I worked the streets as a Paramedic in the inner-city for almost 8 years. I have been shot at, cut, beaten, cursed at daily... and for that I gained an appreciation of what our service men and women face overseas, fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. My own experience has only been a tiny fraction in comparison to the terrors and violence these brave souls face -- DAILY. Most regular every day folks don't realize how truly traumatic this war, and past wars, have been on our military personnel. Many come home with pent up emotions, anger, stress, hidden fear, panic attacks, nightmares, chronic and acute depression, suicidal ideations... even worse... violent outbursts and blackouts. This is all from a very real response called POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER . In some it is very subtle. In others it can be very obvious. Either way, it can be crippling to their daily lives, and damning to marriages and families. PTSD had not even really been recognized, much less be diagnosed as a very
I have much admiration for this fella. I'd say gentleman, but that's just not Tony. He's a gruff ole medic, wise beyond his years, experienced in every fucked up scenario you could ever imagine. A former super- uber -military special ops kinda guy too. When I hired on at Grady EMS, he was a field supervisor. In recent years, he resigned from supervising to work prn while getting his RN ( BSN ?). Once inside that privileged world of starched white scrubs and MRSA infested hospital wards, he concluded that a paramedic's idea of work ethic far surpassed the concept previously established by the estrogen soaked, gossipy, PMS having, whiny, cackling hen bitches up on the floor. So back to EMS he came. When I left Grady, he was just a good ole field medic again. Last I heard - he recently resigned. I could only begin to guess why. We all have our reasons. Although I have urged him to sign on to blogspot , he has yet to take me up on the offer as far as I know. His MyspaceBl
The verdict is in. Yesterday's appointment with the orthopaedic was less than promising. Thanks to 9+ years in high volume, 911 EMS, that has mostly functioned under the "Spawn of Satan" System Status Management... (Grady & Metro), I have purchased my ticket to return to school this Fall. May I explain the X-Ray... The more solid chunks are the vertebrae of my lumbar spine. The dark spaces between are the disks. The two disks marked at the top are L2-L3 & L3-L4. The thin sliver is L4-L5. This disk is at 1/3 it's normal size. It has deteriorated. The next disk is L5-S1. It is decorated as well, but not as bad as the one above it. It is also displaced anteriorly (toward the front) leaving the posterior portions of the L5 &S1 vertebrae to grind against each other. Good explanation for the worsening, now debilitating pain I have endured for the last 3 months, for why my legs don't want to work, and for why I have completely collapsed to the floor twice - f