One thing I've noticed in this bidness is the glaring polarity of my patients.  Their reactions to circumstances can often be found at the very ends of the spectrum. 

For example:The middle-aged lady who was seated in her car at McDonalds, obtaining 'food' for her redneck family, when a drunk driver hit their car.  The damage was minimal.  The car was moved less than a foot.  About half an hour into the investigation, she developed “Allstateitis”, (the realization that she is a ‘victim’, which is followed closely by neck and/or back pain), and we entered the picture.After she was backboarded & brought to the hospital, she got the obligatory x-rays, which were surprisingly negative.  The cervical collar & backboard were removed, and she then proceeded to thrash about, whining and complaining.  When she got up to go to the restroom, she slowly & gingerly walked down the hallway, looking as if she were 130 years old.  Of course, she demanded and received strong pain relief.

Contrast this to the 90-ish year old lady who lost her balance and fell down 12 stairs.  She was dazed and likely had a concussion.  Despite her repetitive questioning, she was pretty much alert, cracking jokes and lifting the spirits of all those around her.  She was a true pleasure to care for.

There are folks who call 9-1-1 at the drop of a hat.  A cold?  Drop an iron on your foot?  Have restless leg syndrome?  Dental pain?  Call 9-1-1.

Contrast those folks with the ones who are literally dying in front of you and are in major denial.  They insist that the heart attack they are having is only heartburn.  They insist that the stroke that is affecting them will go away.  The trauma that shattered their bones can be alleviated with more alcohol.  They try to refuse your services.

There are the patients living in sub-human settings.  Filth, mold, debris & detritus surround them.  Rodents are their roommates.  Of course, they are all smokers – the film covers them and their belongings.  Eventually, it seems as if it will cover you.  You don’t want to touch anything, breathing becomes shallow, you don’t even set your bags down or kneel down on one knee.  If they have windows that can be seen out of, I see trailers, abandoned cars, or other symbols of poverty & neglectfulness.

Contrast them with their opposites – those surrounded by cleanliness and orderliness.  I feel dirty entering their home, dragging my equipment around and sometimes into their walls.  I see scenic splendor out their windows.  Their medicines are neatly stored away, and for the most part, only take their own, not some unknown pill from a ‘friend’.

That’s one of the natures of what I do.  I go from one extreme to the other.  One call might be bloody and adrenaline filled, the next is just a fancy taxi ride, while the next one may find me holding someone’s hand, hoping to comfort them.