Hello, I've began blogging again and I would like everyone to join me at Going For health.
A little different format. I'm trying to be lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle after moving to New England.
Thursday, June 25
Friday, May 1
Tuesday, April 28
Finally
Hello,
I'm Parmeddan and I have been searching for myself for as long as I can remember. Many of you who are reading this blog have searched just the same. I'm tired, fed-up, disgusted, overwhelmed and sick of being what I consider mediocre. I've battled addictions to nicotine and alcohol since I was a teenager. I have been broken down by the negative thoughts of self-pity that have controlled my life until now. Over the next 80 or so days I will record my eating habits, sleep schedule, photos, feelings and mental attitude so that I can show the world that I, Parameddan, can overcome obesity, self-loathing, sleep deprivation and most importantly mediocrity to the world. Welcome to my new blog, my new self and Parameddan as a winner and not just another Paramedic who thinks they can't go above the perception of those around them!
I'm Parmeddan and I have been searching for myself for as long as I can remember. Many of you who are reading this blog have searched just the same. I'm tired, fed-up, disgusted, overwhelmed and sick of being what I consider mediocre. I've battled addictions to nicotine and alcohol since I was a teenager. I have been broken down by the negative thoughts of self-pity that have controlled my life until now. Over the next 80 or so days I will record my eating habits, sleep schedule, photos, feelings and mental attitude so that I can show the world that I, Parameddan, can overcome obesity, self-loathing, sleep deprivation and most importantly mediocrity to the world. Welcome to my new blog, my new self and Parameddan as a winner and not just another Paramedic who thinks they can't go above the perception of those around them!
Monday, April 27
Wednesday, January 28
Tuesday, January 20
Where Have I Been?
It's been quite a while since I have felt compelled to write anything related to this blog. The urge to blog seems to come and go for no obvious reason. Now that my wife and I have finally made our move from the Deep South to New England, of all places, I feel that I can write again. The last few months have been very difficult. Given the stress of moving, applying for a job, applying for school and trying to understand what everyone is saying here has been very stressful to say the least. I've gone to the edge of sanity and feel that I may never return to normal. I'm back in the field, urban EMS this time, and it's fun but busy as hell and the turd factor is through the roof. Anyway, I hope to share many stories from now on and maybe I can hold it together.
Peace.
Peace.
Sunday, February 10
Men's Health Belly Off Challenge!!!
I have decided it's time to join the Men's Health Belly Off Challenge. Over the past few years I have gained way to much weight. Now it is time to do something about it. Tomorrow is my first day of workouts and I commit to doing the workouts and eating like I know I should. My current weight is 227 and my goal is to reach 185 by the end of the year. That's very ambitious but doable and flexible if I need more time. I am excited and willing to sacrifice the french fries for better health.
Saturday, September 15
A Great Time To Remember
It's cooler outside these days. I walked down the few concrete steps outside of my domicile this morning and was refreshed by a cool earthy fall breeze. It made my early morning journey much better even though I would have much rather been upstairs with my wife who was probably falling back to sleep with our two muts filling my absence with fur.
Each step I took I felt better about the days ahead but I couldn't help but think about days past. It's funny how the weather brings back memories. I reminisced about walking across a long field at daylight to sit in a tree stand and about stepping into a cold river at the beginning of a cathartic day of fishing. I do miss those days when the fall brought expectations of long evenings shooting the breeze with friends after being outside all day swinging a hammer and listening to country music. Not that I would trade them, I am happy now, but nostalgia overcomes me periodically especially this time of year. I've missed the crispness of the air and the crunch of fallen leaves.
It's so been so hot and stifling over the past couple of months I had almost forgotten that fall was around the corner. I've been caught up in the everyday business of living that I haven't taken the time to just stop and absorb what makes life so wonderful.
I finally arrived at my car and set down to start the engine. It whined a little and sputtered but, as it has for a while now, performed without fault as I drove from the parking lot. I rolled down the windows and let the wind fill the cab with yet another opportunity to remember the past.
Each step I took I felt better about the days ahead but I couldn't help but think about days past. It's funny how the weather brings back memories. I reminisced about walking across a long field at daylight to sit in a tree stand and about stepping into a cold river at the beginning of a cathartic day of fishing. I do miss those days when the fall brought expectations of long evenings shooting the breeze with friends after being outside all day swinging a hammer and listening to country music. Not that I would trade them, I am happy now, but nostalgia overcomes me periodically especially this time of year. I've missed the crispness of the air and the crunch of fallen leaves.
It's so been so hot and stifling over the past couple of months I had almost forgotten that fall was around the corner. I've been caught up in the everyday business of living that I haven't taken the time to just stop and absorb what makes life so wonderful.
I finally arrived at my car and set down to start the engine. It whined a little and sputtered but, as it has for a while now, performed without fault as I drove from the parking lot. I rolled down the windows and let the wind fill the cab with yet another opportunity to remember the past.
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Friday, September 14
It's Been A While
My blogging has suffered over the past few weeks. My personal, off-line, journal and my workout running biking whatever journal has also been neglected. I have had some interesting experiences on the front lines of emergency medicine but I haven't been compelled to write about them. I feel as if I am in a slump of some sort. It seems to be like quicksand or a flushing toilet. The longer I remain in the slump the deeper and more consuming it becomes. I am sure every person experiences this from time to time.
I just watched President Bush give his speech on Iraq. It was actually a compelling speech and most of it was probably true. It is a shame we live in a world that settles conflict with guns and bombs. I wonder where this behavior originated. Do you think the Geico cavemen duked it out over who got the biggest bone?
They probably did.
I just watched President Bush give his speech on Iraq. It was actually a compelling speech and most of it was probably true. It is a shame we live in a world that settles conflict with guns and bombs. I wonder where this behavior originated. Do you think the Geico cavemen duked it out over who got the biggest bone?
They probably did.
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Sunday, August 26
My Experience
I began volunteering at a local rescue squad at the ripe young age of 13 and became proficient in the art of ambulance washing very quickly. As I washed the one ambulance in our squad I listened to the over-inflated stories that became more gory and self gratifying the longer they were told. I was hooked, I wanted to start IV's and intubate and shock a dying heart. I couldn't wait to pull a person out of a burning car or hang from a cliff while dragging a bus load of bleeding hemophiliacs out of the grips of death.
I enrolled in the first EMT night class I could a few months after I turned sixteen. I excelled for two nights a week. My boring high school classes suffered dramatically but I really didn't care about the Cartesian Coordinates or literature.
I progressed through EMT intermediate and then paramedic shortly after graduating high school. High school came and went, much to fast, and I was out in the world. I worked in construction during the day and volunteered at the rescue squad at night. I even began telling some of my own war stories. Many of them growing from a small sprout of truth into a tree of exaggeration. I did learn from some of the best.
My love for pre-hospital care continued to grow and I was lucky enough to be hired by a large urban service in North Carolina. Prior to beginning there I had never met someone who went to school with the intent of becoming a paramedic and nothing more. I assumed everyone volunteered during their free time and was ecstatic to be paid for something they loved. I was wrong, actually I was extremely wrong. Many of the paramedics were unhappy with their job, their life and especially their role in the health care system. My enthusiasm dwindled quickly, sadly much like my naivety. I learned that the stories that were told, out of fun I thought, were really a way to vent frustration and prop up fragile egos. My hobby, my passion, had become a job and my job quickly began to frustrate me.
I quickly experienced burn out, my attitude turned nasty and I was rude to patient's more often than I would like to admit. I formed my own opinion of what an emergency was and unfortunately no one met my criteria.
Looking back at this time in my professional life I realize just how negative I was. It was so easy to feed of off everyone else and mimic their poor attitudes. At least I now have those experiences. The gift of hind sight is priceless.
My passion has returned and I enjoy the medical field once again, thankfully. So much so that I plan to return to school and learn those things that I neglected in high school so that I can progress into a leader in medicine. How knows, I may have the opportunity to improve pre-hospital care for the sick and injured and maybe even those who take care of them.
This post has completely veered away from what I originally intended. Oh well, better luck next time.
I enrolled in the first EMT night class I could a few months after I turned sixteen. I excelled for two nights a week. My boring high school classes suffered dramatically but I really didn't care about the Cartesian Coordinates or literature.
I progressed through EMT intermediate and then paramedic shortly after graduating high school. High school came and went, much to fast, and I was out in the world. I worked in construction during the day and volunteered at the rescue squad at night. I even began telling some of my own war stories. Many of them growing from a small sprout of truth into a tree of exaggeration. I did learn from some of the best.
My love for pre-hospital care continued to grow and I was lucky enough to be hired by a large urban service in North Carolina. Prior to beginning there I had never met someone who went to school with the intent of becoming a paramedic and nothing more. I assumed everyone volunteered during their free time and was ecstatic to be paid for something they loved. I was wrong, actually I was extremely wrong. Many of the paramedics were unhappy with their job, their life and especially their role in the health care system. My enthusiasm dwindled quickly, sadly much like my naivety. I learned that the stories that were told, out of fun I thought, were really a way to vent frustration and prop up fragile egos. My hobby, my passion, had become a job and my job quickly began to frustrate me.
I quickly experienced burn out, my attitude turned nasty and I was rude to patient's more often than I would like to admit. I formed my own opinion of what an emergency was and unfortunately no one met my criteria.
Looking back at this time in my professional life I realize just how negative I was. It was so easy to feed of off everyone else and mimic their poor attitudes. At least I now have those experiences. The gift of hind sight is priceless.
My passion has returned and I enjoy the medical field once again, thankfully. So much so that I plan to return to school and learn those things that I neglected in high school so that I can progress into a leader in medicine. How knows, I may have the opportunity to improve pre-hospital care for the sick and injured and maybe even those who take care of them.
This post has completely veered away from what I originally intended. Oh well, better luck next time.
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Wednesday, August 22
More Difficult Than I Thought
I began a series of post a short time ago with the intent of having a completed work of.. uh.. art by now. I have came to realize that the more I research pre-hospital care the more fragmented and disappointing I have found it to be. More to come...
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Sunday, August 12
Compensation
As we all know, one of the most important aspects of any job or career is compensation. On average, in the US, a paramedic makes 36,970 $ Per year according to Salary.com. Some may say that is good money and others may look at it and laugh. More than likely you will begin laughing pretty soon.
The average paramedic also works 24 hour shifts every third day. That equals out to 10 shifts per month. Before you say, "you only work 10 days a month" here me out. It's not all roses, actually there are no roses involved at all. On average that is 52 hours per week. In actuality every third week will be a 48 hour week and the rest are 72. The bread and butter in this profession is overtime, as you can see. The first forty hours are compensated at a very dismal hourly rate that is as low as 9$ per hour and only after the second shift in a week does the pay increase by one half. This makes it imperative to work every shift because any vacation time that is received completely negates the necessary overtime pay and decreases take home pay dramatically. This can quickly lead to milk and bread shortages (and maybe even beer).
Of course they are other ways that paramedics are paid. One of my favorite is something I dub Chinese Overtime. This method is based on a salary type pay scale but has some really nasty consequences. The pay is set at a yearly amount with the thought that the paramedic will work every shift without time off. If there is unscheduled overtime the base rate is divided in half and the paramedic receives comp time. This is basically a nice way of screwing people while they are asleep and unsuspecting. Overall, the more hours that are worked the less the medic makes per hour until they are no longer increasing their take home pay. The other nasty part is the fact that the comp time that is received is compensated at the base rate so you lose the overtime and are basically working 72 hours a week at the dismal base rate mentioned above.
One more pay method and I will stop. This method is used more with firefighters luckily and not paramedics but it sucks nonetheless. In short, the 24 hour shift is broken into a 16 hour block and an 8 hour block. You are paid for the 16 hours of "Awake" time but are not compensated for the 8 hours of "Sleep" time after midnight. Basically, you are asked to sleep in a foreign bed and remain ready to run an emergency call at any time with the expectation that you will be awake and in the ambulance rolling out of the station within one minute WITHOUT being compensates. Ugly, I know.
So that is how and how much a paramedic is paid. Tune in next week to see what they are paid to do.
Wikipedia's definition of paramedic: a medical professional, usually a member of the emergency medical service, who responds to medical and trauma emergencies in the pre-hospital
environment, provides emergency treatment and, when appropriate,
transports a patient to definitive care, such as a hospital, for
further assessment or follow-up care.
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Tuesday, July 31
What is a Paramedic?
I have often been asked this question in so many words. Sometimes it's "what do you do?" or "What's the difference between an EMT and a Paramedic?" or "do you just drive fast?" I have even had the occasional "hey, are you an idiot" question threw at me especially after explaining the crazy schedule an average paramedic works.
I would wager that some of you reading this can't even explain the role of a paramedic in todays healthcare system.
Lucky for you. I have decided to begin a series of post on the true nature of a paramedic. This isn't going to be a rambling journey through war stories but a true attempt to explain the profession I am currently in and also some conjecture on where I would like to see this profession progress.
I would wager that some of you reading this can't even explain the role of a paramedic in todays healthcare system.
Lucky for you. I have decided to begin a series of post on the true nature of a paramedic. This isn't going to be a rambling journey through war stories but a true attempt to explain the profession I am currently in and also some conjecture on where I would like to see this profession progress.
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Monday, July 23
Not Worth a Title
Sigh....
I find it very difficult, most if not all of the time, to control my cravings for food. I am not an obese person but I do eat things that I shouldn't. Not only is this bad for my body but it is bad for our bottom line too. It is nearly impossible to eat out for Supper, or even lunch for that matter, under ten dollars a person. This is a very bad thing when I kind of have the money but kind of don't and a craving for Mu-Shu-Vegetables or a fish sandwich take complete control over my brain. What am I supposed to do? I just can't control the urge.
I don't consider myself a weak person by no means but this is certainly my vice. I guess I will wonder through life forever afraid of my overwhelming cravings.
I find it very difficult, most if not all of the time, to control my cravings for food. I am not an obese person but I do eat things that I shouldn't. Not only is this bad for my body but it is bad for our bottom line too. It is nearly impossible to eat out for Supper, or even lunch for that matter, under ten dollars a person. This is a very bad thing when I kind of have the money but kind of don't and a craving for Mu-Shu-Vegetables or a fish sandwich take complete control over my brain. What am I supposed to do? I just can't control the urge.
I don't consider myself a weak person by no means but this is certainly my vice. I guess I will wonder through life forever afraid of my overwhelming cravings.
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Thursday, July 19
Just Fucking Stop
Got your attention?
I do not understand what motivates someone to call 911 while driving down a residential street to explain that a person "seems to be having a heat stroke" but doesn't stop and speak to that person. Is it that hard to pull over and say "Hey, what's your problem?" Are you afraid that the person will ask for help or does the simple call to 911 make you feel like a good Samaritan. Because if it does you are badly mistaken! Badly. Mind your own business or actually help. Don't be a half-ass just to stroke your ego.
On another note. The past week or so has been stressful. I have changed partners, not by choice, and we get along well enough but there is still a learning curve. My previous partner and I worked together for a year. When we were taking care of patient's most of the time we didn't have to even speak. During emergencies it is important to bring order to chaos and it's much easier when you can predict the actions of the person that you are working with. I am having a hard time predicting this guy. I know the more we work together the better it will go but this week we have been thrown to the fire.
About an hour before shift change ( I was still asleep) the tones blared and we responded to a possible DOA. We arrived and soon found out that the patient had not died long ago and we made a futile attempt at resuscitation. Unfortunately, the area we working doesn't have very effective first responders especially in the mornings. Basically, we ended up working the entire code by ourselves.
Other than that I have been putting way to many hours in at my part-time job. I am probably averaging 80 hour work weeks. This alone can be very stressful. One year left.
I do not understand what motivates someone to call 911 while driving down a residential street to explain that a person "seems to be having a heat stroke" but doesn't stop and speak to that person. Is it that hard to pull over and say "Hey, what's your problem?" Are you afraid that the person will ask for help or does the simple call to 911 make you feel like a good Samaritan. Because if it does you are badly mistaken! Badly. Mind your own business or actually help. Don't be a half-ass just to stroke your ego.
On another note. The past week or so has been stressful. I have changed partners, not by choice, and we get along well enough but there is still a learning curve. My previous partner and I worked together for a year. When we were taking care of patient's most of the time we didn't have to even speak. During emergencies it is important to bring order to chaos and it's much easier when you can predict the actions of the person that you are working with. I am having a hard time predicting this guy. I know the more we work together the better it will go but this week we have been thrown to the fire.
About an hour before shift change ( I was still asleep) the tones blared and we responded to a possible DOA. We arrived and soon found out that the patient had not died long ago and we made a futile attempt at resuscitation. Unfortunately, the area we working doesn't have very effective first responders especially in the mornings. Basically, we ended up working the entire code by ourselves.
Other than that I have been putting way to many hours in at my part-time job. I am probably averaging 80 hour work weeks. This alone can be very stressful. One year left.
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Saturday, July 7
Blogsphere Sample
Not much going on today so I thought I would amass some samples from various blogs, so here goes.
- Creating the God Complex answers some questions from his readers on his installment of Questionable Admit.
- The Girl With The Blue Stethoscope relays her thoughts on hard-core textbooks using childish cartoons in Adult textbooks + cartoons...WHY???
- Caprese Salad, just looks good. What else can I say.
- The Surgeonsblog, which happens to be one of my favorites, crawls onto a large box of soap and delves into health care reform on More Solutions, Long Post
- If you are inclined to reading blogs with a heavier clinical back bone then head on over to Scapel or Sword and check out "Emergency" Management of Elevated INR's.
- For a little airier read check out Sara in Israel. She's tackling some interesting things from the viewpoint of a helicopter and it does sound like Sometimes, its cool to be me.
- Must read: The Science Behind Beer Goggles.
- Panda Bear, MD eloquently and maybe even daintily describes the intern year in a marine's Welcome to Intern Year.
- Up for a challenge? Swing by NY EMERGENCY MEDICINE and take a shot at the VizD challenge of the week. Try this one for starters: Answer: VizD Challenge Week of 7/2/2007.
- Midwife With A Knife conjures up some OB wisdom on a regular basis. A New Approach to Call affords a sneak peek into the dreaded delivery room and beyond.
- P4P, the new buzz term. You'll just have to read it.
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Friday, July 6
Road Bike
I am buying a road bike. A Caloi to be exact. It's the model that was built for the Motorola bike team in the mid 1990's. Some of you may recognize the team probably because Lance Armstrong began his racing career with them during the time this bike was used. triathlons here I come!
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Wednesday, July 4
Little Old Lady
The computer screen shows an ekg. The phone rings and a woman answers. She sounds frail, old and intimidated. The technology she holds and wears is unfamiliar and the technician who is on the other end of the line is indifferent.
Earlier today she felt a "flutter" in her chest while riding a crowded bus and it scared her. She lives by herself and she couldn't help but wonder what she would do if this happened when she was home. She finds herself afraid much more often now since her husband of 50 years died.
She called her doctor's office and they made an appointment for her immediately. Everyone on the bus said she should go straight to he ER because they were scared for her but she wanter to see HER doctor not a stranger in an overcrowded ER.
She changed her plans and continued on the bus until she arrived at her doctor's office. As she walked into the non-assuming building she felt much calmer and she even looked forward to seeing someone she new would listen.
The receptionist seen her coming and rolled her eyes as she spoke under her breath "I don't have time for this."
As the glass door opened the lady behind the counter curtly explained that she should sign in and because she was a "call in" it would be a while before anyone could see her.
The frail lady stepped into a crowded waiting room and sat down. An obese lady sitting next to her coughs and looks uncomfortable in the small seat. A small child walks by wiping his nose on his shirt while his mother grabs him by the arm and scolds him for not "acting sick."
The needy continue to file through the door and briefly pass the sliding glass window and continue to their seat, to wait.
"Ms Big Pants" the nurse calls and the obese lady stands, coughs loudly, and slowly makes her way through another door where she expects to feel better.
"I've never waited this long before" the little lady thinks but she still is confident in the fact that her doctor will be there to comfort her and tell her she is going to be ok.
Finally, a nurse steps out and calls her name. She stands, shaky, and walks through the door into a white, quiet hall that has several generic wooden doors. The nurse stops, opens a door, and ask her to have a seat on the table. The nurse takes her blood pressure and pulse then walks out. No one has spoken.
A nurse practitioner opens the door and begins to speak. She takes a history and asks questions while she types on her laptop. Little old lady tells her story and the NP leaves the room while the lady waits for her doctor.
A technician enters the white room with a picture of a beach hanging on the wall. The tech puts one of a thousand heart monitors on the old lady and explains that she should call the number written on the front of the monitor and ask them what to do next.
He turns and shows the lady the way out. "Don't forget to stop and pay your co-pay on the way out" he instructs and opens another generic wooden door disappearing into the white.
Fifty dollars later she steps out into the street with no purpose. Luckily, it is only July 3rd and she has a few more dollars in her pocket to get her home. She takes the bus because there is no one to call.
The monitor she is wearing begins to beep and she remembered that she was supposed to call the number on the front of it and decides to as soon as she gets home.
"I wonder where my doctor was today" she thought. Disappointed and looking for someone to speak with, she begins to look forward to calling this number in hopes of speaking with someone that will explain why she couldn't see her doctor today.
The bus drops her off and she steps onto her yard and into her home.
she picks up the phone and calls the number and begins to ask the person on the other end why she didn't she HER doctor today. Before she can finish the question the technician explains that they don't work for her doctor and they don't have a clue why?
Earlier today she felt a "flutter" in her chest while riding a crowded bus and it scared her. She lives by herself and she couldn't help but wonder what she would do if this happened when she was home. She finds herself afraid much more often now since her husband of 50 years died.
She called her doctor's office and they made an appointment for her immediately. Everyone on the bus said she should go straight to he ER because they were scared for her but she wanter to see HER doctor not a stranger in an overcrowded ER.
She changed her plans and continued on the bus until she arrived at her doctor's office. As she walked into the non-assuming building she felt much calmer and she even looked forward to seeing someone she new would listen.
The receptionist seen her coming and rolled her eyes as she spoke under her breath "I don't have time for this."
As the glass door opened the lady behind the counter curtly explained that she should sign in and because she was a "call in" it would be a while before anyone could see her.
The frail lady stepped into a crowded waiting room and sat down. An obese lady sitting next to her coughs and looks uncomfortable in the small seat. A small child walks by wiping his nose on his shirt while his mother grabs him by the arm and scolds him for not "acting sick."
The needy continue to file through the door and briefly pass the sliding glass window and continue to their seat, to wait.
"Ms Big Pants" the nurse calls and the obese lady stands, coughs loudly, and slowly makes her way through another door where she expects to feel better.
"I've never waited this long before" the little lady thinks but she still is confident in the fact that her doctor will be there to comfort her and tell her she is going to be ok.
Finally, a nurse steps out and calls her name. She stands, shaky, and walks through the door into a white, quiet hall that has several generic wooden doors. The nurse stops, opens a door, and ask her to have a seat on the table. The nurse takes her blood pressure and pulse then walks out. No one has spoken.
A nurse practitioner opens the door and begins to speak. She takes a history and asks questions while she types on her laptop. Little old lady tells her story and the NP leaves the room while the lady waits for her doctor.
A technician enters the white room with a picture of a beach hanging on the wall. The tech puts one of a thousand heart monitors on the old lady and explains that she should call the number written on the front of the monitor and ask them what to do next.
He turns and shows the lady the way out. "Don't forget to stop and pay your co-pay on the way out" he instructs and opens another generic wooden door disappearing into the white.
Fifty dollars later she steps out into the street with no purpose. Luckily, it is only July 3rd and she has a few more dollars in her pocket to get her home. She takes the bus because there is no one to call.
The monitor she is wearing begins to beep and she remembered that she was supposed to call the number on the front of it and decides to as soon as she gets home.
"I wonder where my doctor was today" she thought. Disappointed and looking for someone to speak with, she begins to look forward to calling this number in hopes of speaking with someone that will explain why she couldn't see her doctor today.
The bus drops her off and she steps onto her yard and into her home.
she picks up the phone and calls the number and begins to ask the person on the other end why she didn't she HER doctor today. Before she can finish the question the technician explains that they don't work for her doctor and they don't have a clue why?
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