As we began to leave the neighborhood the siren began to make that familiar loud sound that announces you need to get out of the way because we are moving, and we were moving fast. I have been in an ambulance before but this time was different. This time the ambulance was not moving at a generally quick speed I have experienced in the past, and observed many times while driving. This time it was going fast and was not stopping. I could feel that anyone in front of us needed to get out of the path we were taking. Along the way, and at intersections came that loud, very annoying, ambulance horn sound to move your vehicle to the side. In past ambulance rides I have never had the horn sound used. This was a serious effort to get me to the hospital as fast as possible.
Inside the ambulance there was a lot going on between the paramedics and me in the back. One paramedic was working on starting the IV in my right arm. OMG, I think he missed because it really hurt. He tried again; better, but it was still painful and then we hit a road bump. WTF… I was given three baby aspirin to chew. Then I was given a very small round pill to put under my tongue. I asked what that pill was and was told it was nitroglycerin. From the conversations I was hearing between the paramedics, I assumed the monitor attached to my chest via the various wires connected to the chest pads was broadcasting directly to the hospital. I could hear some communications in the background but did not pay much attention to what was being said, I was too busy texting to my supervisor and my construction administration teams to let them know I would not be on campus this day since I was on my way to the hospital via ambulance. Yes, I know, what was I thinking. I’m working while this event is ongoing. You could say I was coping with the shock overwhelming me by doing what I do every day, and it just seemed normal. You can scold me if you must, but have you ever been so overwhelmed by an event involving your health that the intensity of this event may have sent you off into a different time and place reality because the one you are in at this moment is just not comprehensible? If you have then you know what I am describing. The paramedics kept working to make sure that I was stable and there were no missing steps in what they were doing to basically keep me going. We are now arriving at the hospital…
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