It's funny how some days you get calls that are similar. Cosmic coincidence, lining up of the planets, just dumb luck? Still, you have to tackle each call as if it were a genuine emergency. You must presume that the information you have is incomplete and flawed. Even if you've seen the same patient already, a week ago or an hour ago, something may have changed.
One day, on engine 37, we went to several MVC's (motor vehicle collision) involving different young women named Tiffany. Sometimes she was the collider, sometimes the collidee. They were all substantively different calls, but had enough coincidence to warrant mention. I hadn't had a patient named Tiffany before and haven't had one since.
I enjoy the detective work of interviewing patients. Each patient is a nut to crack, with a unique complaint, history, and presentation. Often, they call because they know enough about what's going on to know they need a ride to the hospital. If they have an obvious injury, there's usually an equally obvious course of action. Other times, they think something's wrong and just want an evaluation. We're not doctors (as we're quick to point out), but we need to formulate a plan for this patient, which boils down to either: A) Stay at home, or B) Go to the ER.
So today's diabetic emergency day, and I just remembered that my aid kit is out of glucometry test strips.
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