first dead person

[wolf]

Originally posted by dar512
This thread reminded me of the movie Bringing Out the Dead.

One of my favorite movies (Ambulance movies are few and far between). What I really appreciated about it was that they did it right ... I've recommended the movie to a lot of EMS people. And nearly everyone picks the same minor detail to explain how good the prep work was ... that one scene, where Frank and Mary are in the back of the bus, and she's banging her head against the padding like every two seconds, and he's just riding along ... knowing how the rig will respond to every bump and turn.

Nicholas Cage's character is THE personification of burn-out. Flashbacks, avoidance, sleeplessness, alcohol and drug abuse.

Not surprisingly, the book is better, but the movie is GREAT. Doesn't have the excitement or sweeping visual spectacle elements of Backdraft, which is THE fire movie, but it's an awesome film with a great soundtrack.

[plthijinx]

i've seen many dead people growing up as i hung out in a hospital for many a year (dad was a surgeon, wanted me to do the same). well nothing has struck me more in the gut than this. at the beginning of the month and one of my coworkers on the floor above me in the piping dept. had a heart attack. i found out about what was going on from a cube-mate and when i asked him who it was he didn't know. i hauled it out the back door and up the stairwell and when i opened the back door to the piping dept. there was don. this guy was the nicest guy. looked like a hippy santa. three of my other co-workers were doing cpr. i had to go back down stairs. then when i came back up to see what was happening, about 5 mins. later, the EMT's were there and they had that new defibulator (sp?) that instructs you what to do in a female voice. that was just plain weird. the box said "no pulse detected. shock recommended. charging.....clear" something along those lines anyway. the box difibulated don and after about 15 mins. he regained conciousness. i was sooo relieved. after a few minutes the EMT's told him they were going to move him to the stretcher and he joked "watch out now, i'm heavy" every one chuckled at that. more so in relief that he was back and being himself. a few minutes later they gave him some asprin and asked him to chew it up and swallow it. again, he joked "awwww do i have to?!?" making that funny, icky face kids get when they taste something new that they don't like. when they had him stabilized they transported him to Herman hospital to treat him. while they were preparing him for surgery he had another heart attack only it was a massive one and unfortunatly did not make it. aside from all of this there is one thing that REALLY gets me in the craw. when don's wife showed up a the hospital the doctors and nurses would not let her see him. IMO that is the worst thing that could happen. if i were on either side of the situation (patient or spouse/loved one) it would be so relieving to see that person that one more time. especially when they're coherent. i've been in icu before and man, i can't tell you how wonderfull it was to see family. well i could go on....sorry for the long one guys. just something i had to get off of my chest. thx.