St John Ambulance Unit Meeting

We have our unit meeting every Wednesday. Tonight was no exception apart from the addition of another local unit joining us.

Tonight was TRAUMA, awesome!
Well actually, not as awesome as expected.

Our trainer, Niel, had more in mind than time allowed, but the time allowed gave me some great tips etc.

Neil did some of the training for my First Aid course. I liked his style then, and I like it now.
It's upbeat and makes you feel welcome. It teaches you stuff withot if feeling like a chore.
I could easily imagine our Assistant Unit Leader and Niel making a great team when it comes to teaching (but they aren't, and probably never will be).

So what did we learn tonight? We learnt how to quickly deal with a bleed.
This probably comes as second nature to anybody who has been in St John Ambulance for a while, and anybody with good First Aid training. To me, somebody new to First Aid, and somebody quite reserved and quiet, this was gonna be a hurdle to overcome. I'm not a great people person, I'm not one for speaking much to be honest. It may be the face to face thing. I can easily talk for England on a keyboard (not that I needed to tell you that)

Anyway, the basics of dealing with a bleeder are as follows:

Assess for Danger
Introduce yourself "Hi. I'm Gaz, a First Aider with St John"
Ask what's wrong (Chief Complaint) "What's wrong?"
"I have a knife wound on my fore-arm" (For instances)
Ok, do you mind if I have a look?
Expose the wound
Examine the wound
At this point, we're just a passer-by, we have no kit etc.
Once you know what the wound is like, and that it has no foreign object in it, as the Patient to apply direct pressure to it, and elevate it.
Once it has been assessed, treat for shock (unless it's minor and only needs a plaster)
Lay or sit them on the floor and keep the wound elevated.
This is where you can seek help. Ask somebody to ring for an Ambulance, and to bring a First Aid Kit back with them if they find one.
If they find a kit, treat and dress the wound.
Now, while you're waiting for an Ambulance, carry out a secondary survey and ask questions.
Signs and symptoms: That'll be the gushing wound.
Allergies: Are they allergic to anything? They may have an allergy to plasters or latex for instance.
Medication: Are they on any medication? What's it for? They may be taking blood thinning tablets!
Past medical history: Not much use on a bleeder, but they may self harm?
Last time they ate: It may seem like nothing, but could be a vital piece on information for further care.
Events leading up to the incident: Did they pass out?

So to simplify it,

Assess for danger
Introduce yourself
Ask what the problem is
Expose the wound
Examine the wound
Apply direct pressure
Elevate
Treat for shock
Seek help
Treat and dress the wound
Carry out a secondary survey
Ask questions (S.A.M.P.L.E.)

It may not seem like much, but it could be invaluable help to a given situation.

Thanks Niel, you make learning enjoyable.

Boring blog time.

I tried to blog about our walk up Buckden Pike a few weeks back, but it just wouldn't have it. The walk went well though :-)

I'm now just gonna keyboard ramble about my hernia op, and possibly blog about our walk another time. Seeing as I've just been sliced open, I'm not supposed to go walking for a while :-(

Basically, I've had an open repair of 2 epigastric hernias.
One was quite visible (like a golf ball), just below my sternum, the other wasn't so visible, and was a few inch to the left of my other one.

The whole experience wasn't so bad.
I was a little anxious because I've never had general anaesthetic before.

Fortunately, the staff at Huddersfield Day Surgery Unit were brilliant,  and really put me at ease.
I arrived at 7am, as instructed, and booked in at reception. After a short while i was called into a side room by Cath, the lady looking after me that day, and asked the usual questions etc, then put into a smaller waiting room. Always good being the first in, because hopefully you'll be the first to be worked on.
I waited a short while and started to read my book.
I managed 2 pages before I got bored (anxiety taking over here I think) and started to listen to the nusing staffs conversations. The only one that worried me was "I hope you're going to leave some skin on this time" :-D
I was soon called back into the side room to sign my consent form, and get a 2 month sick note!!! I also met my surgeon here, Jové I think he was called. Between Cath and Jové's light hearted chat I was totally at ease and anxiety left as quickly as it arrived.
Back to the waiting room, then called into a different room, then back to the waiting room...then called to get changed!
I was shown to the changing room and given my sexy DVT stockings. Now, being the rebel I am, I took flip flops not slippers. Being the idiot I am, I took flip flops not slippers. Well I didn't know about the stockings and the fact my toes wouldn't stick out of the end...
Anyhow, disaster averted and I poked my toes through the holes designed for the ball of my foot.
I shoved everything in the bag then went and sat back in the waiting room. Not 10 minutes later a lady in a gown came and whisked me away to theatre. Instead of watching Le Mis, it was the operating theatre. (Shame really 'cos she wasn't bad looking from what I could tell haha)
She had obviously done this dozens of times, maybe hundreds.
"Stand there. Dressing gown and slippers off please. Now lay on the bed with your head on the pillow. We'll put these on you (blood pressure jobbie and monitors etc) just so we can keep an eye on you throughout'
Seriously, she acted as quick as you read it.
At this point she grabbed my arm and started slappjng hell out of me haha.
They got the catheter into me and then vaguely held a mask over my nose and mouth. At this point I was expecting them to tell me I was about to get nuked,  or for them to ask me to count backwards, but instead they just asked if I was feeling a little drowsy, at which point I woke up in another room, with different nurses fussing over me.

Wow, all's done.

I'm sure you'll understand that the rest of it was a bit of a blur.
I was first back in the room and therefore got a window bed.
The glass of water was welcomed with open arms as my throat was as dry as it has ever been before. After a short while they asked if I wanted a cuppa. Hell yeah, a nice sweet tea please. They then asked if I would like some toast...a double hell yeah. Hospital toast is the Gillette of the toast world, the best a man can get. Shame really, I was heartbroken when I could only manage half a slice :-(

I was soon asked if I could get up and out of bed. I did, bit didn't really want to. I could have spent the day there.
I had to wait around for an hour seeing as the Wife decided to go shopping to the only supermarket in Bradford that she can't get mobile (or mobil if you're Kevin Bacon) signal in.
Never mind, it gave me chance to come round a bit more and get another sweet tea before being discharged.
I ended up going back in the evening.
I had spent a while laid in bed. When I got up my dressing was quite wet. By the third time I had got up from laying down it was saturated. I called the Surgical Assessment Unit and they suggested I nipped across to get it checked by a quack.
After spending 2 hours waiting the dressing had completely dried, and I looked (and felt) a bit of a fool for wasting their time, the wife's time, and worst of all the mother in laws time.
It's only 4 days later, as I'm laid here typing this on my phone, with no wound dressing on, that it has started leaking again :-o It seems like my body doesn't currently like my totally laid back approach as it is only leaking at the top, when I am laid without pillows.

I also called them up again today for advice. It seemed like the lump was back, but the surgeon seems to think it is just a haematoma (which might explain my leak) and he said he will review me as an outpatient I  a few weeks.

So all in all, a not so un pleasurable experience, with mid range discomfort afterwards.

Here's a pic or the incision mark. I asked them to do it with a blunt, rough cut saw, to give me a cool scar, but they forgot. They also seem to have forgotten to remove a few lb for me too while I was out and opened up too, but you can't have everything can you?