PARAMEDIC POETRY

THE FIRST 15 MINUTES

​

15 minutes to check my truck, oil, water and bags,

Do I have everything, is everything all tagged?

Have I checked my drugs and my morphine stock?

I better hurry, I can’t delay cos I am on the clock.

10 minutes left for oxygen, gasses and for masks,

Complete the paperwork and other unnecessary tasks,

Then check the fuel and make sure all blue lights are flashing,

To keep me visible whilst through the traffic I’m dashing.

Now there’s just 5 minutes until you should book on,

As soon as you press the button you know you’ll be gone.

So now’s the time to come to terms with everything you’ll see,

So put the kettle on and have a cup of tea.

SAVE A LIFE

There’s a special surge of energy,

It flows beneath your skin,

It blows off all the cobwebs

And let’s the life back in.

It’s a certain type of feeling,

That lights up your whole day,

Makes you feel like shouting out,

Like kids that long to play.

It’s difficult to describe,

It’s hard to say it here,

But when you make them breath again

It takes away the fear.

You're comfortable in your own flesh,

You stand and walk with pride,

No one can understand

The feeling that’s inside.

It gives you value and self believe,

Can make you feel like crying,

The knowledge that your hands alone,

Stopped someone else from dying.

ALWAYS ON DUTY

Finishing work early morning, I start driving home,

Along the motorway, driving all alone.

Thinking about the shift gone by and the things that I had done,

Like the lady found on the floor and the man with his injured thumb.

The radio plays George Michael as I’m nearly half way,

The motorway signs say slow down, in my lane I stay.

They tell me there’s a pedestrian somewhere on the road,

There’s a lorry on the hard shoulder, has he lost his load?

I see the driver, he’s looking at someone on the ground,

I get closer and think the guy must be drunk and drowned

I pulled in behind the truck to help wake the kid.

The driver says ‘thank God you stopped’, I’m really glad I did.

He goes on and says he couldn’t miss him, I assume sleeping sound,

I said I didn’t want to drive past with the man still on the ground.

I’ve stopped to help wake him, then continue on as planned,

The driver looked with tears in his eye and said’ No, you don’t understand ‘.

I mean I couldn’t miss him, I tried more than a bit.

He walked out in front of me, I couldn’t avoid the hit.

I hit him at 60, all 18 pneumatic wheels,

I don’t know what he was doing, the pain he surly feels.

The adrenaline hits, I start to shake I’m trying to keep control,

I take a slow walk over, I want to help this soul,

His pulse is nearly gone, he breathes but only just,

I try to open his airway, but his neck, it is a bust.

On closer inspection it was clear to see there was nothing to be done,

I sat with him and held his hand like a father would a son.

A solo tear ran down his cheek, his sad wave goodbye,

At least because I was there he wasn’t alone to die.

The police arrived and ambulance too, but it all came too slow,

They took him on the trolley, it took ages for them to go.

All that’s left is to clean up and to reopen the street,

I get back in my car, clear my head and think I deserve a treat.

I turn the key to start the engine but it doesn’t come to life,

I left the lights on, the battery’s flat what will I tell my wife,

It amazes me how you can deal with all of that one morning,

Then continue with your day, till the stress hits without warning.

And here I am writing this as I don’t talk about it much,

Years have past, I still see his face, it puts me out of touch,

It’s not regret, nor disappointment, it’s something much more deep,

But the reminder that good and bad these memories I must keep.

I don’t know this man, who he was or where he stayed that night,

I’m honoured that I could be with him when he lost his final fight,

If only I could have saved him and help him on the mend,

I hope his family know he was with a stranger but a friend.

CHEST PAIN FROM A PARAMEDIC

​

​

The radio goes, you’ve got a call, it’s time for you to move,

You don’t know where you’re going, if you’ll win or lose,

The engine starts, the sirens wail the blue lights brightly flashing,

Helping to keep me save as through the streets I'm dashing.

You’re racing through the traffic, no one seems to know you’re there.

Someone stops as you speed past, they give an angry glare.

You don’t know why you're going, what the incident could be.

You shout control on the radio.... ‘do you have an update for me’.

‘A 58 year old male’ they reply, ‘he’s had chest pain through the day’.

‘There are no problems getting into the house, we have nothing more to say’.

As you get close to the address, you do a run-through in your head.

What’s the chance it’s a heart attack and the guy will end up dead.

You pull up outside, grab all your kit and squeeze through the door,

They say ‘he’s in the living room’ like you have been there before.

Your first impression - he looks to well, you think he’ll be ok.

He talks during auscultation, ‘sorry, what did you say?’

‘I awoke with the pain this morning, it felt like heart burn

Through the day it got worse, but didn’t cause concern,

I’ve tried some antacids, maybe it was last night’s curry.

But it’s still there and now I’m sweaty, my wife’s starting to worry’.

It doesn’t change when he breaths, or on palpation.

There’s no history of trauma, he describes a strange sensation.

None radiating central chest pain, his breathing isn’t laboured.

He is very clammy, he’s not been sick, an EGG is favoured.

You attach monitoring dots to the leads, and get ready to shave his chest,

Does he have lots of hair? Fur free and dry is best.

Using a towel you mop the sweat and get him to sit still,

Normal sinus, maybe not,... he doesn’t look that ill.

Oh shit, you feel your heart, it’s pounding in your chest.

The rhythm that his pump is in, really isn’t best.

Surly this isn’t true, his observations must be lying.

But as we sit here chatting, this family man is dying.

You step up your pace and clean your act you now must be swift,

Red response on the radio, this guy needs a lift.

Global damage that’s what it says, the ECGs all wrong.

I need a truck, hurry up, this man doesn’t have long.

You turn to him, smile and then you calmly say,

‘You’ll have to come with us and get this sorted today’.

‘Please, try not to worry, you are in good hands’,...

You joke and ask, ‘was a trip to hospital in your plans?

You’re putting things in order in your head

Cannulation, aspirin, GTN, his wife speaks up,... ‘sorry what’s that you said’?

‘He’s really quite healthy’ she softly speaks,

‘Doesn’t drink, goes to the gym and hasn’t smoked for weeks’.

The crew arrive, calmly walking through the door,

You give that look they’ve seen a hundred times before,

They know there is something wrong, but they join and sing your song,

The situation is very relaxed, positivity is strong.

He says he can walk, we explain you’d better not,

‘If our managers knew you took a stroll, you’d probably get us shot’,

‘Due to budget cuts our chair only has two wheels,

Sit down, enjoy the ride see how fun it feels’.

The calmness and the jokes take away his concern,

The truth, he doesn’t know, his family are yet to learn,

His heart is damaged beyond repair we don’t know when it will stop,

One thing for sure if we’re not quick, with us he’ll surely drop.

You call the doctors, explained what you found and how long you’re going to be,

All the time you’re keeping calm, repeating the ECG,

You tell the man he is unwell, but you’ll do everything you can,

You explain the hospital protocol so he clearly knows the plan,

We’ll get you there and book you in and quickly see the nurses,

Then off to surgery you’ll go, so the doctors can reverse this,

Before we got him there however he said there was something wrong,

You say relax, you’ll be just fine..... and then he was gone.

In front of your eyes this man’s heart stops, can this really be true,

It all slows down, your training kicks in and you know what you need to do,

On his chest straight away pumping good and strong

You shout to the crew, he’s arrested they say ‘we won’t be long’.

An hour and a half they pump his chest, his family looking on,

90 minutes we tried in vain until we said he’d gone,

His wife and children are in bits, compassion and sympathy flow,

He lay there still, he won’t ever wake, you watch the life just go.

You clean your kit and wipe the stretcher where moments before he lay,

You finish the paperwork, saying all you need to say,

You sit in the cab, tell control you’re clear and take a moment to think

‘excellent’ is the reply, ‘next a collapsed male... in drink’.