Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Ambulance Action

It wasn't the burger from Hungry Jacks, which is a relief because I might have never been able to eat where the burgers are better ever again. It wasn't wind pain, severe wind pain; the kind which has caused me to pass out twice before in my life. It wasn't like anything I had previously experienced...and it frightened me enough to call triple zero.

When the paramedics arrived, they examined me, questioned me and decided to take me to hospital. The shot of morphine in the rear of the ambulance where I lay down in agony, provided some relief. I said I felt sick so they gave me a shot of something for that as well.To cut a long story short, the doctors diagnosed renal colic caused by a 6.3mm kidney stone, and gave me some medicine to hopefully dissolve the stone and allow me to pass it naturally.

Despite having arrived home from the hospital in a taxi at 5:45 am, I went to work pacified, albeit by painkillers. Fast forward to the evening, almost exactly twenty four hours after I called for the paramedics, I was again in the back of an ambulance. This time, with two females who had me sit in the rear facing seat without offering me anything for pain relief. When I said I felt sick -who knew that severe pain and travelling backwards in a small vehicle could induce nausea? - they handed me a vomit bag into which I promptly despatched the contents of my stomach.

I don't know why the two male paramedics were so much more sympathetic and accommodating than the two female ones. I don't know why ambulances have backwards facing seats when travelling in that direction causes many people to feel unwell.

Please share your thoughts on these mysteries, and also your ambulance action stories, if you have ever had such misfortune.

10 comments:

  1. Have never had this experience. Makes you wonder what their problem was. A little sympathy would have been in order. But curious about the seats. Glad you made it through okay.

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    1. Next time, (God forbid there should be but chances are...you know) I will request the bed and the drugs.

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  2. Yeah, I had a couple of ambulance rides, but don't remember much. It is not the time to create memories.

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    1. I hear you, Mister Weirdo, but this happened to me recently so its very fresh. Not fun, but that's life, isn't? Highs and lows. Thanks for visiting and taking the time to comment.

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  3. Hello, Aussie friend! We lived in Aus for a year and a half years ago and loved it very much. I have only been in an ambulance a couple of times. Both times I was emotionally and/or physically distressed enough that I wasn't really noticing much.

    I'd guess they have patients face backwards so they don't have to deal with the problems that might occur if a facing forward patient was projected suddenly forward in a quick stop.

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    1. Where exactly in this great country did you abide? I was physically and emotionally distressed too, but I tend to become more observant in stressful times. I'm always looking for material for my books. Interesting point on the backwards facing chair. Next time, (God forbid there should be one but you never know) I am hitting the stretcher straight away. Thanks for visiting and taking the time to comment.

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  4. Hey I'm an aussie A-Zer too. I'm in Central Qld but I grew up in NSW (specifically Moree) and went to teachers college in Sydney.
    My only ambulance action occurred in Sydney when I was visiting my parents. 30 weeks pregnant I had a massive bleed (well it seemed massive) My husband was going to drive me to hospital but I was worried about ruining the car seats (!!!) not to mention dying so he got the ambulance. It was the middle of the night. My mum was going to follow the ambulance to the hospital in our car. I was worried about her so made my husband drive our car and mum came in the ambulance with me. Everyone around me was panicking and very worried about me... but I was calm. I had felt the baby kick hard and knew he was going to be fine. I was lying down in the ambulance as I recall and it was all pretty cosy.

    I was kept in hospital for 10 days and then let out but wasn't allowed to return home to Qld. 8 weeks later I had another bleed but this time it wasn't as serious and so I let my husband drive me to hospital this time (besides it was mum and dads old car by then, our good car having returned to Qld)

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  5. Wow...makes a little kidney stone seem insignificant. Thanks for visiting, and for sharing your story.

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  6. I've never been in an ambulance (knocking on wood!) As to why the male paramedics were more sympathetic...I can't say. And to answer your question about can one eat an armadillo...yes. I never have, but people from the less refined parts of Texas have (and probably still do). I sincerely hope you do not have a reoccurrence of kidney stones. They are miserable.

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  7. Thanks for taking the time to visit and comment Marianna. Some have suggested the female paramedics were less sympathetic because of my gender. Maybe they thought I was being a wimp. Never mind. I'm all right now, and that's all that matters.

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