Well that was quite a night

[johnofgwent]

I guess they're less easy to fall off than a single perch...

I see the dark humourvof the emergency room is more widespread than I thought !

[patman post]

Obviously, Paul is my mate and as the poet said,

any man's death diminishes me, 
because I am involved in mankind. 
And therefore never send to know for whom 
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. 

That said, three more poles would come in handy.

I guess they're less easy to fall off than a single perch...

[johnofgwent]

Both my job and my wife's job have involved lots of contact with dead and dying.
I remember being present at a post mortem of a <2 year old girl. It wasn't at all pleasant, of course.
My colleague commented that PMs were a "poor form of entertainment". That one did affect me somewhat, but future brushes with death were to have much less impact as time went on.
My wife and I are now pretty much unpanicable in any situation which would see a lot of people running a mile. I'm not bragging about that, it's just how we have become, recognising a real emergency when we see one and acting accordingly.
Knowing when someone is actually beyond help is also useful in a multiple casualty event, as they can be left while work goes on with those still with a beating heart.
We are all born, we all die. It's filling in the bit in between in the best possible way that is important.

It's a funny thing but yes I am basically unflappable. My eldest is too. Has been since age 8 or so. She came home from school covered in blood with a note from the headmaster saying it wasn't hers, shes completely unhurt and ring him.

Turns out hed been trying to contact us.

A kid had fallen over in the playground cracked their head and she had happily held bits of him together until the teacher and first aider could get there.

Sarah is utterly unflappable in the face of death coming for her or anyone.

She and her kayaking pal kayaked me and my co rescuer out into a surf fit to make old spice ads to rescue an utter arse hole who frankly deserved to drown.

But she, like me, has been trained to leave them to drown if it looks like you'll end up drowning yourself. Most people don't get that taught to them, and certainly haven't had to make the calculation

We've made the calculation several times and fortunately so far it's always come out as "hold my beer, we got this"

I'm pleased she wasn't with us yesterday. She's never had one of her many OAPs kids and water sports enthusuasts die on her mid or post rescue. Not has she yet faced the issue of being unable to perform CPR on the grounds the head was detached (my first encounter with violent death, fifty years ago, I no longer remember the exact date)

I am accustomed to being battle hardened in the thick of it. What worries me today is looking back over the years when I was cooler than Mr Spock while blood was spurting or pulses were absent I KNEW I was bottling it up and it would spill out later. 

Admittedly with dad it took almost a decade, and the trigger was a broken typewriter he would have fixed in seconds. 

This time it isn't. 

I literally can't feel anything about it.

[papasmurf]

Knowing when someone is actually beyond help is also useful in a multiple casualty event, as they can be left while work goes on with those still with a beating heart.

One of the first things we were taught at disaster first aid training.

[Barry]

Both my job and my wife's job have involved lots of contact with dead and dying.
I remember being present at a post mortem of a <2 year old girl. It wasn't at all pleasant, of course.
My colleague commented that PMs were a "poor form of entertainment". That one did affect me somewhat, but future brushes with death were to have much less impact as time went on.
My wife and I are now pretty much unpanicable in any situation which would see a lot of people running a mile. I'm not bragging about that, it's just how we have become, recognising a real emergency when we see one and acting accordingly.
Knowing when someone is actually beyond help is also useful in a multiple casualty event, as they can be left while work goes on with those still with a beating heart.
We are all born, we all die. It's filling in the bit in between in the best possible way that is important.

[cromwell]

About two hours ago I was minding my own business having a quiet pint when there was a thud behind me as one of the semi regulars hit the deck.

Suffice to say the defibrillator from three buildings down didn't work. By which I mean it didn't do the job it was there for. Can't win 'em all.

My mate Fuzz did all the hard work. I was waiting for him to run out of upper body strength but he didn't. He kept going with CpR until the paramedics arrived but their kit wasn't any more use.

The paramedics called in when it was obvious to me things were past the point of no return but they were told to keep going. That pisses me off slightly.

Question though ?

I'm used to this death business. But should I have reached the point where it literally doesn't have the slightest impact ??

Which reminds of the northern comedian.


Audrey......

"Alf Fred Smith dropped dead in the pub tonight.....culinary tromboneis "

Alf........

"Must've been his round"

[johnofgwent]

Sadly no.

A couple of days ago my mate Paul sighed and said that he did not expect to see Christmas. To be honest, he never expects to see Christmas and every time he starts up the line about creaking gates springs to mind. Even so, the moment he left another of my mates looked at me and said, "You ain't getting his allotment."

"I am going to have a bloody good try, " I said.

Then another friend suggested that we might split it three ways, which seemed reasonable.

Obviously, Paul is my mate and as the poet said,

any man's death diminishes me, 
because I am involved in mankind. 
And therefore never send to know for whom 
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. 

That said, three more poles would come in handy.

I'm more concerned about how the woman running the pub is handling it. She was in a bit of a state on the phone to the ambulance handler.....

[papasmurf]

I'm used to this death business. But should I have reached the point where it literally doesn't have the slightest impact ??

It comes with age.

[Borchester]

About two hours ago I was minding my own business having a quiet pint when there was a thud behind me as one of the semi regulars hit the deck.

Suffice to say the defibrillator from three buildings down didn't work. By which I mean it didn't do the job it was there for. Can't win 'em all.

My mate Fuzz did all the hard work. I was waiting for him to run out of upper body strength but he didn't. He kept going with CpR until the paramedics arrived but their kit wasn't any more use.

The paramedics called in when it was obvious to me things were past the point of no return but they were told to keep going. That pisses me off slightly.

Question though ?

I'm used to this death business. But should I have reached the point where it literally doesn't have the slightest impact ??

Sadly no.

A couple of days ago my mate Paul sighed and said that he did not expect to see Christmas. To be honest, he never expects to see Christmas and every time he starts up the line about creaking gates springs to mind. Even so, the moment he left another of my mates looked at me and said, "You ain't getting his allotment."

"I am going to have a bloody good try, " I said.

Then another friend suggested that we might split it three ways, which seemed reasonable.

Obviously, Paul is my mate and as the poet said,

any man's death diminishes me, 
because I am involved in mankind. 
And therefore never send to know for whom 
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. 

That said, three more poles would come in handy.

[johnofgwent]

About two hours ago I was minding my own business having a quiet pint when there was a thud behind me as one of the semi regulars hit the deck. 

Suffice to say the defibrillator from three buildings down didn't work. By which I mean it didn't do the job it was there for. Can't win 'em all.

My mate Fuzz did all the hard work. I was waiting for him to run out of upper body strength but he didn't. He kept going with CpR until the paramedics arrived but their kit wasn't any more use.

The paramedics called in when it was obvious to me things were past the point of no return but they were told to keep going. That pisses me off slightly.
 
Question though ?

I'm used to this death business. But should I have reached the point where it literally doesn't have the slightest impact ??