Lights, Sirens, and a Dislodged Prosthetic

Yesterday I worked my first 24 hour shift as a paramedic. I've never done 24s before, I have to say I rather enjoyed myself. It was definitely a learning opportunity, adapting to a new service and how to function with the prosthetic.

That brings me to the big lesson of the night. Allow me to paint the scene...We were called for a patient with an active arterial bleed. Most times when you get these calls the first reaction is to doubt it's authenticity. Most facilities will call any type of bleeding arterial...but when they follow up with they are using sandbags to hold pressure and the patient is very hypotensive, then this starts to feel real. This information, along with the fact that this is a facility not known for calling for an ambulance for every sniffle and bump, made me get a little nervous. This is my first real run since I've been back on a truck. I've done the ALS transfers, the fall down go boom, the "stats of 66%" only to find an o2 saturation of 96% on room air. This was different. This was a legitimate chance to make  a difference, this is why I'm a medic...now time to see if I can still do this.

We arrive on scene to find the patient being circled by the staff. She is bleeding and doing a good job of it. She's pale, diaphoretic, and generally looking like death warmed up. Pressure is tanked, so we apply pressure to the site, control the bleeding, and get moving. I'm able to get a 16 gauge IV placed in her EJ (external jugular for the non-medical folk...it's in you neck), at this point we are arriving at one of our many local hospitals. Here's where things are markedly different for me since returning. My leg fell off...yes you read that correctly...my prosthetic came off of my leg and is lifelessly hanging there inside my pant leg. This means I can no longer walk, there's no fixing this at this moment, and then the panic sets in. My preceptor for the service agrees to take the patient inside with our EMT partner and leaves me to my own shattered thoughts inside the truck.

I panic, this is my biggest fear coming true...a legitimate reason why I can't perform my job task (at least in my mind at the time it is). For the first time in a long time, well, in 8 months, I feel disabled. I can honestly say I haven't felt this way since I took my first steps on my new leg. I felt destroyed, I had done the medicine part to the best of my rusty ability, I felt good about that. Then with that leg sliding off, I truly had to face the fact that I am different, I can try to be like all those able bodied people but I'm not. I did what I always do, I made fun of the situation. I rolled my pant leg up, left my prosthetic sitting proudly in the center of the back of the truck, and hopped around cleaning up the back from the mess I made. I joked with my crew mates and moved on. Hopped into the station, put my leg back on, and moved on.

My preceptor said, that is what makes me different than most people, I laughed and moved on. That has been the status quo, bad things happen so laugh and move on. I'm going to the prosthetic office tomorrow to find out what we can do. As unacceptable as this situation is, It had to happen. Just happy that it happened now instead of later. With wearing the leg over 24 hours straight, the size of my stump is going to change. It gets smaller and so the prosthetic doesn't fit as well, we will find a way to fix the issue and I will move on.

That's our first major hurdle in the return to EMS. I really can't imagine one much worse than losing the ability to walk while treating a critical patient. Stay tuned for further educational lessons from your friendly neighborhood Prosthetic Medic...

First Day...Prosthetic Medic is BACK

Well...I did it. Yesterday I worked my first 14 hours on an ambulance since I went for that life changing hike at Tioga Falls. I was able to do function. No problems lifting or moving. I haven't had to tackle stairs yet, but for the first day back I am very hopefully optimistic. I am with a much more laid back service (in terms of run volume), and they have all been so supportive of what I am trying to accomplish. It's hard to believe that just 7 months ago I was being fitted for my new leg, starting over essentially. I was blessed to have an amazing preceptor yesterday who was very encouraging and never once questioned my ability to return to do the job.

During one of many conversations yesterday, I told her I was contemplating writing a book about my experience, she thinks I need to adapt a screen play and call it "11 Stories" in reference to my fall and could easily be tied into the fact that many of us have many "stories" that we live through. An unlimited number of hardships that we either choose to overcome or let take us down. I can think of at least 11 stories in my life. I'm very happy to say that I feel like I have started down a very successful path finally. After months of spinning wheels and worrying about how to get back to a service that didn't want me to return, it feels great to go to work and not only be welcomed by the street crews, but welcomed by the command staff who is planning for my successful future at their company.

Janelle and Glen, you two made my first day back in 18 months amazing. It felt like I had never left the back of an ambulance, you guys made that possible.

Kate, you know you're my rock. You know that you're my best friend, and you know that without you this entire journey wouldn't have been possible. You have helped me literally learn to walk again, and I swear I will walk to the ends of the earth to repay the love and compassion (and occasional kick in the butt) that you have shown me.

To my family, be it by blood, marriage, EMS, or my readers, thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I started this blog just to document my own personal experience dealing with the emotional and physical demands of losing a leg and battling to get back to doing what I love, it was cathartic. I watched it transform as I did, I found that it started to inspire others to attempt to get back on their feet as well. I am amazed that I have been blessed enough to be a catalyst and get to hear these stories personally. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I love each and every one of you.

Now that this is out of the way...stay tuned for further adventures of your favorite Unipedal Paramedic. Learning to adapt and overcome the challenges of functioning as a paramedic with a prosthetic, trying to give the best patient care without becoming a patient myself. Until next time, look for another update after my next shift.

Prosthetic Medic

Failure is not an Option!

I'm less than a week away from orientation and getting back on the ambulance. I'm 15 months from the fall that set this path in motion and only been on my prosthetic for 7 months. I've been told that while in the ER I was told not to worry, I'd be back to work in no time. This was to placate me and keep me from worrying while I was healing. Then was told I could go back to work with the prosthetic in order to give me a goal to keep pushing forward. All the while, most people doubting it was possible. More frustrating was a former "boss" more concerned with either breaking me if I did succeed or trying to force me out by saying I'm incapable. To him personally I say thank you. This is the motivation I need to not only have the strength to try to return, but to succeed beyond what I thought was possible.

I'm not delusional. I know I'm charting into unknown territory. This unknown is a first for my new employer and for this region. I am expecting to have to learn quick and live up to one of my favorite sayings...Adapt and Overcome. I know I will have to adapt my technique but I have regained something most of us in the Public Safety world have lost...passion. I am more driven to succeed now than ever before. I have too many people watching me to fail. I am a example to 2 (3 on January 2) wonderful sons, I have had the pleasure of inspiring people I've never met through this blog, and I have the handful who are hoping I fail because they said it would happen. Part of me wants to smash this in their faces and say look at me now. I'm the "gimp" you said was finished, yet instead of airing dirty laundry, I will simply move on and show my sons how to not only have dignity, but also to have integrity.

I hope for big things from this job. This is the new springboard for my life. I am walking proof that nothing can impede determination and that can carry you further than you (or those around you) expect.

Can't wait to fill you in on my first shift. Until next time

PM

Prosthetic Medic Rides Again!!!

Great News!!!! The Prosthetic Medic will ride again! I'll be starting my new position on October 29th, of course I have orientation and classroom stuff to get through before I get back in the ambulance, but just the prospect of being back where I belong makes me feel like I'm about to start a new school.

There are several opportunities outside of being a street medic at this service that I'm very excited to possibly branch out into. That's all for tonight. Busy day tomorrow at the Prosthetic Medic household. Kate's cardiology appointment is tomorrow so we find out what the plan of action for correcting the hole in her heart. For those out there that believe in a higher power please send some prayers/goodvibes/thoughts in our direction. They have set the C-Section date for Liam on January 2, 2013 so for now that's our goal. Keep him baking until then, unless the cardiologist has other plans for us.

I'll update some more in a few days.

PM

Job Interview Tomorrow!!!

Tomorrow I go for my interview at a local private service ambulance company. While I've been assured that this is a formality and nothing more, I have to admit that I am more than a little nervous about the prospect of getting back on the ambulance again. I am confident that I can do the job, it's just learning to do the job with my new set of obstacles. I'll let everyone know how it goes, if I do get the job then I will be working 24 hour shifts, which is another new playground for me. I've done 10, 12, and 16 hours shifts, so 24 is the next logical step right. I'll have to ask the company how they feel about being mentioned here, as I don't want to go into this by upsetting them off the bat.

On another note, in our personal life we have just found out that the Mrs has been diagnosed with a patent Foramen Ovale. For those who have no idea what that is, it's a hole between the atria of the heart. In itself that isn't too much of an issue, the issue that arose is that she had a TIA on Sunday. So now we are trying to game plan with the cardio docs and OB to find out where we need to go from here and what this means with Liam.

I'll keep everyone updated as things progress.

PM

Coming to an Ambulance near you....

Well I have put in an application at a local EMS agency. It's a private service company and they are just as excited for me to start there as I am to be getting back on a truck. I'm also going to be speaking to a personal trainer to finish up the last bit of muscle training and stamina building I need to feel very very comfortable in the back of the truck.

Still having a few problems with the prosthetic, that I'm hoping that will be resolved in the next few days. The knee is still sticking and I'm still waiting on my new foot to be delivered. It seems that it takes a while for Otto Bock to make a size 14 prosthetic foot...this is one of the big foot curses you never are told about!!! No matter...life is moving on and so am I. I'm so excited to attempt this again, I'm still not sure how it's going to turn out, but that's what makes it so promising.

Until next time

Otto Bock Commercial and Photos

A month or so ago I let you all know I would be shooting a commercial for Otto Bock...well here is the final result, along with some photo's from that shoot.