Assessment

Well, after the months of waiting it's here. Sunday I have to do my IHCD assessment to be BRC ambulance crew. Part of me thinks that I have done it all in training and should be OK, however a much bigger part is thinking "Run away and hide" I am honestly bricking it, I can feel my stomach cramping up even just typing this. I just hope that on the day I will be calm and perform as well as I can, my real fear is doing the hard things right and messing up on the basics

Trials & Baguettes

Have just spent three days at Burghley.
When you look past the dosh-posh who are generally a bunch of ignorant intolerant snobs, you see the real old money who know how to be civil to the workers and volunteers around the site. Sadly the former outnumber the latter many times over. It really is an eye opener as to the disparity in wealth in this country when you see security guards from Doncaster on six quid an hour guarding Purdey shotguns at £75,000 + VAT or Horseboxes for £235,000. As first aid volunteers we are well looked after by the organisers, plenty of food vouchers and our own tea wagon. The trouble was that the only stalls that would take the vouchers were the curry & chip stall or the baguette sellers. The baguettes were great, especially the chicken tikka, but after three days........... As to the first aid side it was a fairly quiet time, which is always good in one way but can make for a boring time in others. It isn't that we want anyone to get hurt or ill but on the other hand it is good to be able to use our skills

Festival time

Reading festival, full of posh kids trying to look like bad boys. A tiring but fun weekend, none of the bands were to my taste but some of the stuff in the comedy tent was very good, not least the free beer we blagged from the Green room backstage. Had to do 2 shifts midnight to 8:00 AM, the first on the main campsite was fairly busy but mainly just the usual blisters/cuts/burns. The most interesting job of the night was the three who had take "E" but said they had had no effects except vomiting. On examination they had pupils like saucers and a pulse of 120ish. Got them off in the ambulance to the medical centre and was pleasantly suprised when they came back a couple of hours later to thank us. It really made the night worthwhile.
The second night we were on the quieter campsite. This had been well and truly cursed by the Q word and we ended up with a near drowning who had somehow launched from the ferry and had fallen abdomen first onto the jetty and was complaining of severe pain in the upper right quadrant (Just where the liver is). The real problem wasn't the patient but their three, very drunk mates who had obviously qualified as doctors after about seven pints and were telling me that she had got enough oxygen now and I should take it off her. After a trip in the blue light taxi to the med centre she apparantly discharged herself some four hours later.
More to follow.........