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defib-boy · 26 days

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The Golden Hour Part: 1

POV story about a teacher, who has been critically injured after being hit by a car outside of the school he works at.

At the end of the day…

2:59pm

The students were restless in their seats as they awaited the final bell to signify the end of the school day. I fixed my tie, put on a reflective vest, grabbed the hand held ‘STOP’ sign from the bottom drawer of my desk and let the students go 1 minute before the bell rang so that I could get outside quickly to complete my monthly obligation as cross-guard. Once dismissed, the relieved students rushed out of the classroom, I calmly walked out behind them, through the school hallway and out the front doors taking my place at the corner of Brock Road. and Union Street, a busy intersection where a student had been hit by a vehicle years earlier, thus instituting the role of cross-guard to the school.

The sun sat low in the sky, it was a very bright but windy day. I put on my sun glasses on as I stood in the middle of the crosswalk with cold ears, ‘STOP’ sign in hand. I was wearing formal attire, white dress shirt and royal blue tie with grey pants and a belt, I remember thinking, “I should have put my jacket on”, I didn’t expect it to be so windy outside.

3:05pm

When I hit the ground, I blinked my eyes and my first thought was “I’m alive”. I understood right away that I just got hit by a car. I didn’t know who’s fault it was, I didn’t care, I was just trying to comprehend how badly I was hurt.

On my back, I tried to sit up and collect myself but as I jerked my body up I realized I was injured too badly stand.

3:06pm

Stacy, a student from the school emerged from the passenger side door of the car that hit me, her mother from the drivers side. Both were immediately hysterical and ran to my side to check if I was okay. Their energy was frantic, Stacy’s mother said the low sun blinded her as she was making the turn. I didn’t care about any of that in the moment. I started to feel intense pressure in my chest right away, I tried to speak to the woman who had just hit me but had great difficulty getting the words out, I knew something was seriously wrong. All I could say was “call 911” as I choked on my words in the middle of the road.

3:07pm

I laid there disoriented, Steven (another teacher) and Colleen (the Principal) kneeled by my side and tried to talk to me. They were asking me where I was hurt, I knew my chest hurt badly right away but I was starting to feel pain in other areas as well. I was able to tell Steven “my chest hurts a lot”.

I was feeling more panicked with each passing second, tears started coming from my eyes. I did everything I could to hold them back but I couldn’t, I started to cry as I waited for paramedics to arrive.

3:08pm

It was hurting my chest to cry but I still couldn’t stop. The woman who had hit me and her daughter were in hysterics as well, my anxiety and terror were escalating with every passing moment. I could hear the sirens in the distance getting louder and louder. I felt some relief knowing that help was close. I stared up at Steven and Colleen “the ambulance is here buddy, it’s going to be okay” Colleen reassured me as the blaring sirens stopped. I could hear the ambulance doors open and shut, the footsteps of the paramedics approaching.

3:09pm

“Can someone tell me what’s happened here?” a paramedic asked as she approached the scene.

“The car took his legs out and he went into the windshield” my boss, Colleen replied.

“Did you see it?” The paramedic asked as she kneeled by my head.

“I saw it from a few feet away, he didn’t see the car coming” Colleen answered, “he hit the windshield hard, then he hit the road hard.”

“He’s been complaining about his chest” Steven added as a 2nd paramedic arrived on scene and crouched down beside me.

“Sir, my name is Robert, I’m a paramedic, this is my partner Isabelle” the 2nd medic spoke, “can you tell me your name?”

“It’s John” I was replied with a very laboured voice.

“Can you tell me where it hurts?” Asked Robert as Isabelle shined a pen light into my eyes, checking pupils.

“Everywhere, my chest, my stomach,” I answered “it’s hard to breathe”

3:10pm

“We’re going to get your neck and spine secured, John” Isabelle explained, she warned me not to move my head an inch as I could paralyze myself if I had a neck or spinal injury. She held my head still while Steve cut my tie off with scissors and put a neck brace on me.

“We’re going to try to get you out of here as quickly as we can” Steve reassured me.

The neck brace was very tight, it instantly made breathing more difficult but I knew I was in a very dangerous situation and did everything in my power to obey orders and lay still while the medics worked. I tried to maintain my composure.

3:11pm

The students were crowded around, watching on as the paramedics worked to stabilize me on the road. I was normally in such control at the school and now had no control over anything. Robert used scissors to cut up the middle of my shirt, exposing my chest and abdomen, Isabelle used her stethoscope to listen to my heart and lungs and quickly realized there was a serious issue. “Really weak breath sounds on both sides” she explained to her partner. Hearing the paramedics begin to discuss my injuries and condition was making me feel even more panicked. I had no medical knowledge but I could feel that things were critical as breathing became harder and harder.

3:12pm

I could hear the voice of the woman who hit me ask, “is he going to live?” More words to add to my terror. Isabelle cut up the sleeves of my blazer and poked my forearm with a needle trying to insert an I.V line.

“Can I get you to hold this for me?” Isabelle called out to Colleen, holding out the I.V bag

“Of course” Colleen replied as she took the bag from paramedic

“Just hold it so the fluid flows downward, toward him”, instructed Isabelle

Colleen stood to my left, directly in my field of view as I looked skyward from the road. I was grateful that she cared enough to help but felt embarrassed to be in such a vulnerable position in front of her. She took control of the situation and encouraged the woman who hit me and her daughter to back up. “Let the paramedics help him” she requested.

3:13pm Robert examined my chest with his hands, pressing against my ribs and sternum, and listening with his stethoscope, “He’s got a tension pneumothorax on both sides”, he called out to Isabelle. I processed his words but didn’t understand what what they meant. He asked me to take a deep breath, that simple task had now become a challenge. I was suffocating slowly and going into shock.

He grabbed his scissors and rushed to cut my pants off, continuing to search my body for injuries. As someone who’s always been quite shy and introverted, it caused even more anxiety feeling myself being undressed in such a public environment. He cut up each pant leg, leaving me in just my boxer shorts.

3:14pm

Robert immediately began to examine my hips. The instant he pressed down on my bones, I felt extreme pain.

“Stop!” I cried out desperately, “Stop!”

“I think we’re dealing with pelvic trauma as well, should we get him into the ambulance?” Robert asked Isabelle

“No, I don’t want to risk moving him like this” she replied, “just get the rest of his clothes off, we have to work here”

He quickly cut off my underwear, then pulled off my shoes and socks leaving me totally naked on the pavement. Having always been very conservative, my first instinct was to put my hands over my crotch to hide myself from the bystanders. Even in the middle of a medical emergency, it was a shock to be undressed in the street so abruptly. Robert grabbed my wrists in protest, “You cannot move John, I know this isn’t comfortable, we’re all here to help you”. I reluctantly allowed him to place my hands by my sides and continue to examine my injured pelvis. I have never felt so helpless in my life, it was awful to not have a choice over anything that was happening to me and to make things worse, I was looking up at Colleen who was still standing above me, holding the I.V bag.

Sensing my discomfort and understanding the dynamic of the situation, Colleen looked away during the pelvic exam. “Can we put a blanket on him?” She asked Robert on my behalf.

“We need to stabilize him first m’am” Robert replied without interrupting his exam, “You need to help us help you right now John”

3:15pm

My breaths were becoming shallow and more rapid. It was tremendously painful as he performed the pelvic exam, “he’s got a lot of pelvic swelling, he could be bleeding internally as well” Robert reported to Isabelle.

With Robert tending to my pelvic trauma, Isabelle explained to me that there was air trapped in my chest cavity and they were going to have to insert 2 needles on either side of my chest to let the air exit before I stopped breathing entirely. I felt the panic grow in my stomach as I processed the information she was giving me, it was hard to be so submissive but understood this was my only chance at survival. I struggled to stay still on the cold road as Robert attached leads to my chest and started a heart monitor. Isabelle cleaned the sites on my chest where they were about to insert the needles with alcohol.

3:16pm

Tears trickled down the side of my face, I could hear the mixed sounds of heat monitor beeps and more sirens approaching as I felt the sharp pain of the first needle enter the left side of my chest, and seconds later, the same dagger like pain in the right side of my chest. I cried out in pain when they first inserted the needles but within seconds the pressure in my chest began to decrease, “The tension is being relieved” Robert said as he listened to my chest with his stethoscope, “I can hear the air exiting”.

The air was escaping, but there was still a lot of pressure, blood had built up in my chest and was putting stress on my heart and lungs.

3:17pm

“Do you want help with the patient or crowd control?” A loud voice said approaching.

“We need hands” Isabelle replied.

“We need help with the patient officer” Robert calmly called out to the police office who has just arrived

The police officer kneeled at my feet as Robert and Isabelle continued to assess the chest decompression.

“Pedestrian hit, we just decompressed his chest, lungs are collapsed on both sides. I’m concerned about his C-Spine, let’s make sure we don’t move him at all while we work” Robert explained to the officer.

With my chest decompressed, the medic turned their focus to my potential internal bleed. Isabelle pressed down on my abdomen, “does this hurt John?” She asked. “Yes, stop” I was able to respond. She continued pressing down, checking for internal injuries, she palpated down to my pelvis and didn’t even have to ask again, “please stop!” I cried out, “it hurts a lot”.

“John we’re going to put a pelvic binder around your waist” Isabelle explained to me “that’s going to help control any internal bleeding until we get to hospital”

“Cover my waist please?” I desperately requested, understanding that I was naked in front of everyone.

“That’s not important John,” she answered, “you’re very sick right now, no one is looking at that”

I don’t think she comprehended how much stress and anxiety being exposed added for me. I was naked as the day I was born while Robert and Isabelle worked together to apply the belt-like pelvic binder around my waist.

3:18pm

Isabelle tightened the pelvic binder while Robert continued his exam down my legs and feet, checking thoroughly for injuries. I was trying to stay still but it wasn’t easy, I was feeling more and more overwhelmed with each passing minute. “Can you wiggle your toes for me John?” He asked. I struggled to do as I was instructed as my heart rate continued to rise. I was able to wiggle the toes on my left foot but not my right foot. “Can you wiggle your toes on this right foot John?” Robert asked again. “I am” I struggled to respond. I thought I was moving both feet but in fact, I was moving just my left which increased the worry that I had a spinal injury.

“Let’s roll him, get a clear look at his spine and get a board under him” Robert then instructed Isabelle and the officer.

3:19pm

Robert, Isabelle and the police officer worked together to carefully roll me on my side without moving my neck or spine. Robert thoroughly examined down my spinal cord while Isabelle and the officer kept me in position on my side. Up until then, I had been looking up at the paramedics, when they rolled me on my side, it was the first time that I saw the crowd watching with my own eyes. I understood that people were there but I didn’t realize just how many and how close they were. The other police officer had stopped traffic at the intersection, there were students, their parents and colleagues of mine just several feet away curiously looking on as the paramedics frantically tried to stabilize me.

After inspecting my spine, the medics slid a hard spinal board underneath me and laid me down flat onto it. They quickly taped my head and neck still to the board, strapped my wrists by my sides and my ankles to the foot of the spinal board.

3:20pm

Now restrained on the board, I was cold and trembling, “His heart rate is over 200,” Isabelle notified the other rescuers, “I can hear that he has fluid in his chest” she explained as she listened again with the stethoscope.

“Hang in there John, slow, deep breaths” Robert said looking down at me.

“We need to move” Isabelle added as I shook more aggressively.

They medics fastened 2 more straps across my chest and abdomen, immobilizing me completely on the spinal board.

“Can we have someone to help lift him?” Robert asked Colleen. She called for Steven, who quickly stepped forward. Steve, Isabelle, Robert and the officer grabbed a corner of the spinal board each and lifted me onto a gurney with wheels. Colleen continued to hold the I.V bag as she stood alongside them.

3:23pm

I was trying to slow my breathing down but couldn’t, I was petrified as they began wheeling me towards the waiting ambulance. The paramedics managed to get the air out of my chest but the fluid that built up was still making breathing extremely difficult. I was in a neck brace with my head taped down to the spinal board, staring up at the blue sky not knowing if I would survive the drive to hospital. I could see the bystanders watching out of the corners of my eyes. Even in a true life or death moment, I felt mortified that I was completely naked in front of so many people. My natural instinct was to try to hide my genitals with my hands again but was unable to because my wrists were strapped to the board.

“Get away from the back of the ambulance” demanded the police officer as onlookers curiously crowded the path to the ambulance.

“Back up! Back up!” Colleen added as they approached the back of the truck with me on the gurney

3:24pm

I could hear the ambulance doors open behind me. On the count of 3, the medics lifted the gurney up and slid me in. As they loaded me into the ambulance, I caught another glimpse of the audience watching the rescue. Robert, Isabelle and the police officer jumped into the back with me. Colleen requested to join but was instructed to ride in the front of the ambulance with the driver. I was relieved when the ambulance doors finally closed and I was out of sight.

3:25pm

They turned the sirens on as we began the journey to the trauma center. Isabelle was sitting at my head, Robert was on my left and the police officer was at my feet. Isabelle removed the oxygen mask from my face and began helping me breathe with an ambubag, “let’s work together John, try to breathe at my my pace” she instructed.

Robert prepared the ultrasound. “John, I need you to try to be calm for me. We have a bit of a drive to hospital, we’re going to take a look at your chest and belly with an ultrasound.” He immediately squirted the ultrasound gel onto my sternum and began scanning for signs of trauma. “He definitely has fluid in his chest”. I didn’t know exactly what that meant but I knew I was in grave danger.

To be continued...

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defib-boy · 2 months

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Greg’s Heart Attack

It is about 2:00 AM and I am in bed and my wife wakes up to me making a gurgling noise. She nudges me and says Greg wake up. I am not responding to her. She feels my neck for a pulse and she can’t find one. She shouts for our 16 year old daughter to call 911 I think your Dad is having a Heart Attack. She says oh no dad and runs over to me. She is a Junior EMT so she feels for a pulse on my Neck and Wrist and can’t find one either. Mom we need to start CPR as she calls 911 saying my Dad is having a Heart Attack. The dispatcher says they are getting the paramedics their ASAP. She says does anyone in the house know CPR. Yes my Mom has started compressions and I am a junior EMT. Does your Dad have any major health issues? Yes he is over 400 Pounds has diabetes and hypertension. How many cycles of CPR has your Mom done 5 OK check your dad for a pulse. No pulse OK tell your Mom to continue compressions. It’s not working where the paramedics are? They will be there in about 2 minutes. My Mom is getting tired from doing compressions. The dispatcher says as a junior EMT you know CPR Jennifer? OK great says the dispatcher take over compressions on your dad and hand Mom the phone. I can’t Jennifer says. The dispatcher says yes you can your dad needs your help. She gains her composure and starts pumping my chest as my wife gets on the phone saying please hurry his lips are blue. The dispatcher says the paramedics should be there in about a minute. Do you feel a pulse Jenn my wife asks? No she says come on dad stay with us. Just then they both hear the siren of the ambulance my wife thanks the dispatcher and goes and opens the door for the Paramedics as Jennifer continues pumping my chest. Two young female paramedics Lauren and Megan come in with the gurney and full advanced life support equipment. How long has he been without a pulse Lauren asks? Jennifer says about 5 minutes we started CPR immediately. OK Megan let’s try to get him on the floor so we can do better CPR. Jennifer is kicking herself for not remembering that as it was part of her training. They get me on the floor and Lauren rips open my pajama shirt exposing my big 400 pound chest and Megan continues compressions and Lauren hands Jennifer the Ambu Bag saying the dispatcher said you’re a junior EMT you should know how to use the Ambu Bag. I need you to bag your dad while I get him hooked up to the monitor. Jennifer says OK and takes the Green Ambu Bag from Lauren and gives me two breaths after Megan does 30 compressions. After Lauren gets me hooked up to the monitor it shows Asystole. She starts an IV on me and injects a MG of Epi and 50 CC of Atropine. She takes over compressions from Megan to give drugs time to circulate after about a minute the monitor shows Vfib. Megan Gels the paddles to 300 Joules since I am obese and tells Jennifer to back away and Lauren to clear and she shocks me. My wife and Jennifer scream as my body jumps off the floor from the shock. No change Lauren says charge to 360 as she resumes compressions on me. Jennifer is crying as she is bagging me saying come on Dad don’t leave us. Megan shocks me at 360 and Sinus Bradycardia shows on the monitor. Jennifer says that’s it dad come back to us. Lauren and Megan are glad they got my heart going but I am far from out of the woods. Megan takes my BP as Lauren puts me on 15 liters of oxygen via rebreather mask. My BP is low at 95/40. Lauren says to Megan we need to get him to Mercy ASAP. They lift my 400 pound body onto the gurney and rush me out to the ambulance. Lauren rubs my sternum saying Greg can you hear me and I don’t respond. Jennifer as a junior EMT knows that is not a good sign. They tell my wife and Jennifer they did a good job with CPR. Lauren tells Jennifer I could use your help in the back in case your Dad crashes again and your mom can ride up front with Megan as she expected me to crash again. Jennifer hesitates but her Mom says stay with dad please. Jennifer nods and jumps into the back of the ambulance. They start rushing to the Hospital as Megan radios they are in there way in with a possible code 45 year old male suffered Heart Attack in bed ETA 5 minutes. Lauren gets another IV established in my other arm so the ER team has another way of getting medication into me. Jennifer is trying to get me to wake up saying dad can you hear me its Jenn but I am not responding. She asks Lauren looking at the monitor I think he is throwing PVC’S? Lauren says very good yes he is I am going to give him some medicine to hopefully stabilize that as she injects medicine into my IV line. We are about 2 minutes from the hospital when all of a sudden I start seizing. Lauren tells Jennifer he is starting to seize she grabs the green ambu bag and says here take him off the oxygen and hyperventilate him. She yells up to Megan to step on it as I am seizing on them. Lauren injects 50 MG of Ativan into my IV line. She tells Jennifer I am going to have to try and intubate your dad to protect his airway. Jennifer nods as the Ativan kicks in but the seizure has caused me to go into asystole. His heart stopped Jennifer said in a panic. Lauren says start compressions I am going to intubate. She yells to Megan He’s in Asystole how long about a minute. My wife starts crying when she hears and Megan says it will be OK. Lauren manages to get me intubated with a 7.0 ET Tube and tells Jennifer to bag me while she listens for breath sounds. She says I am moving air and takes over compressions from Jennifer who has been really focused on saving me. He’s still in flat line come on Dad show us something Jennifer says. I am injecting MG of EPI and atropine Lauren says. Lauren and Jennifer can feel the ambulance backing into the ambulance bay. Thank God we are at the hospital Jenn says. The monitor shows V-Fib and Lauren says I am going to shock him before we unload. Gel the paddles and charge unit to 300 she tells Jennifer as she continues hard and deep compressions on me. Jennifer does as she is told and hands the paddles to Lauren. Lauren says clear and Jenn drops the ambu bag next to my face and I jump off the gurney as she shocks me. No change Jenn says as the ambulance doors open with Megan and my wife standing there. Lauren and Megan unload me from the ambulance as Megan hops on the gurney and straddles me giving me compressions as Lauren bags me. My wife and Jennifer are crying and hugging each other as they follow them into the ER. People in the waiting room can see Lauren and Megan’s efforts to get me breathing again. They get me to the resuscitation bay where a nurse stops my wife and Jennifer and takes them to a private waiting room. Megan gives report as she gets off gurney to help transfer me to the ER bed. 45 year old obese male suffered Heart Attack in bed. CPR started immediately by wife and teenage daughter was in asystole when we arrived got back after a couple of shocks. Started seizing in the ambulance intubated with a 7.0 ET tube been coding for about 5 minutes. The beautiful female ER resident says OK let’s get him on our monitor as a student nurse takes over bagging me from Lauren. Let’s give him another MG of EPI and 150 of amiodarone says the doctor. The nurses are stripping me taking off my sweatpants I was sleeping in. I am now naked on the ER gurney as the ER team is fighting to get my heart going again. Lauren and Megan stop by the waiting room to say goodbye to my wife and Jennifer and Lauren says to Jennifer you did a great job helping me with your dad. You are going to be a great EMT. Jennifer says thank you. Back in the resuscitation room it’s been 2 minutes OK let’s do a rhythm check. Monitor shows vfib ok let’s gel the paddles to 300 and clear no change doctor the nurse bagging me says. Charge to 360 and clear he converted doctor Normal Sinus. She feels for a pulse on groin and says it’s there but weak. Get an ultrasound machine in here I need to look at his heart. Let’s start an IV of lidocaine drip to keep his heart going. Prepare for central line in his chest as well. The student nurse bagging me rubs my sternum to try to arouse me. I am not responding. The ultrasound machine is brought in and the Doctor puts some gel on the wand and places it on my flabby chest oh boy she says he has major blockage by both his right and left ventricles. We need to get him to the Cath lab stat. I am going to insert the central line into his chest. How his BP is asks the doctor. Not good says one of the ER nurse 85/35. OK this looks like a major MI let’s get him ready for the Cath lab. They disconnect me from the ER monitors and attached me to a portable monitor which shows my heart is struggling to beat. The transport team has arrived to take me to the Cath lab. It takes several people to lift my obese unconscious body onto the transport gurney. The ER doctor is coming with me to the Cath lab because she doesn’t like what she sees on the monitor. A beautiful blonde nurse is bagging me. I am wheeled through the halls of the hospital being bagged and everyone is wondering what is causing me to be totally dependent on someone breathing for me. An ER nurse went to the waiting room to tell my wife and Jennifer what is going on. She says Greg has two major blockages by his Right and Left Ventricles. We are getting him to the Cath lab to hopefully clear the blockages. We got his heart started again but it is struggling right now to beat. I will take you up to the ICU waiting room as that is where he will be going once procedure is done. Jennifer asks the nurse through her tears is my Dad going to live? She tries to comfort Jennifer and says right now your dad is in critical condition. Hopefully the cardiologist can clear the blockages if he can’t he might need bypass surgery. I arrive at the Cath lab. The young female cardiologist and her team are waiting for me all gowned up. The transport team puts me on the Cath lab table. They put a cap and mask on the young nurse bagging me. How’s he doing asks the cardiologist. He’s barely holding on says the ER doc BP is only 80/45 pulse is thready throwing PVC’S. OK let’s get started as the cardiologist inserts a catheter into my groin to try and get to my heart. She gets it to the blockage in my Right Ventricle and pushes the stent in place and blood starts flowing again. Relieved she asks the nurse for my BP she says still very low 80/50. I start to throw PVC’S again as she is trying to get to my Left Ventricle. Give him some Lidocaine let’s try to stabilize his heart rate. She gets the stent into my Left Ventricle when the monitor goes into VFIB. Damit says the cardiologist call a code. One of the nurses begins pumping my chest as CODE BLUE CATH LAB CODE BLUE CATH LAB is heard over the Hospital PA. My wife and Jennifer hear and start crying knowing that I am the one in the lab. Give a MG of EPI and 150 of amiodarone says the cardiologist. The nurse pumping my chest says come on Greg stay with us. Pulse check says cardiologist they stop compressions Vfib says the nurse on the monitor charge paddles to 300. Paddles charged says the nurse at the crash cart everybody clear as the nurses performing CPR and bagging clear my body. The monitor shows normal sinus rhythm. Thank God we got him back the Cardiologist says. What’s his BP 95/55 pulse 40 HR 55 OK let’s get him up to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. Call ahead and tell them to have a vent ready. The transport team arrives and lifts my obese body back onto the transport gurney. The student nurse bagging me once again rubs my sternum saying Greg can you hear me. I am still not responding. The cardiologist looks at my pupils they are sluggish but reactive. I am wheeled through the halls of the hospital being bagged with a yellow ambu bag by the nurse. My wife and Jennifer see me being wheeled into CICU. They ask the nurse if they can see me and my condition. She tells them please wait in the waiting room. The doctor will be in to talk to you once we get Greg settled in his ICU room. They transport me from the transport gurney to the ICU bed. The Respiratory Therapist quickly connects me to the ventilator and sets it at 100% life support. The nurses put my multiple IV bags on the poles behind the bed. An automatic BP cuff is put on my Right Arm and is programmed to take my BP every 5 minutes. Initial reading is 95/60. The doctor orders IV fluids to try and get it up as soon as possible. They attach me to the ICU monitors. I have a normal sinus rhythm but my HR is only in the 50’s. The nurses clean me up from my multiple codes by wiping the defib gel off my chest and getting under my flabby breasts. While this is going on the cardiologist says I am going to go and talk to his wife and daughter. The ICU team puts Anti-clot devices on my legs to keep my blood circulating in my legs to prevent a DVT blood clot. They insert a Foley catheter in my penis to measure urine output and attach a urine bag to the side of my bed. They secure my ET tube with a Blue Thomas ET Tube Holder. Overall my vital signs are still not stable and my condition is listed as critical at this point. The cardiologist goes to the ICU waiting room to speak to my family. She tells them I suffered a major heart attack and my condition at this point is critical. My vital signs are not stable and they are working very hard to try and stabilize me. They ask to see me and she says a nurse will be in shortly and they can see me. She tells them I am fully dependent on the ventilator at this point. The ICU Nurses put an oversize hospital gown on me and one goes out to the waiting room to bring my wife and Jennifer into the ICU room. She warns them that I am on a ventilator and they are still working to stabilize me. My wife and Jennifer walk into my ICU room and they are both horrified at how I look. Jennifer falls into my wife’s arms crying. She says it will be OK Jenn we have to try and stay strong for your dad. The nurse says that right now I am in a coma. She says to Jennifer take your dad’s hand and talk to him. My wife comes by my face and strokes my hair and kisses me on my face by my ET tube saying I love you Greg please fight for your family don’t leave us. Jennifer grabs my hand and says Daddy I love you and I need you. She looks at my monitors and knows as an EMT that my vitals don’t look stable. The cardiologist comes in with an ultrasound machine as they are visiting with me. She says I want to take another look at Greg’s heart to check his blood flow with the stents put in. The nurse pulls my gown down exposing my 400 pound chest and flabby breasts. The doctor puts some gel on the wand to look at my heart. She rubs the wand on my chest as she is doing this the automatic BP cuff is inflating taking my latest blood pressure reading. She shakes her head and turns to my wife and Jennifer. She says the stents didn’t help that much. The arteries are still not clear. I am going to have to get a CT Scan of Greg’s heart. I think he might need Bypass Surgery. She tells the nurse to schedule a CT ASAP. My BP reading is still low 90/45. She tells the nurse to hang another bag of IV fluids we need to get his BP up. The doctor looks at my pupils and they are reactive but very little. Radiology calls and they say they are ready for me. My wife and Jennifer look on as they disconnect me from the ventilator and attached a green ambu bag for a young nurse to bag me as I am put on a transport gurney to be brought down to radiology. I am attached to a portable monitor and a portable defib unit is also placed on the gurney as my vital signs are still dangerously low. My family is asked to wait in the ICU waiting room. I am taken through the halls of the hospital with just a hospital gown covering my obese body with a beautiful nurse bagging me keeping me breathing. I arrive at the CT scanner and I am placed on the table. The nurse bagging me is given a flap jacket as she has to stay with me to bag me during the scan. The cardiologist is observing the scans as they come in and she doesn’t like what she sees. The transport team comes and lifts me back onto the transport gurney and I am taken back to ICU still being bagged by a beautiful young blond nurse. She is talking to me trying to get me to respond but I am showing no signs of responsiveness. I am in the elevator with my medical team when all of a sudden my heart goes into V-Fib. My lead nurse who came with me to CT says shit he’s crashing and lowers the bed rails and jumps onto the gurney and straddles me and starts compressions. Call ahead to ICU tell them we have an incoming code. The elevator opens and they yell to clear the way as they are rushing me back to ICU. Over the load speaker is heard incoming CODE BLUE ICU CODE BLUE ICU. My wife and Jennifer rush out of the ICU waiting room and are horrified to see me being given CPR as they wheel me into my ICU room they try to follow but are stopped by the Social Worker. Please they need room to work on Greg. The nurse jumps off the bed. Let’s give him MG of EPI and 150 of amiodarone says ICU doctor. How long has he been coding about 3 minutes says the nurse bagging me. Charge and gel paddles to 300 joules since I am so obese. The paddles are charged and the doctor tells nurses pumping my chest and bagging me to stand clear as she shocks me. My obese chest jumps off the bed and lands no change says the nurse bagging me. Give another round of EPI and 100cc of Lidocaine says the doctor recharge to 360. Paddles charged to 360 and clear. I go back into asystole. Doctor we are losing him says the nurse bagging me. Resume compressions give 300 of amiodarone and 50cc Sodium Bicarbonate. How long has he been down she asks the recorder about 10 minutes as my obese breasts bounce under the aggressive CPR being given to me by the nurse as she says come on Greg fight for us and your family. It’s been two minutes ok pulse check he’s back in v-fib. Ok charge and gel paddles to 360 and clear. Everybody waits and looks at my monitors and I convert to Normal Sinus for now. OK he’s back great job everybody let’s get him back on the ventilator and I will go have a tough talk with his wife and daughter. The ICU Doctor goes to talk to my wife and Jennifer as the ICU nurses clean the gel off my flabby chest and put my oversize hospital gown back on me. The doctor tells them they got my heart started again but my condition is critical. The scan showed my Aorta is not fully attached to my heart wall and could tear at any time. I need surgery to repair the tear but the cardiologist thinks I am too weak at this point to survive the surgery. My wife asks for options. The doctor says it’s a waiting game at this point but Greg’s chances of survival are about 20%. Jennifer starts crying and says to my wife I don’t want to lose my dad. I know Jenn it will be OK. Can we see him my wife asks? Yes but only for a few minutes we are fighting to keep him stable. The next 48 hours are going to be critical time for Greg. I will have a nurse come and get you when you can see him in a few minutes. The ICU nurse assigned to me comes and gets my wife and Jennifer for a visit. They come into my ICU room and can tell I am not doing well. My face is a greyish-blue in color and my body has started to retain fluid. My wife grabs my hand and it is cold. She says to me come on Greg fight your way through this. Jennifer is at the entrance to my room she is too upset to come in. My wife says Jen come say hi to your dad. Mom I can’t I’m scared. My nurse tries to put her at ease. Jennifer it might help your dad knowing you are hear. Jennifer comes up to my bedside and says Dad please be OK fight for us. My Nurse lets them keep vigil at my bedside for about an hour. It is now about 8:00 PM she says to my wife it’s been a long day for the two of you. Why don’t you go home and get some sleep. If any change in Greg’s condition we will call you at once. They both kiss me goodnight and say goodbye and go home to get some rest. During the night my nurse starts to notice that she has to suction my ET tube more frequently and around 3:30 AM she notices that blood is coming up through my tube as well. She fears that my aortic tear has gotten worse she pages the cardiologist on call to come and see me stat. The cardiologist comes to my room and my nurse says blood is coming up through my ET tube. The doctor orders 2 units of A+ blood to be hung stat. My BP is low at 75/45. The cardiologist listens to my chest and can tell my lungs are filled with fluid. He tells my nurse he is crashing better get rapid response in here. She calls the operator to call Rapid Response to ICU room 3. My nurse goes behind my bed and rolls it out a little and takes the headboard off. The rapid response team has arrived and they lift my obese chest and place a CPR board under me. What’s his BP and HR says the young female response team resident BP 65/30 and HR in the 40’s. Open up his IV fluids. What’s his diagnosis? A partial aortic tear says my lead nurse too weak for surgery at this point. Been receiving blood products to try and keep him stabilize but some blood has come up through his ET tube and I had to suction about 100 CC already. Hang another 4 units of blood says the Senior Resident better get the crash cart in here and have Social Work notify his family. It is not looking good. My monitors than go off and my nurse says shit vfib. OK let’s get a full code team in here. The doctor pushes the code blue button on the wall and heard over the Hospital PA at 4:00 AM CODE BLUE ICU ROOM 3 CODE BLUE ICU ROOM 3. The RT comes to the back of my bed gently lifts the pillow from underneath my head and disconnects my ventilator and starts bagging me with a Green Ambu bag and another nurse rips off my hospital gown and starts compressions on my 400 pound body my flabby breasts jiggling with each compression. Let’s give him MG of EPI and 150 amiodarone. What’s his BP 40 over palp says the nurse he’s crashing fast. Drugs in says medication nurse. Blood and fluid coming up through tube says RT keep suctioning him. Already 50 CC out of the tube says the RT. 2 minutes says recorder OK pulse check says code leader. Vfib on monitor OK gel the paddles and charge to 300 joules. Everyone stand clear as the nurse doing compressions and bagging me drops ambu bag next to my face and the doctor yells clear and my 400 pound chest jumps off my ICU bed. No response says nurse bagging me as she resumes give another round of EPI and 50 of lidocaine and charge to 360 as the paddles charge. Drugs on board says medication nurse. Paddles ready at 360 doctor says crash cart nurse and clear says the doctor. Everybody waits and looks at my monitors. Asystole doctor says nurse bagging me. Switch compressors and resume CPR as he listens to my heart and lungs. His lungs are filled with fluid and most likely blood we are going to have to crack his chest. Get me a Thoracotomy tray as the nurse bagging me says stay with us Greg. They squirt my chest with betadine and put a green sterile drape over my obese chest and the doctor makes an incision from the top of my sternum to my abdomen and says rib spreader as the nurse hands him the rib spreader and you can hear my ribs being spread apart and as they are blood pours out of my chest. Damit says the Cardiologist suction as he tries to get to my heart. Doctor BP is gone. Hang another 3 units on the rapid infuser as the nurse bagging me tells the doctor my pupils are fixed and dilated. She strokes my hair saying stay with us Greg. The doctor finally clears the blood away and gets to my heart and she sees my Aorta has completely torn away from my heart. She says does anyone have any ideas? Everyone on the code team shakes their head no. He lost all his blood volume. We are going to have to call the code. Time of death 5:23 AM. Has social work called his wife and daughter? Yes they are on their way. Let’s close his chest and clean him up so they can say goodbye. My wife and Jennifer arrive at the hospital about 20 minutes after they called my code. The social worker escorts them into the ICU family room and the doctor and my nurse who cared for me come in and tell them that I coded during the night and they worked on me for over an hour and cracked open my chest but my aorta separated from my heart wall and there was nothing they could do to save me. They both break down and cry in each other’s arms. The nurse asks them would you like to see Greg and say goodbye. They say yes and the nurse escorts them into my ICU room where my body is covered with a white sheet and the nurse removes the sheet to uncover my face. Crying they both kiss me goodbye and walk out of the room comforting each other. My nurse and two others then get a transport gurney. They put an oversize body bag on the gurney and the 3 of them lift me onto the gurney. They put a toe tag on my Left Foot to ID me and then close the body bag. They then transport me down to the hospital morgue where the funeral home my wife called will pick up my obese body.

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