...and it's contagious.
THE EMERGENCY
A headache! Won't someone think of the children?!
THE ACTION
I'm cooking tonight and the chicken enchilada casserole will be OK cold I guess. The bells ring and we're out the door code 3 for a headache, sudden, worsening. It suddenly occurs to me that the sensation that develops behind my eyes between the kitchen and the engine is likely worse than what we'll find on scene.
She's in her mid 50s and is quick to mention her disability status (we noted the handicap placard in the BMW in the driveway) and her husband confirms it. The disability status that is, not the headache.
Not one to take a patient at their word we do a full work up including 12 lead ECG which aquires a normal tracing just as the ambulance I downgraded arrives.
The patient's headache seems to have subsided. The pain that was an 11 is now a "tolerable" 7 although we all know that means nothing without knowing her 10/10, which she refuses to share...none of my business and all.
Turns out she had a bad tooth and got some medicine for it. I know what you're thinking, but no, she actually filed the prescription.
It was when the pain remained 30 minutes later that 911 was called. And the call made it through the call center because of the words "dizzy" and "can't think straight."
Thanks MPDS, you win again.
Back at the house the casserole was cold and I lost the dinner shake, meaning I had to cover the cost of everyone's meal. That was a sudden headache. I did not call 911.
Comments
Over here we have a Health Direct line which is manned 24 hours. If you ring this number you speak to a qualified nurse who will advise you what step you should take next, however, having said that a lot of people will just take themselves up to the Emergency Room of their local hospital which they will help clog up for a few hours. The only advantage with the emergency room is their condition is assessed by a triage nurse and they are queued in the order of the severity of their complaint. Also most of our hospitals now have an after hours doctors clinic which is manned by a rotation of GP's from around the area. This way there is still access to a doctor after the normal GP's have closed their doors for the night.