I'm Back........

welcome back .. glad to hear your home and up and around again...
Take things a day at a time .. glad to hear your getting counseling for the nightmares too.. in time they will fade (speaking from experience..) but it helps alot to have someone to talk to about them as well - dont bottle it up... hope your recovery continues to go well ..

Just wanted to say "Thank You!" Although that doesn't nearly seem to be enough. I missed your wife's original thread, so this is all news to me.
I'm so glad your going to heal from this, though the mental will probably take much longer than the physical. It sounds like you have a wonderful support group at home, which is wonderful.

You are a wonderful man!

reply to post by Starwise


I dont know a lot about them but I am assuming that since the bleeding had a stopped and they drained the blood that was around the lung then the hemo was gone. The doctor said I could go home after 3 days there, I took his word for it. Believe me if I start to get any symtpoms that make me believe it is back I will go in to the ER immediately.

Originally posted by lcbjr1979
reply to post by Starwise

 

I dont know a lot about them but I am assuming that since the bleeding had a stopped and they drained the blood that was around the lung then the hemo was gone. The doctor said I could go home after 3 days there, I took his word for it. Believe me if I start to get any symtpoms that make me believe it is back I will go in to the ER immediately.

You are SO LUCKY!! Thank you for your response. Yes, please take it very easy!!! x3 days just seems rather quick, but like you said the docs know (usually). Good thing you didn't get a pneumothorax from the bleeding!

My family worries about me a lot, since I work with with many narcotics and after Hurricane Irene, we had a flash mob move through the hospital to take food.....What if those psychos out there want the drugs.... Anyway....

You have been truly blessed. By any chance did you get the bullet??? That would have been interesting to know what type of round it was....

Also, you know now that you are going to have to call your wife all the time until she also gets over the shock and trauma of it!

Take Care Hugs

reply to post by Starwise


Lol thats funny cause I asked them if I could get the bullet for a good luck charm. The police ended up taking it for eveidence. The gun was a glock handgun. I was told that normally handguns dont have enough power to go through and through the body but they say because I am very thin there was not much resistance for the bullet to pass through. If I am remembering right the man was about 8 feet away from when he fired so the range has something to do with it as well.

You need to be very safe at work. We have narcs on our ambulance as well and we often wonder what would happen if someone really wanted to drugs bad enough. Its a strange world out there and people do not think about what thier actions will mean.

Stay safe, thank you for your support

Glad to see you back in, in my religion in such circumstances we say you had some angel looking over you as it could as easily turned the other way and to add to that, and i do not know if your a religious person or not, regardless of that, we usually say go and find a candle that is the same height as you and light it in the name of which ever angle had his name day on the day of the incident.

Real good to have you back and next time plz...i do not want to read another post like, simply be extra extra careful, you were obviously given a chance in life so embrace and teach others.


Sincerely

C.A.

I popped in for a minute this morning,but I had to leave for work. I'm so glad that your gonna be ok. Good to have you back. Take it easy till you heal, we all like having you around. I'm looking forward to seeing you around the forums. I'm adding you as a friend. It takes allot of guts to do what you do. I have some friends who are paramedics and they have told me many stories about what they have done and seen.Be well.

You were a Blessing sent to that family and all your work in Service and sacrifice towards the Good Will is certainly not done with yet brother.

Thank you so much for the person you are because people like you are an inspiration to so many others.

Well being home with my family has certainly been good for me. You dont realize how much you miss your wife and daughter until you cant see them. My semester at school has started and my professors are allowing me to do my course work online until I feel like I can attend school.

The only down side is that I still have trouble sleeping. Part of it is laying flat in my bed is not comfortable right now and the other is having nightmares, sometimes it is a nightmare of the event others it is me watching my family at my funeral another is watching my daughter get shot. I have no idea why my daughter getting shot is happening while I sleep, but it scares the hell out of me. I am meeting with a counselor tomorow per the protocols that are in place at my work. As much as I hate taking pills I may need to ask for some meds to help me sleep.

Thats my update folks, talk to ya all soon.

Originally posted by cerebralassassins
Glad to see you back in, in my religion in such circumstances we say you had some angel looking over you.....

I'd say that the little boy you saved had an angel, that aided you. Looking back, I'm sure that you should have made that call, to the police, outside. But, something in you wanted to let that boy know that man wasn't going to hurt him anymore. You made that abundantly true! It might have been difficult to prove, otherwise. Things sometimes happen in mysterious ways. You are that boys true life hero!

I'm so glad that you are home with your family. You all need each other now, and, I hope that you are able to meet with that boy, at least one more time. Things aren't going to be easy for him.

Bless you all,
Windword

a few things that may help you to sleep ..
1. shut off television a couple hours before go to bed.
2. a good soak in the tub
3. a cup of chamomile tea.
4. get a sound machine set it for beach or rain sounds and let it run while you sleep - works well got app from android market on my mobile called relax and sleep that use on my annual trips downriver as never can sleep when in cities.

Some young boy will remember you for the rest of his life...who knows..maybe you inspired him to become a paramedic...or even some members on this site.

I'm very happy to hear you are recovering.. and out of the woods so to speak physically. Hopefully the emotional and psychological trauma will heal as well over time.. and know that many of us are keeping you in our prayers.

I will tell you I have the utmost respect for you.. and that's just for being a paramedic.. the act of bravery you did that day goes above and beyond that fact.

You people deal with so much..and see so much.. and I can't fathom how you keep it together dealing with so many situations that you have to deal with.

Heres a toast to all of you men and women who do this job.. my respect and admiration for all of you is immense.

I wish you all the best in your future studies.. and my best to all of your family as well.

Please tell your partner I think he was very brave as well to go after the guy.. and to PLEASE not beat himself up over it.

God bless all of you paramedics.. and may His angels protect you as you do this very important work.

reply to post by lcbjr1979

Man, it's so, so good to see you back. I can only echo what others have said: we're proud of you, we're grateful to you for what you do for others every day, and each in his or her own way, we've been praying for you, your family, and the child you helped to save.

I knew you'd make it through this; I believe we all did!

Thank you, bless you, long life and health to you and yours! And please pass on our thanks to your wife for sharing with us.

Mike

forgot to mention earlier .. was bit busy when posted . .. it will be easier for you to sleep in a semi-upright position due to the pnuemothorax try prop up with pillows or sleep in reclining chair till it heals up bit more. apologies forgot to mention earlier.

reply to post by lcbjr1979


Isn't it amazing how strong the attachment can become for people who have never even met? I know there was a HUGE collective sigh when your wife said you were going to be okay, and then when you were coming home!

I know you don't think yourself a hero, but hero's rarely do. But you know that society often views firefighters/paramedics as hero's based on the jobs that they do. You, however, took that a step further. After you were shot your actions spoke of your true nature. You did something that the boys own mother and step-father hadn't done; you protected him. I have no doubt that during his darkest moments, he is going to remember your face and the fact that someone thought his life was worth saving.

Your nightmares are normal. It is part of how the human brain sorts through the intense emotions without totally losing it. Talking about what happened (as hard as it may be) will be a big step in sorting it all out.(and I don't just mean the facts but how you were feeling) I don't know if you are only meeting with the counselour or an actual debrief 'team' (all the people involved in the call that day) but if it is just a one-on-one, ask about a formal debrief. I believe that discussing the actual events, play-by-play and hearing it from all the different views and what they were feeling (from your partners, to the police, to the dispatcher) is key. You know how your brain is constanty playing that scene over and over and over and over again? Putting it all out there and seeing it through their eyes to complete the picture helps to interrupt that cycle....it isn't a magic fix, but it is a begining. The brain acutally has several levels of processing that it goes through and getting past that first one can be the toughest. If you find that, after a couple of more weeks, you are still having a hard time sleeping, or are still replaying it constantly in your head, are irritable, angry or depressed than you probably need some more help in sorting it out. It'll be a long process but it seems like you have all the support to help you get through it!

Don't push yourself too hard or expect too much. Oh, and watch out for all the political threads...

reply to post by westcoast


Update: I met with the counselor and we talked for about an hour one on one and then it was a full debrief with everyone involved and last night was the first time I slept through the night since this whole thing went down. Hopefully the mental healing is starting.

While at walmart today to get my meds refilled fate stepped in once again. I ran into the mom and kid I was treating that day. We are a small town of roughly 7000 people so its not that off the wall to run into someone you treat. Anyway, as soon as he saw me he began to cry and he appeared to be running over to me while on his crutches and he gave me a big hug and said thank you. His mother also hugged me and said thank you. Seeing him out of the hospital and doing very well reaffirmed in me why I do what I do. Part of me was considering hanging up my medic uniform but after this meeting today I realize that even though there is always a risk in this job, I cant just stop. I have the knowledge and ability to help others on the worst days of their lives and who knows how many others are out there that I can help.

I have been told I should not return to work for at least 6 weeks, I have decided to take that time to focus on my school work for this semester and make sure that when it is time for me to go back I am 100% both physically and mentally. All of you on ATS that have been part of this thread have been a huge part of my healing process and if one day you need some help I am just a U2U away.

reply to post by lcbjr1979


That story brought tears to my eyes.. . how happy that boy was to see you..my heart is bursting right now.. and I can imagine how his heart was bursting as well...he probably had been very worried about you.

Wow.. just wow.. is all I can say.. *sighs*

I'd pay big dollars to see a rerun of that in a movie..actually better yet.. to have been in walmart that day watching.

God bless you in your work.. and please once again tell your partner I think he is awesome too.

reply to post by lcbjr1979

Yay!!!
I'm SO glad to hear you're home and getting things figured out!
I hope your wife goes ahead with a second account, she's already been welcomed with open arms, and I bet she could even "quiz out" of the "introductions" requirement!

(But wudeweyeno...I'm still a roookie meself...)

I didn't see this thread until just now when I went to check on the one she started.

WELCOME HOME!
wild

Originally posted by lcbjr1979
reply to post by caladonea

 

Thanks for the kind words but I really dont think of myself as a hero, I am just a paramedic who was doing his job.

Thank you for your selfless service to the community.

You are a hero, and I'll bet that little boy would agree with me.

BTW: go Giants

reply to post by vogon42


Hell yeah Go Giants