Sharing

He shares the bathroom with six others. When it was his turn something happened; maybe he turned the wrong way and slipped, maybe his "bad knee" finally gave out, maybe his heart finally gave up. He could have overdosed or had a stroke, we really had no way of knowing until we found a way in.

He was crumbled up against the in swinging door. Not a big man, but big enough to make things difficult. If we forced the door, we would hit his head when the door swung in. If we broke the lock and gently pushed we could do further damage to his c-spine.

As minutes passed and the peanut gallery grew more impatient, we forced the door with a haligan tool and Miles, the skinniest among us slipped in. He had to step into the shower, then behind the patient. He moved him enough so I could fit in. I normally avoid touching walls in these places but there was no way around it, I squeezed through the tight opening and into the shower, then worked around the patient and straddled the toilet while positioning the patient.

He was semi-conscious and semi-naked. Possible vagal reaction? We checked for trauma, there were no obvious signs, no drug paraphernalia, BG 115, 120/60, HR 76. We carried him to the rescue, worked him up and brought him in. He was talking normally before I left the hospital.

I spent a lot of time in the communal bathroom getting him out. I spent just as much time at the communal bathroom at the fire station washing the itch off.