Got out for about 7 this morning (queen - better get on it today!)  Wasn't a great run but I have certainly had worse.

QOTD: Have you ever saved anyone's life?

I have not but I figure someone in here has a good story to tell.

Have a great Thursday!

Good morning... a decent 7 miles last night on the easy side of Green Lane. Rush hour out there or so it seemed. Several mountain biker encounters for me and Lady. Everyone is out enjoying the fall and the last few days of evening daylight. I think I'll hit Coventry Woods this evening for some peace and quiet.

QOTD: Not really. My BIL and I did help some poor drunk gal climb out of the Crystal River down in FL last year. We were out having dinner and drinks at a place on King's Bay and there was boating party getting hammered at the tiki bar. This gal staggered down the dock and fell in trying to hop on her boat. We were watching her and saw it coming.

Worked a 8 hour overnight shift last night and slept for 6 1/2 of those hours . Sometimes it's nice to have a job where you can get away with sleeping .  Still tired though. Guess I'll load up on caffeine and push through the day.   After DW gets done baking some woopie pies, we'll go shopping and spend some money.  After that I hope to get in 7+ miles.

QOTD: I guess I'll have to admit that I have. Given my job it may sound strange that I put it that way, however, there are a few reasons why I did. First I don't like when people call me a hero or a lifesaver. I look at myself as just another cog in the wheel. Secondly, it really rarely occurs. Most of our calls involve people who really aren't that sick to begin with. We also get a lot of calls where people are sick but are not going to die before they get to the hospital even without treatment. Third, it's really difficult sometimes to know if you saved a life or just made them feel better.  All that aside though, there have been occasions where if I had not been there the person would not be here now.  A few stand out.

One was a young child that had asthma. He had an attack on a Saturday morning but didn't want to wake his parents. When he was starting to feel like he was going to pass out he called 911, told them he couldn't breathe and dropped the phone. The operator called back, his Dad heard the phone and woke up. He met us at the door with the kid barely conscious. I got him turned around and speaking by the time we got to the hospital. He remembered me walking though the door and thinking that he was going to die.

Another was a older man who decided to have a heart attack and die in front of me. It was touch and go for awhile but he survived. The reason that one stands out is that he had a close relative who was a nationally known, possibly world renowned physician.  Can't give out the name of the Physician or what he specialized in due to HIPPA.

I could pose the question of, What medication do you think I give the most that saves lives?  It would be interesting to hear your guesses. It's really simple sugar water. Yep, that's right.  Dextrose in water is what we use to treat diabetics with hypoglycemia. Without it we would have thousands of people dying every year.  If they wouldn't die they would have a stroke before they could be gotten to the hospital.

I've climbed into my share of crashed vehicles or pulled people out of other situations where they were in distress. In most of those cases it's difficult to say that I saved their life, but I guess if they had been left there they would have died.

NHLA - It's good that you were paying attention and ready and willing to act.  I often find that more people are saved by the actions of non public safety workers than by Fire, police and EMS. We often get there after the person has already been rescued.

 

 

Jamie - Are you really sure that you haven't?  I know you work in psychology and I believe that you have some direct patient interaction.  It is very possible that you have counseled someone who was planning suicide or a act of violence and they decided not to go through with the plan.  Sometimes one never knows the impact you may have on another's  life.

DD - I knew you would have some stories.  I love it.  You have restored my faith in EMTs!! 

As far as me "saving a life" - I guess like you I do not think of it that way but I did work as a D & A counselor for 6+ years and worked with many men who had "hit rock bottom".  I saw some great success and who knows which of them would have gone out and overdosed.  We are currently seeing another spike in heroin overdoses resulting in death over the last few years.  The reason being is because people get clean, relapse, and hit up the same or similar amount of heroin right away. This combined with the changes in the heroin that is available now equals disaster.  I remember a some younger guys that were hardcore heroin addicts.  That stuff is nasty.  I also remember working with a few very distraught guys who seemed like they were at the end of their rope and contemplating ending it all.

Thanks DD - bringing back some of those memories made my day!

Hi all. Easy day planned.  Yesterday ended up short, 4 miles, as the legs felt like lead (mostly the hips, due to a 'restorative' yoga class the day before).  Today is a quick treadmill run before another yoga class.  And today is little DS's birthday.  My 'baby' is no longer such and is now a teenager.   Making him a key lime pie, per his request.

qotd:  Nope.  And this is heavy, but interesting reading today!  Good question, Jamie.

Daydreamer  I forgot about pulling a friend out of a diabetic coma.  Gave  him OJ and he came back. The first time you see this it scares the shit out of you. After that you can see the signs and head it off.

The sign said you might die if you go over this fall and listed how many people had died there. Of course one asshole had to try it.

It did not go well. He was trapped in the horseshoe and going backwards. His wife took off to try to help but I resrained her because she would drowned. My friends held her screaming. He was on his own. I climbed close to him and screamed just let go. Don't fight it.  He popped up downstream. ( this could have gone either way ) Then he went into shock. Carried him to nearest house and got him to hospital.

Just had a flashback of the kids face that I pulled out of the rapids. He stated crying and saying thank you over and over.

Very nice 5.66 even, beautiful sun rise and pretty yellows.  My forest is oaks to very little color.  I was happy until I heard Jamie ran 7 this morning.   screw it I'm still happy.  We are heading to the coast tomorrow for 4 days of relaxing and Jamie isn't. 

QOTD:  Maybe?  Once we canoeing and just finished lunch.  When my Dad pushed off the canoe tipped.  It had my niece in it and she maybe five and I knew her life jacket wasn't secured yet.  She didn't pop up because she was under the boat so I jumped in and got her.  They seemed to think I saved her since everyone else froze.

DD might be able to go on forever In this question.    Oh just saw his post...it's big   I have to read later...

Going to try to get in a long run today, but that's questionable a day after intervals.

QOTD: I happened to be nearby when my in-laws noticed my nephew was floating face down in the pool. They pulled him out in time. Other than myself that's the closest I've come to saving anyone. I figured I saved my own life twice because I listened to pre-outing instructions and was able to follow them. Once I was thrown out of a raft while white water rafting. The first time I came up I was under the raft and I went down again. I was sure I was going to drown. When I came up again I was too far from the raft for anyone to reach me, so I did as the guides had instructed us in this case, feet down stream and let the current carry me. I managed to miss all the rocks and was picked up after we reached calm water. The second time was hiking in Glacier NP. We were hiking across a patch of snow when it gave way under me and I started sliding downhill toward a 1000 ft drop off into a lake. Again I remembered what the guides told me and jammed my hiking poles into the snow to slow my slide, after which the guide carefully descending to help me back up to the trail.