the block too long. I have been to this thread lurking several times while eating without a second thought.
 
Hi Kelly ,
Although the pt. had it worse physically , it didn't do much for the DR. either . I felt sorry for both of them .

CERTGUY
 
that is kinda funny. gross....but funny. My question is why he wasnt transported the first time.
 
Tumors involving the face and neck areas are particularly disturbing to people new to any medical profession. My hospital usually averages 2 radical neck or attempted radical neck surgeries per week. It is not pretty and the smell of a freshly resected tumor combines the smell of the tumor and old blood. Many times the tumor is not able to be resected because it has already wrapped itself around major vessels and nerves.

The patient you are describing appears to be very advanced and near the end of his disease and life. His last few weeks and days will be even more disturbing as the tumor closes in on his bronchi literally suffocating him. He will gasp and cough uncontrollably and no amount of hospice drugs will be able to provide enough comfort without him losing consciousness totally. Then, the healthcare providers will be walking a fine line of "over medicating", euthanasia and still making the patient comfortable. The smell and the sight of this man will eventually make even the experienced cringe. If he remains in the hospital, hopefully he will have his family around. If not, he may be in a room by himself, struggling for breath, unable to communicate while his healthcare providers may check on him only when required. Not because they do not care, but because they may have exhausted whatever comfort measures they have available and actually feel a guilt that modern medicine can not provide relief to the suffering. He may linger for days in that state. The healthcare providers will be putting in shifts that seem longer than they actually are while providing care for him.

EMS does have its perks in that you will only spend a few minutes with patients like this. Carry your Vicks and count your blessings if you have good health.
 
thanks vent that kinda makes me want to go jump off a cliff.....
 
Vent, I could not agree with you more. I have often said if we all walked around in other people shoes and did their jobs that they do if it was just for a little while, there would be a better working relationship among all of the allied health care fields, including EMS.
 
Here's one for ya;

About 5 years ago I was Catain on the FD. we were dispatched with the Cops to a Apartment in town for a welfare check. Upon arrival we found out that this upstanding pillar of the community ( EMT speak for drug dealer) had not been seen for 3 days.

Entering the residence with the cop we began to search for this poor misguided man:. Entering the upstaris bedroom I could see a pair of legs and a chest. I said I found him. I opened the door and there was his dog sittting at his head. It wouldn't have been so bad but the darn dog had ate his head and neck down to the bone!:unsure:

Needless to say he went to the morgue, and not the ER.
 
revtaco said:
Here's one for ya;

About 5 years ago I was Catain on the FD. we were dispatched with the Cops to a Apartment in town for a welfare check. Upon arrival we found out that this upstanding pillar of the community ( EMT speak for drug dealer) had not been seen for 3 days.

Entering the residence with the cop we began to search for this poor misguided man:. Entering the upstaris bedroom I could see a pair of legs and a chest. I said I found him. I opened the door and there was his dog sittting at his head. It wouldn't have been so bad but the darn dog had ate his head and neck down to the bone!:unsure:

Needless to say he went to the morgue, and not the ER.
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is anyone else feeling sorry for the dog out of the two in this situation?:blush::blush:
 
I'm going to take a guess and say that the dog was a pitbull or some similar "aggressive breed". So no, no sympathy for either.
 
MrConspiracy said:
I'm going to take a guess and say that the dog was a pitbull or some similar "aggressive breed". So no, no sympathy for either.
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For the love of god...I don't want to start an argument, but I have to say something!!! Dogs are NEVER EVER born "aggressive" it is the owners who make dogs aggressive. Pit bulls are really very sweet dogs, who are very loyal to their owners! All you ever hear of are pit bull attacks on the news because they make ratings. There are a lot of other dog attacks Pomeranian, poodle...etc that no one picks up on because it does not make ratings! Pit bulls are big news right now. Thus endith my rant...sorry
 
Believe it or not. It wasn't a Pitbull, or any other "aggressive" dog. IT WAS A JACK RUSELL TERRIER. :o

Now sing it with me. Who let the dogs out! Or if that didn't suit your listening pleasure. How about this old classic The head bones connected to the neck bone!. Like you diidn't see that coming!:lol:
 
Noted. That's why it was in quotes. I'm sure a properly raised pit bull is sweet, loyal, and not prone to biting cops, but drug dealers tend to have different ideas of what they want in a dog. And although poodles, Pomeranians, etc. can still attack people, they're not usually as intimidating as a dog originally bred to make it a good fighter, then trained or maltreated until it becomes aggressive towards humans. Hence the media trope of the "aggressive breed".

And it was a Jack Russell, huh? This is as good a reason as any to invest in one of those dog food dispensers.
 
brassguy said:
F Dogs are NEVER EVER born "aggressive" it is the owners who make dogs aggressive. Pit bulls are really very sweet dogs, who are very loyal to their owners!
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I dunno. I had a 'sweet, loving' pit bull that was in a nice upscale neighborhood simply flip out and attack me when i was 10 years old. The dog got out of the yard and bit 3 kids. I still have the scars on my neck & chin from where its teeth dug into me.

Not trying to start an argument either.. just saying that I was the unlucky recipient of one that did seemingly just flip out. :|

Personally, I just avoid anything larger than a football. At least I can punt a terrier. :-P
 
fm_emt said:
I dunno. I had a 'sweet, loving' pit bull that was in a nice upscale neighborhood simply flip out and attack me when i was 10 years old. The dog got out of the yard and bit 3 kids. I still have the scars on my neck & chin from where its teeth dug into me.

Not trying to start an argument either.. just saying that I was the unlucky recipient of one that did seemingly just flip out. :|

Personally, I just avoid anything larger than a football. At least I can punt a terrier. :-P
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wow, that is horrible! i was bitten, too, but it wasn't by a dog. it was by a freaking MONKEY! he mauled the hell out of my arm. anyway, i'm cautious around all animals that i don't know now--including dogs. i am still an animal lover--i'm just very cautious if i'm around an animal that i don't know at all. i don't care whether it's a pit, jack russel, or a mouse! i still feel sorry for this little jack russel in the above story, though!
 
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