That day in the E.R.
That day I was not in a hury. I got ready for the day, grabbed my gear and headed for the door. I guess that I was in a pretty relaxed mood, I took more time that I probably should have, I've always been a late person by nature. As I got closer and closer to the Hospital which is about thirty minutes away from my house, I kept thinking about how I needed to "buff" my mind up to be able to deal with what I was about to face that day.
I guess I always tend to do that before I go to the E.R. or get on an ambulance. A Paramedic with whom I was a student under once told me "These people have a problem. We are here to deal with that problem for them.". I guess I have always kinda had that attitude without realizing it.
As I parked my car in the hospital's parking garage I noticed that there were not that many cars there. "Good" I told myself. A slow day ahead. Little did I know. I walked into the E.R.'s entrance and I could suddenly hear orders being given from the trauma room. Being the curious person that I am, I had to check it out. As soon as I cracked open the door one of the paramedics were telling me to come on and help out. As I approached the table I realized that they were trying to ressusitate a man. I started to pump on His chest. I did this for about five minuted and held just long enough to look at the monitor and check His pulse to see if He had come back. There was nothing, flat line on the monitor. No pulse.
We worked Him for about twenty minutes (He had been down then for about 45 minutes), when the Dr. called it. I felt something in the pitt of my stomach. Not the first person I have lost, won't be the last either. I looked the Man over. He was still wearing leather work gloves and boots. He still had grass on his boots and pants. I asked the nurse what He was doing when He went into cardiac arrest and she told me that he was in His front yard mowing the lawn.
One moment your mowing your yard, the next moment your being worked on this cold table. It's so crazy the way that life works.
I never met that Man before that day. I will never know who he was. I do know that He is now gone, and I am sad.
To the man on the cold table - Sept. 2004
P.S. - That day in the E.R. changed the way I look at life. It got me thinking, did He get an oppurtunity to show how much he cared for his family, or the one's closest to him? Never take anything for granted. Never miss the oppurtunity to do something, or tell someone, something of meaning. You may never get the oppurtunity.
I guess I always tend to do that before I go to the E.R. or get on an ambulance. A Paramedic with whom I was a student under once told me "These people have a problem. We are here to deal with that problem for them.". I guess I have always kinda had that attitude without realizing it.
As I parked my car in the hospital's parking garage I noticed that there were not that many cars there. "Good" I told myself. A slow day ahead. Little did I know. I walked into the E.R.'s entrance and I could suddenly hear orders being given from the trauma room. Being the curious person that I am, I had to check it out. As soon as I cracked open the door one of the paramedics were telling me to come on and help out. As I approached the table I realized that they were trying to ressusitate a man. I started to pump on His chest. I did this for about five minuted and held just long enough to look at the monitor and check His pulse to see if He had come back. There was nothing, flat line on the monitor. No pulse.
We worked Him for about twenty minutes (He had been down then for about 45 minutes), when the Dr. called it. I felt something in the pitt of my stomach. Not the first person I have lost, won't be the last either. I looked the Man over. He was still wearing leather work gloves and boots. He still had grass on his boots and pants. I asked the nurse what He was doing when He went into cardiac arrest and she told me that he was in His front yard mowing the lawn.
One moment your mowing your yard, the next moment your being worked on this cold table. It's so crazy the way that life works.
I never met that Man before that day. I will never know who he was. I do know that He is now gone, and I am sad.
To the man on the cold table - Sept. 2004
P.S. - That day in the E.R. changed the way I look at life. It got me thinking, did He get an oppurtunity to show how much he cared for his family, or the one's closest to him? Never take anything for granted. Never miss the oppurtunity to do something, or tell someone, something of meaning. You may never get the oppurtunity.
posted by Victim of Life at 4:17 AM
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