Monday, August 02, 2004
Six hours on the road
My morning, in pictures (nb all pictures can be zoomed in to by clicking on them. hmph. no sexual connotations whatsoever.)
1) The Square Pig and s'wine bar
One of the reasons to love London - humour. Tinged with a dash of insanity. :) (and yes, for the more observant amongst you - I did edit myself out of the photo.)
2) Victoria Embankment Gardens
I've walked past this garden without ever going in countless times now. Walking through it today felt like stepping into a magical chapter of The Secret Garden. There must have been a hundred birds hidden in those bushes today, from the sounds of it.
3) St Paul's Cathedral
I thought I'd pop into St Paul's for a while. That's it in the backdrop. If you've never been, it's massive.
4) Girl with balloon - unknown artist. Blackfriar's Bridge
I actually took this picture the last time I did a photoblog thingie, but for some reason my camera ate it. I'd been meaning to revisit and recapture her on electronic media for the longest time, but when I arrived today to my dismay, she'd been vandalised. The original graffitti piece, worked in spraypaint, was beautiful. And the expression on her face (which has been erased by some twat) was a strange mix of rhapsody and dismay, as she let her balloon go. The original words on the balloon did not read "salam", but were, if I recall correctly, a snipe at a political issue.
Sometimes I read the2ndrule and shake my head in silence. It's not just about teenage angst and freedom, and about being hip and rad and cool. It's about heart. And soul. It's not so much a statement, as a gift.
Sometimes in life we only have one stab at something we really, really want, and if you so much as blink, the moment is forever lost.
5) Queen's Walk, south bank
Dunno. Just thought I'd take another picture of it... shrug.
6) On the Thames
Wah. First it was cars. Then lorries.
Must be scraping the bottom of the barrel if now they're doing boats...
7) The London Eye
*****
What you don't see won't kill you
He was lingering, watching The Clockwork Guardsman on the Southbank under the Eye (Why? Maybe sometimes things just happen for a reason. He wanted to wander on - the Guardsman was decidedly boring after a few minutes, but something stayed his feet) when it happened.
It was all rather dreamlike.
A fiftysomething year old man just stopped walking. Just like that. And stood frozen in mid-stride in time for an eternity that lasted maybe two seconds.
Then he went down backwards like a log.
There was a nasty thump as his head hit the ground.
He strode forwards, knelt down and put his finger to the man's carotid, still in a dream.
Two other people were already standing over the fallen man, and within seconds uniformed men had materialised out of nowhere. The other two, an American, and a pleasant looking English woman identified themselves as doctors. One of the uniformed men tried to push him aside - give him room, step away please.
In those few seconds, he noticed that the man was unresponsive to voice and pain, there was blood dribbling (rather quickly) out the man's left ear, and he had a head laceration. And then he started to fit, and turned slightly cyanotic. But he was breathing well, and not vomiting.
"Does anyone have a towel to apply to that head laceration." (someone produced a towel. Amazingly.)
As everyone else struggled to restrain the unknown stranger in the recovery position, he stepped back and called for an ambulance. There was nothing more to be done, since airway and breathing were clear, and from the way the woman had put her hand to the man's radial pulse she probably knew what she was doing.
The ambulance call centre was unbelievable.
"Hello, we need an ambulance at the London Eye please, a man has fallen and received a head injury and now he's fitting."
"Right, could you give us some details, was he rigid when he fell?"
pause. what does it matter? Even I don't ask questions like that.
"He fell, and hit his head. He has a head injury, and now he's fitting, please send an ambulance.
"I can't really hear you could you step back from the crowd?"
this is ridiculous.
"okay, is he responsive?"
"no he's not."
"is he conscious?"
"no... wait he's coming around now. I'd put his GCS at 14."
"so is he conscious?"
...
"yes."
"all right where are you?"
"standing under the London Eye."
"where is that?"
"... in... London."
"what road?"
What the hell? She doesn't know where the london eye is??
"we're literally standing under it. You can't miss it."
"We need a road name or else we can't send an ambulance."
...
"excuse me" (to one of the other doctors) "what road are we on?"
pause.
"I think we're just on the embankment."
"Thanks. We're on the embankment."
"Right, we'll send an ambulance straight away."
Straight away?? That took bloody five minutes!
Anyhow, let's see to the patient.
He steps forwards into chaos. Everybody's slightly panicky including the two doctors. The man's been fitting but gradually slowing... down... now he stops. And starts flailing out in confusion. His pupils appear equal, and the lights are on... but nobody's home.
Hmm. Take charge. These two look scared, and the guy wearing the "medical" neon jacket is even more petrified but admirably trying to hold the oxygen to the guy's mouth, which is 100% the correct thing to do.
"Right, I'm a casualty doctor."
(Relief all around)
"It looks like our A B Cs are fine, so let's just stay as we are."
The american guy mutters something about a ? vasovagal. He keeps his silence. It so did not look vasovagal...
So they stand around as the guy comes around gradually, although his GCS remains firmly at 14, and he's still flailing around. The rapid responder arrives and hands out gloves to the other two. The guy in the jacket keeps trying to force The Fallen Stranger back into the recovery position even though he's clearly conscious now... after a while he gets irritated and says let's just leave him. Let him lie on his back.
The guy tries (repeatedly) to get up so they (repeatedly) guide him back into a seated position.
Somewhere along the way he gets blood on his hands. Ewwww. This never happens in A&E. Where's my gloves? The Rapid responder hands him a pair. (err thanks. bit too late, but thanks.)
The parameds arrive and busy themselves talking to the confused patient (who stoicly says nothing. He appears either dazed or postictal) and his wife (who is german and agitated, and rather incoherent at the moment. And understandably so.)
Funny. They don't attempt to elicit a history from any of the other bystanders.
After a while he realises he's the only one who witnessed the whole thing. Even the man's wife hadn't - she'd walked slightly ahead when he siezed up and keeled over.
While he waits for the paramed to finish clerking the wife, the female doctor turns to him and they identify themselves to each other (sans names lol) - she's a GP working at King's Cross. He tells her what he does. They laugh a little, and she says if he ever needs a job... (funny that. He really does! But not as a GP thank you.)
She hears out his witnessed account - like a drop attack? (yes, precisely like) and worries that it might have been a cardiac event.
He pauses for a while. Then agrees. Although truth be told the thoughts running through his head, including the unexplained otorrhea +/- epistaxis (it's hard to tell when people fall over. the blood runs everywhere) triggered thoughts of a more... neurological nature (? SAH?) in his head. But it's always a chicken and egg scenario isn't it? Did the fall cause the bleed, or did the bleed cause the fall?
The parameds are leaving as he grabs one to tell him the history then turns to leave.
Sometime later, as he's walking along the road he realises that some poor sod of a casualty officer isn't going to be able to elicit a history of the collapse, so he steers himself reluctantly into the door of Guys Hospital A&E (5 min from the scene of the incident) and tells the triage sister he'd like to leave a written account.
Instead, he's guided around to majors (dammit!! my holiday!) and told to wait for the cas officer (nooooooooooo) to see the patient.
Fortunately, the cas officer on duty notices the other cas officer (thankfully, Sister announces it as they walk in) and says he'll take it straight away to save time.
They exchange hellos, and he gives him the rundown of events (walking mid-stride, sudden LOC 2 min, head injury, oto/rhinorrhea, fit 20s, continued confusion ? 10 min) and a brief thank you later, he's back on the road, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his arms, and munching on a nutella and banana crepe. :)
Didn't make it to Westminster Abbey in time for service though. I so wanted to see what it'd be like. bugger.
Sometimes it feels like, try as I might, I just can't escape from work.
*****
8) St James Park
Does anyone know what kind of birds these guys are?
They may not look it in these pictures, but they're about five feet tall
I think he's sweet. :)
Oh, and I saw someone else feeding the geese from her bare hands today.
1) The Square Pig and s'wine bar
One of the reasons to love London - humour. Tinged with a dash of insanity. :) (and yes, for the more observant amongst you - I did edit myself out of the photo.)
2) Victoria Embankment Gardens
I've walked past this garden without ever going in countless times now. Walking through it today felt like stepping into a magical chapter of The Secret Garden. There must have been a hundred birds hidden in those bushes today, from the sounds of it.
3) St Paul's Cathedral
I thought I'd pop into St Paul's for a while. That's it in the backdrop. If you've never been, it's massive.
4) Girl with balloon - unknown artist. Blackfriar's Bridge
I actually took this picture the last time I did a photoblog thingie, but for some reason my camera ate it. I'd been meaning to revisit and recapture her on electronic media for the longest time, but when I arrived today to my dismay, she'd been vandalised. The original graffitti piece, worked in spraypaint, was beautiful. And the expression on her face (which has been erased by some twat) was a strange mix of rhapsody and dismay, as she let her balloon go. The original words on the balloon did not read "salam", but were, if I recall correctly, a snipe at a political issue.
Sometimes I read the2ndrule and shake my head in silence. It's not just about teenage angst and freedom, and about being hip and rad and cool. It's about heart. And soul. It's not so much a statement, as a gift.
Sometimes in life we only have one stab at something we really, really want, and if you so much as blink, the moment is forever lost.
5) Queen's Walk, south bank
Dunno. Just thought I'd take another picture of it... shrug.
6) On the Thames
Wah. First it was cars. Then lorries.
Must be scraping the bottom of the barrel if now they're doing boats...
7) The London Eye
*****
What you don't see won't kill you
He was lingering, watching The Clockwork Guardsman on the Southbank under the Eye (Why? Maybe sometimes things just happen for a reason. He wanted to wander on - the Guardsman was decidedly boring after a few minutes, but something stayed his feet) when it happened.
It was all rather dreamlike.
A fiftysomething year old man just stopped walking. Just like that. And stood frozen in mid-stride in time for an eternity that lasted maybe two seconds.
Then he went down backwards like a log.
There was a nasty thump as his head hit the ground.
He strode forwards, knelt down and put his finger to the man's carotid, still in a dream.
Two other people were already standing over the fallen man, and within seconds uniformed men had materialised out of nowhere. The other two, an American, and a pleasant looking English woman identified themselves as doctors. One of the uniformed men tried to push him aside - give him room, step away please.
In those few seconds, he noticed that the man was unresponsive to voice and pain, there was blood dribbling (rather quickly) out the man's left ear, and he had a head laceration. And then he started to fit, and turned slightly cyanotic. But he was breathing well, and not vomiting.
"Does anyone have a towel to apply to that head laceration." (someone produced a towel. Amazingly.)
As everyone else struggled to restrain the unknown stranger in the recovery position, he stepped back and called for an ambulance. There was nothing more to be done, since airway and breathing were clear, and from the way the woman had put her hand to the man's radial pulse she probably knew what she was doing.
The ambulance call centre was unbelievable.
"Hello, we need an ambulance at the London Eye please, a man has fallen and received a head injury and now he's fitting."
"Right, could you give us some details, was he rigid when he fell?"
pause. what does it matter? Even I don't ask questions like that.
"He fell, and hit his head. He has a head injury, and now he's fitting, please send an ambulance.
"I can't really hear you could you step back from the crowd?"
this is ridiculous.
"okay, is he responsive?"
"no he's not."
"is he conscious?"
"no... wait he's coming around now. I'd put his GCS at 14."
"so is he conscious?"
...
"yes."
"all right where are you?"
"standing under the London Eye."
"where is that?"
"... in... London."
"what road?"
What the hell? She doesn't know where the london eye is??
"we're literally standing under it. You can't miss it."
"We need a road name or else we can't send an ambulance."
...
"excuse me" (to one of the other doctors) "what road are we on?"
pause.
"I think we're just on the embankment."
"Thanks. We're on the embankment."
"Right, we'll send an ambulance straight away."
Straight away?? That took bloody five minutes!
Anyhow, let's see to the patient.
He steps forwards into chaos. Everybody's slightly panicky including the two doctors. The man's been fitting but gradually slowing... down... now he stops. And starts flailing out in confusion. His pupils appear equal, and the lights are on... but nobody's home.
Hmm. Take charge. These two look scared, and the guy wearing the "medical" neon jacket is even more petrified but admirably trying to hold the oxygen to the guy's mouth, which is 100% the correct thing to do.
"Right, I'm a casualty doctor."
(Relief all around)
"It looks like our A B Cs are fine, so let's just stay as we are."
The american guy mutters something about a ? vasovagal. He keeps his silence. It so did not look vasovagal...
So they stand around as the guy comes around gradually, although his GCS remains firmly at 14, and he's still flailing around. The rapid responder arrives and hands out gloves to the other two. The guy in the jacket keeps trying to force The Fallen Stranger back into the recovery position even though he's clearly conscious now... after a while he gets irritated and says let's just leave him. Let him lie on his back.
The guy tries (repeatedly) to get up so they (repeatedly) guide him back into a seated position.
Somewhere along the way he gets blood on his hands. Ewwww. This never happens in A&E. Where's my gloves? The Rapid responder hands him a pair. (err thanks. bit too late, but thanks.)
The parameds arrive and busy themselves talking to the confused patient (who stoicly says nothing. He appears either dazed or postictal) and his wife (who is german and agitated, and rather incoherent at the moment. And understandably so.)
Funny. They don't attempt to elicit a history from any of the other bystanders.
After a while he realises he's the only one who witnessed the whole thing. Even the man's wife hadn't - she'd walked slightly ahead when he siezed up and keeled over.
While he waits for the paramed to finish clerking the wife, the female doctor turns to him and they identify themselves to each other (sans names lol) - she's a GP working at King's Cross. He tells her what he does. They laugh a little, and she says if he ever needs a job... (funny that. He really does! But not as a GP thank you.)
She hears out his witnessed account - like a drop attack? (yes, precisely like) and worries that it might have been a cardiac event.
He pauses for a while. Then agrees. Although truth be told the thoughts running through his head, including the unexplained otorrhea +/- epistaxis (it's hard to tell when people fall over. the blood runs everywhere) triggered thoughts of a more... neurological nature (? SAH?) in his head. But it's always a chicken and egg scenario isn't it? Did the fall cause the bleed, or did the bleed cause the fall?
The parameds are leaving as he grabs one to tell him the history then turns to leave.
Sometime later, as he's walking along the road he realises that some poor sod of a casualty officer isn't going to be able to elicit a history of the collapse, so he steers himself reluctantly into the door of Guys Hospital A&E (5 min from the scene of the incident) and tells the triage sister he'd like to leave a written account.
Instead, he's guided around to majors (dammit!! my holiday!) and told to wait for the cas officer (nooooooooooo) to see the patient.
Fortunately, the cas officer on duty notices the other cas officer (thankfully, Sister announces it as they walk in) and says he'll take it straight away to save time.
They exchange hellos, and he gives him the rundown of events (walking mid-stride, sudden LOC 2 min, head injury, oto/rhinorrhea, fit 20s, continued confusion ? 10 min) and a brief thank you later, he's back on the road, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his arms, and munching on a nutella and banana crepe. :)
Didn't make it to Westminster Abbey in time for service though. I so wanted to see what it'd be like. bugger.
Sometimes it feels like, try as I might, I just can't escape from work.
*****
8) St James Park
Does anyone know what kind of birds these guys are?
They may not look it in these pictures, but they're about five feet tall
I think he's sweet. :)
Oh, and I saw someone else feeding the geese from her bare hands today.
