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MIZZEMT

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When you get to a scene of a mv rollover and it is you own son ,it happened to me. mY 19 y/o rolled his truck with three other kids in it and it was my squad that got the call I had no idea until we got there and I saw my son laying on the ground with a major head injury and his hand was messed up.What would you do I surprised myself I stayed calm and treated him like all the other patients I ve had I know we r not suppose to treat family but I did it anyway.I have pictures on my myspace to see them I am under
Tracey Kidwell Butler
 
Wow. I'm so sorry to read that something like that happened to you. It's why I never want to work in my hometown: I'm scared that I'll roll up on a scene and it'll be a close friend or family member.

If it were me I would seek counseling. Find out if your agency offers such services or can at least refer you to someone. Bottom line, you need to talk with someone who knows what they're doing and who can help you. I saught counseling for some issues I had a couple of years ago and it's the best thing I've ever done. It helped more than I can ever express.
 
First off, how is your son and his friends doing? Don't feel bad about treating a family member, I'm not aware of anything that prohibits such (at least locally). Besides, what's truly important is that you know you gave your best efforts to the best of your training. You were able to perform your duties by treating your son and friends during one of the most demanding scenarios anybody can face. Wish you the best.

Tullos definately touched on this already, but don't let your department say CISD is enough. There is no appropriate protocol to guage and treat every individuals reactions following an incident you experienced.
 
First, what makes you think this person needs CISD, which has been debunked anyways? I mean after all she sounds quite proud of her actions.

Second, has anyone checked that name out on Myspace? I do not use Myspace but seeing as this is a first time post with a reference encouraging everyone to go check out something, it sounds kind of "phishy" to me. I will not be checking personally as I do not care.

Third, her son is 19, so she is a minimum of 40 most likely...Myspace?? Seriously??

And finally, posting pics of the accident involving YOUR son with a "serious head injury" on your Myspace page?? Again, are you serious?
 
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I do hope your son is making progress from his injurines. The counseling for you should be done at the level of being a mother of someone who has suffered a traumatic and possibly life changing event. If there is a long term convalesence required for your son, the hospital should be able to put you in touch with professionals that will help you and him get through this. This is beyond what those that do "CISD" associated with EMS may be capable of since they usually deal with a short term traumatic event that rarely deals with the long term situation. This can be actually more stressful since there are so many other factors to consider and other issues to deal with besides the MVC and injuries associated with it.

Best of luck to you and a speedy recovery for both you and your son.
 
akflightmedic said:
First, what makes you think this person needs CISD, which has been debunked anyways? I mean after all she sounds quite proud of her actions.

Second, has anyone checked that name out on Myspace? I do not use Myspace but seeing as this is a first time post with a reference encouraging everyone to go check out something, it sounds kind of "phishy" to me. I will not be checking personally as I do not care.

Third, her son is 19, so she is a minimum of 40 most likely...Myspace?? Seriously??

And finally, posting pics of the accident involving YOUR son with a "serious head injury" on your Myspace page?? Again, are you serious?
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Eh, wouldn't consider the post to be brimming with pride, but thought that perhaps the person bringing it up was still uncomfortable with what happened. The CISD reference was what you said it is; worthless, and to seek real help if needed. Old terms die hard.

Like you, I didn't go beyond the post to look at the myspace, but a lot of coworkers my age and older use that crap. Looking at this a second time, with your cynical influence, does seem to cast suspicion over the OP. Hopefully you're right and nobodys hurt!
 
Congrats on the job first of all.

And wow, why would you post pictures like that online?
 
Scout said:
Congrats on the job first of all.

And wow, why would you post pictures like that online?
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I, too, would like to know her reason for the photos. I am not that familiar with myspace and it seems you would have to know Tracey or that those photos existed to go to her site. It may be a message to her son's 19 y/o friends to be careful because the unthinkable can happen.

I sometimes wish we still had programs as in the past where young people could spend a Friday or Saturday night in the ED or a shift in a LTC facility to see the realities of what making poor judgments can do. I am not say poor judgment was the cause of the MVC of Tracey's son but if there is a well intended message behind the photos, I see where they could serve a purpose. It is when photos, such as those in recent headlines, are posted purely for the pleasure of saying "look at what I saw and think is so cool" that I have a problem with.
 
VentMedic said:
I, too, would like to know her reason for the photos. I am not that familiar with myspace and it seems you would have to know Tracey or that those photos existed to go to her site. It may be a message to her son's 19 y/o friends to be careful because the unthinkable can happen.
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You don't have to know her, you just have to search for something on myspace that's on her page. An interest, her location, school, job, etc. All can be searched via myspace. Even a google search might ping it. That's how i found it.

To me it's for shock value and "Look at this, this is so cool!" kinda crap.
 
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MIZZEMT said:
When you get to a scene of a mv rollover and it is you own son ,it happened to me. mY 19 y/o rolled his truck with three other kids in it and it was my squad that got the call I had no idea until we got there and I saw my son laying on the ground with a major head injury and his hand was messed up.What would you do I surprised myself I stayed calm and treated him like all the other patients I ve had I know we r not suppose to treat family but I did it anyway.I have pictures on my myspace to see them I am under
Tracey Kidwell Butler
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I don't know what I'd do. I also don't want to be in the situation to have to find out. I hope I never will.

VentMedic said:
I do hope your son is making progress from his injurines. The counseling for you should be done at the level of being a mother of someone who has suffered a traumatic and possibly life changing event. If there is a long term convalesence required for your son, the hospital should be able to put you in touch with professionals that will help you and him get through this. This is beyond what those that do "CISD" associated with EMS may be capable of since they usually deal with a short term traumatic event that rarely deals with the long term situation. This can be actually more stressful since there are so many other factors to consider and other issues to deal with besides the MVC and injuries associated with it.

Best of luck to you and a speedy recovery for both you and your son.
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CISD's are, unfortunately, a tad inadequate depending on the situation and/or the individual. It sure was for me. I was hurt on more levels and in more ways than people realized. I needed real couseling. It took a while, but I finally got it. Thank God.
 
Ok, through other sources and Google Fu, the accident is real, the pictures of his injuries look convincing.

He is sitting up displaying the road rash on his head from where his "head hit the ground with every single roll".

His hand looks like some major road rash, possibly minor degloving (hard to tell), as "his arm was hanging out the window" when he rolled.

The truck is smashed.

The OP is a brand new EMT and soon to be a FF. This is the "cool factor" kicking in. While your son appears to be ok and for that we are all thankful as providers, I still stand by the fact that it is highly unusual to go on a internet forum, post your full name and reference people to pictures of what was a very real and very personal experience for yourself.

Yes I am cynical as someone stated earlier but years of experience within the internet forum la la land has taught me many valuable lessons. This being her 1st post and it containing several "points of interest" which usually turn into complete sham kick me into high alert.
 
Be careful with pictures like that. People get fired for posting accident pictures, and now that it's online, current future employers can find out. They might not ask far enough to know it's your son, and might disapprove of treating family members anyways.
 
There are exceptions to almost every rule.

In small towns it is not uncommon to be put into the postion of treating someone you know and that may even be a family member.

As far as the photos, it would all depend on the intent of the OP. Tracey is also a mother and some do want to share their stories with others for reasons other than "how cool it this". If you search the internet or visit different support group forums for various diseases or injuries, you will find parents with photos along side their stories especially when it involves children. Some are also healthcare professionals who are parents of children with stories that may send a message of some type to others which can include hope.

If you are lost for places to search to see what I mean try parents of children with head injuries or TBIs, spinal cord injuries, cystic fibrosis, congenital heart diseases, heart transplants, kidney transplants, congenital anomalies such as Potter's or Turner's Syndrome, MADD, SADD, etc. You are going to find stories and photos so be prepared.

Tracey has not come back to give further explanations but can you blame her if she doesn't? She had a story to share and some criticized her...probably for the wrong reasons. This has probably been a very traumatic event for her and sharing it may be her way of coping. It might actually be worth your time if she would be willing to describe what she and her son have gone through since so few in EMS see that side of healthcare. It may be due to that lack of understanding of what happens after the ED that some here do not understand the reasons for her post or the stories posted by many parents with photos of their experiences. Sometimes it takes a photo to fully see an event.

I know of no employer that would hold it against her for sharing her experiences as a Mother with the knowledge of an EMT.
 
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VentMedic said:
I know of no employer that would hold it against her for sharing her experiences as a Mother with the knowledge of an EMT.
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I would hope nowhere would, but some places are way less reasonable than others. I know an EMT who got fired for posting pictures of what happened to his own car after an accident, after some boss of his decided that fell under a "no accident pictures" rule. (I think he's disputing it, and the boss was probably looking for an excuse anyways, but it stills seems like a lot to go through.)
 
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