Have you ever had to be transported by ambulance?
If so, what was the cause? Did it come to your home or were you at some other place? The thought of this scares me so. I just thought I’d see what others have experienced.
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37 Answers
Yes once. I was in a car accident (I was a passenger), and I broke my talus and calcaneous, tore ligaments in my foot, broke my nose, chipped teeth.
Yes, several times in the ‘80s but most recently a few years ago in England while visiting a friend. We had just come home on a cold, rainy day. I slipped on the ice and hit my forehead and eye on a block of cement.
The ambulance attendants were two extremely caring British women who liked my American accent and, apparently, my sense of humor, which, as always, had kicked in to cover my fright. I was taken to a hospital 20 or so minutes away and stitched up by a heavily accented Scotsman.
It wasn’t my most fun experience but certainly an interesting one.
@jca You broke your whats?
@Pachy that’s a big OWCH
Once when I fell off the beach bluff onto a beach and broke my leg and my arm.
The ambulance ride was a non-event.
Motorcycle accident April Fools day 1976
The talus and calcaneous are in the ankle and enable the foot to move on uneven surfaces. I had what is called a comminuted fracture, which means the talus was fractured like an egg shell, in little tiny pieces. I had to have surgery and extensive physical therapy as a result of the accident. I could have had a nose job, but the plastic surgeon said my nose looks fine, which is does. I chipped a tooth, a very minor chip that is not noticeable.
Twice, when I was young for burns, and just recently when I lost consciousness. Both times it was just a backward ride, and I got to be laid out and relaxed. It’s not a big deal, they usually know what they’re doing.
Once. I was having a gall bladder attack and my husband over reacted. He let them give me morphine against my wishes as well. They came to my home. I was dropped off at the hospital alone, without my cell phone and purse. When I inevitably recovered when I passed the stone, I used the ward phone to reach my husband, but he was busy, so he came and got me an hour or so later, when he was able. Meanwhile, I had no money or phone and I was starving and sick with a morphine hang-over.
My favorite ride was for a bout with diverticulitis, the doctor said I tried to blow my appendix but missed. I thought I had bad gas, but when I could no longer get out of my chair at the office I called 911. They came to get me and I woke up looking out a hospital window overlooking a cemetery. They had cut my trousers and shorts off and there were tubes and all kinds of apparatus around me (but not the one that goes ‘bing’)
I haven’t but I would think that if something bad happens being in the ambulance with
EMTs would be reassuring.
Yes, once in the Army Reserves. I was in summer camp. I felt ill the whole way driving there, and by the time I got there I could barely wallk, let alone report for duty. I went to the emergency room 3 times. The second time was by ambulance. The doctors in their great wisdom, knew I was gold bricking and kept sending me away. Finally my commanding officer spoke up on my behalf and then they discovered I was dying. I musta’ been really good at faking it!
Anyway they were going to operate to remove a diseased gall bladder until my observant mother pointed out that I was extremely yellow and that my liver was not working properly. The drama went on and on, with one incompetency outclassing the last one. I survived, but it wasn’t the Army’s fault, or the doctors attending me.
The ambulance people did their job, and they were the only folks who didn’t appear to be incompetent in that mess.
An advantage to going to the hospital in an ambulance is that typically, when one arrives by ambulance, one is taken right out and wheeled directly into the ER without having to sit in the waiting room for hours. Not sure how it is in other countries, but here in the US that is typical. That is advantageous for a variety of reasons.
Twice: both times for kids, not me
Not for me. But I escorted my mother-in-law to hospital and sat with her at the back. It was a quiet Sunday morning and the roads were almost empty and luckily there was no need for the siren which would have sent shivers up my spine. It came to the house to pick us up.
+1 for @jca ‘s answer. It was nice to get cuts at the front of the line! lol
911 came to my house when I had a heart attack, and took me to the nearest hospital about 35 minutes away. There wasn’t much for the EMT to do but monitor my vitals, and keep me informed of where we were.
Back in naaaaaaam, when the gooks sprayed…i’m making this up as I go along :D
Yep, several times. Even once while I was unconscious!
Six times that I can think of off the top of my head;
- Worksite accident that bent my knee backwards, hyperextending it
– Three car accidents (two as a passenger; I’m not that bad a driver!)
– Torrential nosebleed that still trickled for 3–4 days even after cauterizing
– Heat exhaustion during Boot Camp.
@Adirondackwannabe… Burns?
Once, November 2012. Apparently I had been cultivating pneumonia for months. I’d been to several doctors, all of who poo pooed me and sent me home. Then my husband went out of town for a week. I just kept getting worse. I missed work all of that week. Pretty sure I just stayed in bed, but I don’t know because I don’t remember. Husband came home, took one look at me and hauled me to the hospital. They finally did some sort of scan and found that my right lung was 80% full. They threw me on an ambulance bound for Wichita. I always wanted to ride in an ambulance and then I got to, and I don’t even remember it.
Another couple of days I would have died.
Several times. All as a ride along with my mom.
The trips were all non events and went smoothly. The EMT’s were always professional, polite and knowledgeable. They never used a siren.
My mom got into the emergency room immediately when she arrived in an ambulance.
What was wrong with your mom, @chyna?
Many things, but primarily lung cancer and COPD.
She had episodes where she couldn’t catch her breath at all.
@Dutchess_III Yeah, my aunt loved tea. She was pouring me a big cup of boiling water and me, being a butthead, had the spoon in the cup. One of us hit the spoon and the water went all over my chest and waist. My nieces learned some new words that day and probably got an anatomy lesson as I ripped those clothes off. I didn’t need an ambulance but my uncle was a big drama queen and he called them. I had some mean second degree burns.
Yes, I fainted. Dehydration and swine flu, apparently. The ambulance ride was nice, as was the emergency room. Much better than the swine flu symptoms for the next few days’ recovery time. Throwing up, not being able to throw up, throwing up again… ugh.
I had blisters from my chest down to my poor guy, but I ripped everything off so fast, and the salve they gave me in the ER took care of the scars. I have an aunt that also got burned as a baby, and they didn’t get stuff off her fast, and she has terrible scars. A good lesson, screw modesty and get the clothes off fast. I was 12 or 13 at the time.
Laughs, my guy likes hot, scalding was a bit much.
I nearly gave birth in an ambulance once. The EMTs were wonderful. They worked hard to keep me as calm as possible until we reached the hospital. I also rode two other times, once for an accident injury, once because people around me thought I was having a heart attack. One of those was as it should be. The other, the EMT who tried to start an IV was poor at the task. He blew the side out of my vein, and my arm turned shades of blue, purple, and green. Aside from that one fellow, I was grateful for the professionalism and caring of the people transporting me each time.
Once, however I was less than a year old, so, of course, I have no memory of it. Was being transported via ambulance from Paducah, KY to St. Louis, MO. The ambulance broke down an hour or so outside of St. Louis so a helicopter was dispatched from a nearby hospital and I was airlifted the rest of the way.
Yes, only once but it was a memorable thing. I had been having some chest pain and was scheduled to go to the doctor but before my appointment came up I was at work and started to feel nauseous. It made me nervous enough to go home and to call my wife. She met me at home and insisted that I take the ambulance to the hospital.
She was absolutely right about that because I went straight to the emergency room and got immediate attention. It turned out that I had a major artery blockage. They put a stent in the next day.
The ambulance seemed a bit extreme to me at the time, but it was not unpleasant. I was put on a stretcher and loaded onto the ambulance. It seemed a little surreal. They monitored me while I was being transported. It went so quickly that I hardly remember it. I always thought the worst part would be having the neighbors gawking at me. Hell, I was at the point where I really didn’t care! I felt surrounded by capable people who cared. It wasn’t bad at all.
I peeled the end off of my finger cleaning an auger at work. I rinsed it off, wrapped it in paper towels, and held it tightly with my other hand. I hadn’t really looked at it, but I knew it was peeled from the nail-bed to the tip.
I went and told my supervisor and there was nothing for it that he had to see it before he would take me to the hospital. I warned him. He insisted. We looked, I passed out. As soon as I opened my eyes, he would insist I stand up…and pass out again. I smoked at the time, and they wouldn’t allow me a cig. Eventually, they just called the ambulance. What a waste.
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