#code 3 chronicals

[thecodethreechronicals]

How come I can be standing outside and hear sirens from 9 miles away but when I’m driving code 3 The person in front of me can just stay cruising along with zero knowledge that I’m 3 inches from their bumper and not a single fuck to give.

[thecodethreechronicals]

March is RARE DISEASE AWARENESS MONTH! So during this month I’ll be posting about diseases that while rare, can often be seen in EMS or emergency medicine weather diagnosed or not. I personally was diagnosed with POTS or Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia syndrome about a month ago. This graphic explains the general etiology of the disease. This can often be mistaken for vasovagal syncope or syncope secondary to dehydration due to the low BP and compensated HR. Many people diagnosed will be on some type of BP medication and possibly have a port or PICC line for daily or weekly fluid bolus’s to help with symptoms. Someone with POTS may also have other medical conditions that are related to the autonomic nervous system as well. ***If you or someone you know has a rare disease you would like featured this month DM me and I’ll post it and give you a shoutout!! Btw Thanks for 700 of you glorious EMS degenerates! ❤️🚑🚒💙 -Love code 3 chronicles

[thecodethreechronicals]

May have pulled this out of a patients trachea...no big deal.

[thecodethreechronicals]

Last night we ran a call on an 18YOM with weakness. When we got on scene of the pts home we were greeted by multiple family members stating that he had been battling anorexia for a few years now and in the last 2 months dropped 80 lbs. They were basically trying to pull an intervention on this kid. We explained to them that because he is 18 we can't force him to go but would go inside and talk to him and see what's going on. That's when we saw him. Tiny and frail. Every bone in his body was sticking out and hidden by baggy clothes that were 5 sizes too big but you could tell they were the smallest he could find. I go to take his BP and the adult cuff wraps around his arm 4 times. I switch it out with the PEDS cuff (which should really be a neonate cuff because of how small it is) and it fits perfect. I can feel every part of his bone perfectly through his thin skin. He says he fine and doesn't want help. His BP is high indicating his heart is under a good amount of stress from lack of fluids. His family tells us he has syncopals everyday and can barely walk. He's so sick, mentally and physically. Anorexia is so real and it hit home so quickly that this kid could code, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but without help he is not going to make it very long. My partner and I decided to get metro involved. Out here we have what's called a Legal 2000, Usually used for psych patients threatening suicide. It puts them on a 3 days psych hold and evaluation. It basically forces them to go to the hospital. This form is misused DAILY here. People play the system to get a bed and food for a few days claiming they're mentally ill. This time, this kid actually needed help. Metro comes out and speaks to us, the family and the pt. and comes to the conclusion that he "doesn't meet criteria for a legal form." At this point I get really upset in front of everyone involved and start yelling at metro saying "This kid is going to die and he's too mentally ill to understand that. His family called upon us for help and we cant even give him that. I see you guys write people up on legal forms and take away a hospital bed from someone who really needs it just because you don't want to deal with it and now that I, a medical professional am telling you that my patient actually needs this, you won't do it. Why?" He asked me to step outside and talk to him. I told him no, we're done here and wished the family well after spending TWO hours on scene with them. As I went to leave the mother grabbed me and hugged me and said "Thank you for doing everything you could to try and help my boy." And people ask why paramedics are so angry all the time. This. This is the bullshit we deal with. This is why I'm angry.