0:00:02 > 0:00:04Racing to treat a patient in need of critical care.
0:00:04 > 0:00:05Can I have a crew, please?
0:00:05 > 0:00:08This is the West Midlands Ambulance Service.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12This could have been a fatal accident, 100%.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14A dedicated team of doctors and paramedics...
0:00:14 > 0:00:17- Hi, there. Want an ambulance? - Don't like it when they cry.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20..they responded to a million 999 calls every year.
0:00:22 > 0:00:23Fighting to save lives.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27Basically went straight up in the air, crashing down.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29Because some emergencies are so severe...
0:00:29 > 0:00:31He's fractured his femur...
0:00:31 > 0:00:33..treatment must begin...
0:00:33 > 0:00:35- Now take a deep breath in, mate. - ..out on the road.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37I am grateful to every paramedic.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39If I could give them a medal, I would.
0:00:47 > 0:00:52Today, paramedics battle to help an injured motorcyclist.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54Right, it looks like your big bone at the top of your leg,
0:00:54 > 0:00:57- the femur, it looks like that's been broken.- Oh, dear.- OK?
0:00:57 > 0:01:00A lady collapses while out shopping...
0:01:00 > 0:01:02I says, "Jean, are you all right?"
0:01:02 > 0:01:06She says no. After that, she passed out.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10And Tracey and Dan rush a woman with a severe kidney infection to hospital.
0:01:10 > 0:01:11What's the matter?
0:01:11 > 0:01:13SHE MOANS AND SOBS
0:01:13 > 0:01:15Short, sharp breaths, like we said.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29There is always a burden on the Ambulance Service from call volume.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33We are expected to respond to anything, anywhere at any time.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37I quite enjoy working on my own.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39I find that what I'm doing,
0:01:39 > 0:01:43it's my decisions and I know what I'm doing and I feel I have got my
0:01:43 > 0:01:45confidence and capabilities to be able to do the best for people.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50It's early evening,
0:01:50 > 0:01:52and rapid response paramedic Ste Hill
0:01:52 > 0:01:56is blue-lighting it to the scene of a motorbike crash.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00We are on the way to a road traffic collision on the bypass in Lye.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02We are only a couple of minutes away.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05It's come through as the patient's come off his motorbike
0:02:05 > 0:02:08and he's been seen to be flung in the air.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10So there is a crew on the way.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12Obviously the job is outside.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14Motorbike, there is a risk of any sort of injury.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16Particularly if he's hit anything -
0:02:16 > 0:02:18pavements or a lamp post or something.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32It's a serious smash.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36But thankfully the biker is conscious and responding to the paramedics.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Talk to me, Les, what happened today?
0:02:39 > 0:02:42I just run off the road, basically.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46Talk to me, Les. Were you knocked out at all?
0:02:46 > 0:02:49- No.- Where is hurting at the moment? - The leg.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51I'd finished work for the day.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53And headed back home.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56Round the ring road. Actually to the lights.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58And that's it.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02I can remember maybe about 150 yards of that ride across there
0:03:02 > 0:03:05and I can't remember anything else.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09Les has lost control of his bike and been flung 50 yards into an
0:03:09 > 0:03:12electrical cabinet on the roadside.
0:03:12 > 0:03:13What we're going to do, Les,
0:03:13 > 0:03:15we're going to have a good look at you.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18We will get you off the floor and keep you nice and still.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20And then we'll get you in the back of the ambulance
0:03:20 > 0:03:23- and we'll have a closer look at you, all right?- Take a deep breath in.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26OK. Right, it looks like the big bone at the top of your leg,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29- the femur, that's been broken. - Oh, dear.- OK?
0:03:29 > 0:03:31Is there any pain there, mate?
0:03:31 > 0:03:34- No, mate.- Any pain up here?
0:03:34 > 0:03:36Right, I'm just going to pop your boot off, mate. All right?
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Les has had a road traffic collision.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42He's come off his motorbike. We guess he's been thrown 50 yards down the road.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46Injuries at the moment - he's got a leg injury, upper leg injury.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48We reckon he has fractured his femur.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50Also suspecting some sort of abdominal injuries.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53We have been treating him with pain relief, some fluids.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55And we're going to mobilise him and he'll be off to hospital -
0:03:55 > 0:03:57all being well, very quickly.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59I suppose in the back of my mind...
0:04:01 > 0:04:05..you've always got that little doubt of the danger.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10Motorcyclists account for 21% of road deaths,
0:04:10 > 0:04:13despite making up just 1% of road traffic.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Any early indications as to condition, whether it is
0:04:16 > 0:04:19going to be threatening or life-changing?
0:04:19 > 0:04:21Potentially, if he's got internal injuries,
0:04:21 > 0:04:23we'll treat it as life-threatening.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26For now. He's got an obvious fracture to his left leg,
0:04:26 > 0:04:27his upper left leg,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30we are suspecting he has got some sort of abdominal injury,
0:04:30 > 0:04:32because his blood pressure is quite low.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34How are you feeling, Les?
0:04:34 > 0:04:37- Sore.- Sore? We're going to get you something for the pain.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39Now we've stabilised your blood pressure,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42we're going to get you something for the pain, all right?
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Just have a feel of the pulse in your foot, mate, all right?
0:04:44 > 0:04:46Can you feel this OK?
0:04:46 > 0:04:47Can you feel me touching your foot?
0:04:47 > 0:04:50- I can feel it, yeah. - OK, mate, good lad.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56The impact has forced Les's shinbone through the sole of his foot.
0:04:57 > 0:04:58Right, what we're going to do now,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01while Laura's holding your head, have you seen these hard collars
0:05:01 > 0:05:04- that wrap around there like that? - Yeah, I've seen them before.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06All right, we're going to pop one on you.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09What we're going to do with Les - and there's no easy way to do this -
0:05:09 > 0:05:12we're going to have to move him because he's wedged up against here.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15What we're going to do is roll him slightly to his left.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17He's got a nasty fracture to his thigh bone.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19One of the bones in his lower leg
0:05:19 > 0:05:22- has come through the bottom of his foot.- OK.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25If you just sort of steady as best you can, mate, all right?
0:05:25 > 0:05:27Les, keep your arms crossed as tight as you can, mate.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29Tight as you can, good lad.
0:05:29 > 0:05:34Out of all motorists, motorcyclists tend to sustain the worst injuries.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37The nature of riding a bike with no protection around you,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40no airbags or seat belts, when you come off,
0:05:40 > 0:05:42you're going to hit something hard
0:05:42 > 0:05:44which is going to cause serious injury.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47I wouldn't want any of my family or loved ones to ride a motorbike,
0:05:47 > 0:05:51through what I've seen and the injuries that can be sustained.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54Ready, steady, roll.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56OK, yeah, I think we've got that.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Just bear with us a minute, mate,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02we'll try and readjust this on the ambulance, all right?
0:06:02 > 0:06:06You're strapped in, you're not going to have much movement in your head.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08Just try and keep it as still as you can.
0:06:08 > 0:06:09We're detached from everything, aren't we?
0:06:09 > 0:06:11On three, mate. One, two, three.
0:06:14 > 0:06:15- That's the tubing, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23Potential nature of quite serious injuries to this gentleman.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25We're guessing a sort of pelvic and abdomen injury as well.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28So if that's the case, it could be life-threatening.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30Crew are on the way to Queen Elizabeth,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33they've just liaised with the major trauma desk in the control room.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36They've passed on an alert so they will be there in about 15 minutes.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40So, three people on the crew, we are not needed, so we will withdraw.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43We will go back and prepare for the next case.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51Five months after the incident, Les is faced with a difficult decision.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54It's been very traumatic.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58My left foot is totally shattered, to the point
0:06:58 > 0:07:04where surgeons have said that the healing time is going to be
0:07:04 > 0:07:10such a long process and that I could still end up losing the foot.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12So I have made the decision of
0:07:12 > 0:07:16actually having it amputated at this point.
0:07:17 > 0:07:24I think I was lucky that day to come away from the scene with my life.
0:07:24 > 0:07:31I haven't met the paramedic that helped me.
0:07:32 > 0:07:33But thank you.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38You do a fantastic job.
0:07:40 > 0:07:41Getting emotional now.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47I can't thank you enough. I really can't.
0:07:50 > 0:07:51Er...
0:07:52 > 0:07:53It's...
0:07:55 > 0:07:57I wouldn't be here without 'em, I don't think.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01So from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03Sorry.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20I've been in the Ambulance Service about 18 months now.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22I started off in training school, came out on the road,
0:08:22 > 0:08:24fresh, and then picked up Tracey
0:08:24 > 0:08:27after about five months of being on the road.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29I became his surrogate work mum.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31I look after him.
0:08:31 > 0:08:32Yeah, she does look after me.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35I do think she's one of the best paras at Dudley ambulance station.
0:08:35 > 0:08:36By far.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Just the way she is calm on jobs.
0:08:39 > 0:08:40That's definitely rubbed off on me.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Dan has picked things up really quickly.
0:08:43 > 0:08:44So I have taught him well.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46She has taught me well, yeah.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51It's early evening and Tracey and Dan are en route
0:08:51 > 0:08:54to a woman in extreme pain.
0:08:54 > 0:08:5733-year-old female who has rang 111 this evening
0:08:57 > 0:08:59because she's got stomach pain.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01She's got a bit of back pain as well.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03She's got a headache...
0:09:04 > 0:09:06..and that's all we know at the minute.
0:09:14 > 0:09:15You all right, darling?
0:09:17 > 0:09:21Right, let's have a talk about what's going on this evening, then.
0:09:21 > 0:09:22What's the matter?
0:09:22 > 0:09:27It started Sunday evening, just severe pain in my left
0:09:27 > 0:09:29side of my stomach.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33Just under my rib. And that just gradually got worse.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35I was still able to function as normal yesterday,
0:09:35 > 0:09:38just every now and then doubling up in pain.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41And then last night I developed a severe headache and back pain.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44I couldn't sleep at all with it all night.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46- OK.- It's just got worse and worse.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49I had been feeling unwell for a number of days
0:09:49 > 0:09:52but then suddenly that day it became so intense
0:09:52 > 0:09:57and it was hurting to breathe and hurting if I tried to walk.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01And I just knew I needed to get medical attention.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04So what prompted the call, because the pain just got too much...?
0:10:04 > 0:10:07It just got my so bad and my headache and my back
0:10:07 > 0:10:08and I couldn't even move.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10OK.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13Is it all right if I do a few obs on you?
0:10:13 > 0:10:14Are you all right to sit up?
0:10:14 > 0:10:17- It's really painful if I sit up. - You'd rather lie down there?
0:10:17 > 0:10:19Right, I'll see if I can get to you.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22- Have you done your temperature or anything like that?- No.- OK.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24Let's have a look.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32There you go. You've got an infection somewhere.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35Right, show me where this pain is.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38- This area here.- OK, all right.
0:10:38 > 0:10:43I was developing intense pain in the sort of mid,
0:10:43 > 0:10:45lower back either side of my spine.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Just underneath where your ribs end.
0:10:48 > 0:10:49It was very, very tense,
0:10:49 > 0:10:51and when I tried to take a breath in,
0:10:51 > 0:10:54it felt like someone was squeezing
0:10:54 > 0:10:57something inside of me really, really tight.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59Which was very, very painful.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02In terms of what's going on, the way you describe the pain,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05you've got a bit of a temperature, you've got a headache, you don't feel like eating.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08It seems like it may possibly be a bit of a kidney infection you've got.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11When people get kidney infections they can be quite painful.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14Sometimes they've had a water infection that's not been treated
0:11:14 > 0:11:16and it's just got worse.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19You know, you need to see a doctor.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22And probably get some antibiotics sorted out for you
0:11:22 > 0:11:24before it gets any worse.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27Are you happy to pop up to A&E?
0:11:29 > 0:11:30OK.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33But before they can move her, Tracey and Dan need to get Melissa's
0:11:33 > 0:11:35pain under control.
0:11:35 > 0:11:36Try some Entonox.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38Hopefully it will take the edge off.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41All right? You've had it before, so just grip it with your teeth.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45Then it might make you a bit dry, it might make you a bit woozy.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49It wasn't helping it at all, was it, really?
0:11:49 > 0:11:51She was in quite a bit of pain.
0:11:51 > 0:11:52I'll go first.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02SHE MOANS
0:12:02 > 0:12:04All right, darling. Sick bag's there.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06As I said, I know it's not the best
0:12:06 > 0:12:09but obviously it's the best we've got for the minute, all right, OK?
0:12:09 > 0:12:10We will go to New Cross.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13Happy, Trace? All right.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18As my colleague said, looking like a kidney infection.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20With the kidneys, you have to be careful.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22We don't know how long she has had it or what is going on underneath.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24She is clearly in a lot of pain.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26She has clearly got quite a high pain threshold.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30Obviously she had the paracetamol so we can't give her anything stronger.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32She needs a few further tests, basically, that we can't do.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35- So we will see what happens there. - SHE CRIES
0:12:35 > 0:12:36What's the matter?
0:12:36 > 0:12:38What's the matter, darling? What's the matter?
0:12:40 > 0:12:41Mm? What's the matter?
0:12:41 > 0:12:43It just suddenly got worse.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Short, sharp breaths, like we said.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49Tracey and Dan, the paramedics, were really good.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Lovely people, very patient,
0:12:52 > 0:12:55very calm, and I think you need that.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57When you're in a lot of pain,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00it can make you a bit panicked or flustered.
0:13:00 > 0:13:05And you need someone who is staying calm, is reassuring,
0:13:05 > 0:13:08and I think it's always good as well when they talk to you and try
0:13:08 > 0:13:11and distract you a little from your pain.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14All right, here we are.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Yeah.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22OK?
0:13:22 > 0:13:23Right.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25She is feeling cold and trying to snuggle up,
0:13:25 > 0:13:28so I think there is definitely some sort of infection there.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31So hopefully... I don't know whether they will scan her or treat her
0:13:31 > 0:13:33with antibiotics and send her home.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35But, yeah, job done.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40Melissa reached hospital just in time.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44Doctors diagnosed her with kidney stones and a kidney infection.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47She was given antibiotics to treat the infection and passed
0:13:47 > 0:13:49the kidney stones six weeks later.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01A high proportion of the patients we tend are elderly.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03And what they're complaining of
0:14:03 > 0:14:05might be down to a chronic condition.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09For example, they might be having chest pain through to chronic high
0:14:09 > 0:14:10cholesterol and blood pressure.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14So we're dealing with the end result of sort of long-term conditions.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21More than half of people treated by the West Midlands Ambulance Service
0:14:21 > 0:14:23are over the age of 65.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27Ste is in Stourbridge, on his way to help an OAP in trouble.
0:14:27 > 0:14:33We are responding to a lady in her 70s who has collapsed outside
0:14:33 > 0:14:38Costa coffee in an indoor shopping precinct in Stourbridge town centre.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40Pulling up at the address now.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51Hello there, is it Jean?
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Hello there, my name is Ste.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55I'm one of the paramedics. What's happened?
0:14:55 > 0:14:56- I don't know.- You don't know.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00What I want to do is check you over quickly and then we'll decide what we're going to do.
0:15:00 > 0:15:01Have you got any pain anywhere?
0:15:01 > 0:15:03We shop in Stourbridge every Friday morning.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06And we'd done the shopping, we were just going for coffee.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10And she bought me coffee to the table and I said, "I don't feel very well."
0:15:10 > 0:15:12I says, "Jean, are you all right?"
0:15:12 > 0:15:13She says no,
0:15:13 > 0:15:16and after she said that, she was violently sick
0:15:16 > 0:15:18and then she passed out.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21It appears your pulse is a bit slow in the wrists
0:15:21 > 0:15:23so it might be that your blood pressure is sort of a bit low.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26So I'm going to lie you on the floor, is that OK?
0:15:26 > 0:15:28Right, lie yourself down for me.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Sit down, sit down.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32OK. Jean, I'm going to lift your legs up.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37We'll see if you start to feel any better like that.
0:15:37 > 0:15:38- OK?- OK.
0:15:38 > 0:15:43One of the big things with low blood pressure is literally the pressure
0:15:43 > 0:15:46is that low that the blood doesn't get to your vital organs -
0:15:46 > 0:15:49ie your brain, you heart and your lungs.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51Five-two, can I have a crew, please?
0:15:51 > 0:15:53Can you back me up with an amber response?
0:15:53 > 0:15:56I've got a lady passed out with low blood pressure.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59If the blood supply to the brain is reduced,
0:15:59 > 0:16:03the easiest thing you can do is get the blood back there by lifting her legs off the floor.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06And it just causes, through gravity, blood to run back to the brain.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09- Do you feel any easier now?- Yeah.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11She is starting to feel a little bit better,
0:16:11 > 0:16:14but she looks quite pale and clammy, so we are going to do a routine set of observations.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16We've asked for an ambulance to come
0:16:16 > 0:16:18and then we'll check her over more in depth on the back.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21Do you have any medical problems normally?
0:16:21 > 0:16:23- Yes.- What do you suffer with normally?
0:16:23 > 0:16:25- My heart.- Your heart?
0:16:25 > 0:16:27- And diabetes.- OK.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30Jean has been diabetic for eight years.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35Diabetes is basically when your body can't regulate blood sugar levels.
0:16:35 > 0:16:40First and foremost, it would be high, as an undiagnosed diabetic.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43Quite often people who suffer from diabetes,
0:16:43 > 0:16:47it can cause their sugars to go low and that can cause them to have funny turns.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51Jean, the next test I want to do is take a spot of blood from the tip of your finger. Is that OK?
0:16:51 > 0:16:53- Yeah.- Do you test your own blood sugars?
0:16:53 > 0:16:57- Yeah.- You do. Do you know what number it normally is?- About seven.
0:16:57 > 0:16:58About a seven.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01A normal reading for a blood glucose, a BM, would be between five and eight.
0:17:01 > 0:17:06- A little scratch on your finger, is that all right?- Yeah.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10OK, just squeeze that on your finger for me. Thank you.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12All right. Your blood sugars are 15. Is that quite high for you?
0:17:12 > 0:17:15- Yeah.- It is. Her blood sugars are quite high.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19They're 15. She's a diabetic, that's a lot higher than normal.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23Can you give my hands a really good squeeze with both hands, OK?
0:17:23 > 0:17:26Close your eyes for me. I want you to hold your arms up in the air.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28OK, that's lovely, pop them down.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32We've done a quick survey of her neurological function,
0:17:32 > 0:17:33which has proved OK.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35So we're not suspecting a stroke at this time.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37As soon as the ambulance gets here,
0:17:37 > 0:17:40we will do more in-depth ECG and we'll have a look at her heart.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43This isn't the first time Jean has collapsed.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46Last September was the last one she had.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49And it happened in Debenhams at Merry Hill.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51Exactly the same thing, passing out.
0:17:51 > 0:17:56This was the first time that I'd been there when it did happen.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00And it was very frightening to see how ill she was.
0:18:00 > 0:18:01If we sit you up, the chances are
0:18:01 > 0:18:04you're probably going to go dizzy again. All right?
0:18:04 > 0:18:08Would you have any objections to me popping a little needle into your arm? Or your hand?
0:18:08 > 0:18:11We're going to give you some fluid, is that OK?
0:18:11 > 0:18:12Just relax your hand.
0:18:12 > 0:18:18We've given the lady some sodium chloride, basically salty water.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21Fluid replacement, should bring the blood pressure up.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Hiya, are you all right?
0:18:24 > 0:18:26- Hello.- Right, this is Jean.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28She is fully aware of what went on.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30No pains. Obviously I haven't done a 12 lead where we are.
0:18:30 > 0:18:35- I've discussed with her that we will do one in the back the ambulance. - OK.- All right?- Yeah.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37Give me your hand, my darling, nice and steady.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40- OK?- That's it, just have a breather a moment.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42That's it, OK?
0:18:42 > 0:18:45In the ambulance, the paramedics check Jean's blood pressure again.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48Looks all right. Have a sit down.
0:18:48 > 0:18:4929, 70, perfect.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52- That's me.- Have a sit down, Jean.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55You were lying flat for a good 25 minutes, weren't you?
0:18:55 > 0:18:57- Yeah.- Yeah. And your blood pressure remained really low,
0:18:57 > 0:18:59that's why we give you some fluid.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02But as it is now, your blood pressure is quite stable.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05But from what we've seen today, we would advise a trip to the hospital.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09- Waste of time.- If it is that you don't want to go...
0:19:09 > 0:19:11No, it's not that. I don't mind hospitals.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14No, obviously our advice would be to get it checked out.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16If you don't want to go, that's fine.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18Jean has made quite a good recovery
0:19:18 > 0:19:20with the fluids we have given her. She responded quite well to it.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23Her blood pressure has stabilised now.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25We advised her to go to the hospital because low blood pressure
0:19:25 > 0:19:28has caused her to have a collapse in a public place.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31She has experienced it before and the experience she's had is she
0:19:31 > 0:19:35doesn't want to receive any further treatment at hospital. This time she doesn't want to go.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39Our advice would be to attend and the fact she doesn't want to travel with us,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42we'll get her to sign our electronic paper device to state that she's
0:19:42 > 0:19:44not going with us at this time.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47But after passing out in the coffee shop,
0:19:47 > 0:19:49Jean's condition deteriorated.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51I couldn't get over it.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54When I got home, I knew it was something different.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56My sisters had to come down.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58They took it in turns to look after me.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01Eventually, Jean collapsed again.
0:20:01 > 0:20:02I passed out at home.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06I was unconscious for two hours.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12When I come round, I phoned my son up.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19And, obviously, an ambulance had to come.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21They took me to hospital.
0:20:21 > 0:20:26Where I was for two weeks while they did a load of tests to find out
0:20:26 > 0:20:27what's the matter with me.
0:20:30 > 0:20:35After weeks of uncertainty, Jean was told she had a faulty heart valve.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38He says, well, you're going to have to have your heart done.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41He says, because that is causing you to black out.
0:20:48 > 0:20:49I ended up in Wolverhampton...
0:20:50 > 0:20:52..to have my heart done.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56Which they did.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00Jean had a successful aortic valve operation.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03But the tests discovered another life-threatening condition.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06It turns out I've got cancer.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11Which I don't mind having since you've got to die of something, for Christ's sake.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14He says he's got to take most of my pancreas out,
0:21:14 > 0:21:17some of the stomach, some of the bowel.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19It is about five things he's got to take out.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22And then just stitch it all together and I'll be fine.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26Jean is putting on a brave face.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28But it's been a difficult time for her.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Luckily, her best friend Joan has been with her throughout.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36- Oh, thanks, darling.- Nice cup of tea.- Thank you.- Nice cup of coffee.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40Look at these photos here.
0:21:40 > 0:21:4246 years ago, they were taken.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47- Never.- Stuart was two there and he's 48 now.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51And you and I are lovely and slim and beautiful.
0:21:53 > 0:21:54Joan is my family.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58She's always been like my family.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02She has been my best friend for 50 years.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05And we've had an awful lot of laughter.
0:22:05 > 0:22:06And happiness.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10There's one particular night we went out and she was drunk
0:22:10 > 0:22:12and she couldn't stop vomiting.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14And she'd got a few false teeth.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18So she took them out and I washed her false teeth under the tap.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22That's what good friends are.
0:22:22 > 0:22:23That's friendship, that is.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27We've been very concerned about Jean because she's been quite poorly.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33And I just hope that everything will turn out all right for her.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37I think it's going to take a long, long time for her to get better.
0:22:38 > 0:22:39But she's a very brave lady.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42Very brave indeed.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45My friend in there, she keeps saying I'm brave. I says, I'm not brave.
0:22:45 > 0:22:46I'm just getting on with life.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50Jean will soon have to undergo another operation.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Luckily, Joan will be by her side.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57She always knows, I tell her where I am.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59If you want me, I'm here.
0:22:59 > 0:23:0450 years is a hell of a long time to be friends.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07And we are very fond of each other.
0:23:07 > 0:23:12- Very fond.- It's important for anybody to have a friend.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15You've got to have somebody you can talk to.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Or else you'd go barmy. Everybody should have a Joan.
0:23:24 > 0:23:29Last year, nearly 12 million working days were lost due to anxiety,
0:23:29 > 0:23:32depression and stress-related illnesses.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35Try and calm yourself down, just concentrate on your breathing.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37There is no one reason why anxiety and stress
0:23:37 > 0:23:39is more common these days.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42Stressful lives, financial difficulties,
0:23:42 > 0:23:46lifestyle, can all contribute negatively to someone's health.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50Dr Mike Greenway and medical student Jonathan Charles are on their way
0:23:50 > 0:23:52to treat a woman who is struggling to breathe.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56When we get there we will have to see what is going on.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58It sounds as though she is unwell.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01I'm not sure how old she is but she has a breathing problem.
0:24:01 > 0:24:06It could be anything from anxiety to pneumonia or to asthma.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09A flare-up of COPD or anything,
0:24:09 > 0:24:11so we will have to see when we get there.
0:24:22 > 0:24:27The patient has collapsed at work and is being treated by first aiders.
0:24:27 > 0:24:28Hello. My name is Mike,
0:24:28 > 0:24:31I'm one of the doctors with the Ambulance Service.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34- Have you had these sort of things before?- No.- No?
0:24:34 > 0:24:37OK. Did you suddenly feel all panicky,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40tight-chested and tingling in your hands and all those sort of things?
0:24:40 > 0:24:45- Yeah. I've gone dizzy. Every time I stand-up I feel I'm just going to drop.- Right, OK.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48You say you've not had it before?
0:24:48 > 0:24:50Can I just borrow your hand, is that all right?
0:24:50 > 0:24:52You're ever so cold and shut down, aren't you, there?
0:24:52 > 0:24:58When we first saw Hannah, she was sat on the floor looking distressed.
0:24:58 > 0:25:04She was breathing very fast and not really able to make eye contact
0:25:04 > 0:25:05and speak to us properly.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09This led us quickly to think this might be what is called a panic attack.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13What I need you to do is to try to just settle your breathing for me.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15That's going to be the important part.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19OK? Just slow your breathing right down,
0:25:19 > 0:25:23concentrate on taking slow and small breaths.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25I felt sick, I felt dizzy,
0:25:25 > 0:25:29I felt like my chest went so tight, I couldn't breathe.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31And I think it was making me panic more
0:25:31 > 0:25:35because I didn't know what was happening.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38One of the problems is when you breathe fast it makes the
0:25:38 > 0:25:39symptoms worse.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43I was having some stresses at home and at work.
0:25:43 > 0:25:48I think that might have possibly triggered my panic attack.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51You all right? Just slowly take your breaths, that's it.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55We'll just do a few observations, just check your blood pressure
0:25:55 > 0:25:56and just see what's going on.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59Cool, so you've got your monitory stuff?
0:25:59 > 0:26:01The treatment for a panic attack
0:26:01 > 0:26:03is to allow her to take control of her breathing.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05So, when you take a breath in,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07lift your shoulders right up, near your ears.
0:26:07 > 0:26:08So take a breath in,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11lift your shoulders right up near your ears.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13Squash your ears with your shoulders.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18And then breathe out and let your shoulders go down. Right down.
0:26:18 > 0:26:23At the moment, we're allowing one person to do the talking
0:26:23 > 0:26:25and helping her to calm down.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27One, two, three.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29It was scary, I couldn't breathe.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32And I wanted to know why I couldn't breathe.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35I sort of felt I was trapped in a hole.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37In a weird way.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40How is that tingling in your hands doing?
0:26:40 > 0:26:42Yeah? Yeah.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44Is it any better or any worse?
0:26:44 > 0:26:45I don't know.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49We needed to get her onto the back of the ambulance,
0:26:49 > 0:26:52away from the eyes of her work colleagues.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56So that she could feel in a safe environment and not feel judged,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58able to calm down in her own time.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02And just stand there for a minute... OK?
0:27:02 > 0:27:04You feel like your legs are all jelly...?
0:27:04 > 0:27:06Once Hannah was on the back of the ambulance,
0:27:06 > 0:27:09she was really able to calm down fully.
0:27:09 > 0:27:10Looking better already.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14Are you feeling your fingers coming back a little bit more now?
0:27:14 > 0:27:18They can stay numb for a while, but, yeah, you look less tense.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22Have you felt yourself unfolding a little bit?
0:27:22 > 0:27:25- Yeah, a little bit. - Yeah, that's good.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29It didn't take that long, about ten to 15 minutes.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33But that was all she needed to really sort of get control.
0:27:33 > 0:27:34How's that feeling now?
0:27:34 > 0:27:37Are you feeling quite tired?
0:27:39 > 0:27:42- I feel like my head's just not attached to my body.- Dreamy.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45- My head feels like... Yeah. - It will come back slowly.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49- So, now am I OK? - It is a panic attack.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52It's probably worse than you ever thought they could be.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54Yeah, I've never had one.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57In about half an hour, you'll be back to normal.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01When I was in the ambulance and I was coming round and I started talking more
0:28:01 > 0:28:05and I started looking a little bit better than I was,
0:28:05 > 0:28:09they said that I have suffered a panic attack.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11So is my heart beating OK?
0:28:11 > 0:28:14Well, it's beating fine. Your blood pressure is better than mine is.
0:28:14 > 0:28:19Your oxygen saturation is, not surprisingly, 100%.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22100%.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24Can't get any better than that.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26For someone your age, fit and healthy, that's fine.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30Hannah has done really well in being able to calm down.
0:28:30 > 0:28:32She was coaxed through it by
0:28:32 > 0:28:36our ambulance colleagues who did a great job.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40She was able to avoid going to hospital.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43Two weeks on and Hannah is back on her feet.
0:28:43 > 0:28:47Since the first panic attack that I've had, I've not had a second one.
0:28:50 > 0:28:56But, considering the first one was quite bad and scary,
0:28:56 > 0:29:02it does make me more aware of - they can come on at sort of any time.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05Hannah is a lot better now, she doesn't seem stressed.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08She is calmer and she looks a lot more healthier now.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11I think she's let everything all build up
0:29:11 > 0:29:14and it just all got too much for her.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16Right, where are we going?
0:29:16 > 0:29:18The panic attacks were horrible.
0:29:18 > 0:29:22I hope that I don't ever have one again.
0:29:22 > 0:29:26But if I do, I sort of know
0:29:26 > 0:29:30when it is coming and how to control it myself.
0:29:30 > 0:29:35I think the doctors and the paramedics did a fantastic job that day.
0:29:35 > 0:29:38They looked after my little girl, made sure she was better.
0:29:39 > 0:29:45I am very grateful of what they did on that day.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47It felt like they saved my life.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57Right, so you're walking OK, but you're still feeling wobbly?
0:29:57 > 0:29:59- Oh, very.- Let's come back here.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02I get called out to a lot of elderly people on their own.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05Ranging from just a general safe and well check
0:30:05 > 0:30:09right to the other end of the spectrum.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12Can I have a look at your wrist?
0:30:12 > 0:30:13Let's have a look.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17We get called to a lot of falls with elderly, as well,
0:30:17 > 0:30:20and again you just have to treat them with tender loving care.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27It is early evening, and paramedic Kathryn Davies is en route
0:30:27 > 0:30:31to a pensioner who has fallen in his garden.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34Right, we've got an elderly gentleman
0:30:34 > 0:30:36who has fallen on the floor.
0:30:36 > 0:30:41Don't know if it's a mechanical fall or if he's had some sort of faint,
0:30:41 > 0:30:45we don't know yet. He is unable to get off the floor.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48It is reported that he's got some sort of back injury.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52She's only few miles away,
0:30:52 > 0:30:54but the traffic is causing problems for Kath
0:30:54 > 0:30:56and an ambulance on a different job.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00See, it's difficult at traffic lights when they're on red.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03Because you don't want to push cars over
0:31:03 > 0:31:06into the path of an oncoming car, but now they are green,
0:31:06 > 0:31:08the cars still remain where they are
0:31:08 > 0:31:11instead of just going to let us through.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13They stop and you have to weave through them.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17But people do panic when they hear blue lights and sirens behind them.
0:31:28 > 0:31:32At the man's house, Kath is met by his daughter.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34Where are we? Oh, we're here!
0:31:37 > 0:31:38Hello, my darling.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40What are you doing down there?
0:31:40 > 0:31:44- You tell me.- Malcolm was actually on the floor.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47He had had a fall, no initial injuries.
0:31:47 > 0:31:51But, again, he just could not get his self up off the floor.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59Can you move this leg at all?
0:31:59 > 0:32:01- Yes.- Yeah? Can you bend it at all?
0:32:04 > 0:32:06Good. Is that hurting?
0:32:06 > 0:32:08No, it's just there, that's all it was.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11- And you've got no pain at the bottom of your back?- No.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15I normally go at night, about half past five, to water the garden.
0:32:15 > 0:32:19And I sat on the seat on the patio.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22I've got this condition where I just fall asleep.
0:32:22 > 0:32:24Fell off the seat.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26I took a seat with me under the table
0:32:26 > 0:32:28and knocked the table on top of me,
0:32:28 > 0:32:32and all the plants. I couldn't get rid of it all, I couldn't turn over.
0:32:32 > 0:32:34I panicked then because I thought, well...
0:32:34 > 0:32:36And then I remembered I've got the house phone in my pocket.
0:32:36 > 0:32:40He's been on the floor possibly three quarters of an hour.
0:32:40 > 0:32:43Because these young ladies weren't in the house at the time.
0:32:43 > 0:32:44They've come and found him.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48Unable to lift Malcolm on her own, Kath radios for assistance.
0:32:49 > 0:32:53I'm going to ask for an amber response because the patient is outside in the garden.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56And he is quite cold, so amber response.
0:32:56 > 0:33:00And we are going to need a crew with a manga ELK, please.
0:33:00 > 0:33:04When we have elderly people on the floor, we have to look at ways
0:33:04 > 0:33:07of getting them upright safely.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11All the ambulances now carry a piece of equipment called a manga ELK.
0:33:12 > 0:33:18It's a big lifting cushion and it's the only way now to safely lift
0:33:18 > 0:33:20somebody up off the floor.
0:33:20 > 0:33:21Have you done all these flowers?
0:33:21 > 0:33:23- Yes.- How fabulous is that?
0:33:23 > 0:33:26It's beautiful. Did you used to be a butcher?
0:33:26 > 0:33:29- Yes.- You look like a butcher.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32- You know why?- Why? - I've just seen your bike.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36- Oh, I see.- Yeah, I thought so.
0:33:38 > 0:33:42- Hello.- Hi, folks. - Hello, are you all right?
0:33:42 > 0:33:46Right, before we do anything, just look at this wonderful view.
0:33:46 > 0:33:47- It's very nice.- It is, it is.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52We're going to try to get this cushion underneath your bottom.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55- OK.- OK? And then once it's underneath your bottom,
0:33:55 > 0:33:59we're going to roll you onto your back so you are onto it.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02- Yes.- Then we are going to try and sit you up.- OK.- OK?- Thank you.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05Right. If you can just try and roll, nice and steady,
0:34:05 > 0:34:07and we'll move the cushions with you.
0:34:10 > 0:34:17- Keep going. You're safe, you're safe.- Right, OK?
0:34:17 > 0:34:18Nice and steady.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22You're better sitting up.
0:34:22 > 0:34:23OK?
0:34:23 > 0:34:26How do you feel?
0:34:28 > 0:34:32Right. What we'll do, we'll just try and stand you up.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34If you can't get up, the seat is right behind you again.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36All right? Do you want to try?
0:34:36 > 0:34:38- Yes. OK.- Shall we go after three?
0:34:38 > 0:34:41- Yes.- One, two, three.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43Push, push.
0:34:43 > 0:34:45Fabulous.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47Right. OK?
0:34:47 > 0:34:49We've got you, you're not going anywhere.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51That's it.
0:34:54 > 0:34:59Because of his age, we are going to take him up the A&E.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02Mainly just for the daughter's sake as well,
0:35:02 > 0:35:05because she's really concerned about him, says how pale he looks.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08I mean, she knows her dad better than anybody.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11He's just sitting there now, he is settling down.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14But I'm happier with him going into hospital as well.
0:35:16 > 0:35:17Yeah!
0:35:17 > 0:35:20Be even better if you had had your pendant on you, wouldn't it?
0:35:20 > 0:35:22- Yes.- Eh?
0:35:22 > 0:35:24- Consider yourself told off.- Yes.
0:35:24 > 0:35:28A lot of elderly people have an alarm in the house
0:35:28 > 0:35:30and they also have either a bracelet
0:35:30 > 0:35:33to wear with a big red button to press,
0:35:33 > 0:35:35or one that's round the neck.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39The amount of times we go to elderly people on the floor who have got
0:35:39 > 0:35:42these alarms and they are hanging up on a picture,
0:35:42 > 0:35:44or they are on the bedside table...
0:35:44 > 0:35:48As far as you can, just lean back into the chair.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50Put your arms on your lap...
0:35:50 > 0:35:53Luckily he had brought his mobile phone out with him.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56I had a phone call when I was driving home saying he had fallen.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59So I came here and he was, he was out and he was shaking.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02Very cold. And he said his hip was hurting.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05Couldn't get him up, so we phoned the ambulance.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07Right. OK?
0:36:07 > 0:36:08- Thank you, Kathryn.- You're welcome.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11He knows he's supposed to wear his fob, but he doesn't like wearing it.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14But if he hadn't got his phone, he would have been out here all by himself all night.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21Malcolm was later given the all-clear in hospital,
0:36:21 > 0:36:24and now wears his pendant all of the time.
0:36:25 > 0:36:27Yes, I make sure I wear it now,
0:36:27 > 0:36:30because I suppose they're life-savers, aren't they?
0:36:30 > 0:36:33I mean, the week before my daughter was in Portugal,
0:36:33 > 0:36:35so what would I have done?
0:36:35 > 0:36:40They are life-savers without a doubt.
0:36:40 > 0:36:45I love gardening, so I try to do as much as I can.
0:36:45 > 0:36:49People used to say I was odd because I used to garden in the dark.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55It worries my daughter what I do.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58But she knows it's what I enjoy.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01My son is the same, he worries about me.
0:37:01 > 0:37:02I'm a bit stubborn.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05I do it my way, they call me Frank Sinatra.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18We cover a lot more distances than we used to.
0:37:18 > 0:37:20And obviously people's expectations
0:37:20 > 0:37:23have got greater. So it doesn't matter if it's a weekend,
0:37:23 > 0:37:27it doesn't matter if it's the week, it is just as busy.
0:37:30 > 0:37:34Paramedic Simone Armfield has been called to attend to a man who has
0:37:34 > 0:37:36collapsed at home.
0:37:36 > 0:37:40All right, we're off to Norton in Stourbridge.
0:37:40 > 0:37:42And it is to a 64-year-old.
0:37:42 > 0:37:48He is unconscious but we have been told he's newly diagnosed diabetic.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51So obviously it might be a hypoglycaemic incident
0:37:51 > 0:37:54where his blood sugars are low.
0:38:03 > 0:38:05Hello. Where are we?
0:38:05 > 0:38:07- Where is he?- I'll show you.
0:38:07 > 0:38:09Aw. Hello.
0:38:09 > 0:38:11Was this young man's name?
0:38:11 > 0:38:13Adrian.
0:38:13 > 0:38:18I started to feel, well, just shaky and I kept falling over.
0:38:18 > 0:38:19Oh, right.
0:38:19 > 0:38:24Earlier in the day, I'd felt as if I've got quite a bad headache.
0:38:24 > 0:38:25I felt quite lethargic.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28Are you newly diagnosed diabetic?
0:38:30 > 0:38:34You're an old professional, so you've been a diabetic for a while?
0:38:34 > 0:38:37Let me just take your blood. Have you took your blood sugars yourself?
0:38:37 > 0:38:41- No.- No. So, in yourself, have you felt strange?
0:38:41 > 0:38:44- Have you had any headaches? - I have today.- You have today.
0:38:44 > 0:38:45- All day today?- Yes.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48The sensation was very strange on that day.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51I'd never felt like it before.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53When I have had a dip in my blood sugars,
0:38:53 > 0:38:56I always know when that's happening
0:38:56 > 0:39:01because my legs tend to start to get a little bit like jelly.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03But on this occasion, it didn't feel like that.
0:39:03 > 0:39:05So have you been sick at all?
0:39:05 > 0:39:08No, no. I just feel tired.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11And do you suffer with anything else other than your diabetes?
0:39:11 > 0:39:14I don't know why but you took two antidepressants, haven't you?
0:39:14 > 0:39:17What are these depression tablets that you're taking, then?
0:39:17 > 0:39:21Are they something you've been taking for a long time?
0:39:21 > 0:39:25- Yeah.- OK. And you haven't taken more than you should today?- No.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28That day it was quite complex with Adrian,
0:39:28 > 0:39:31because I know he did suffer from depression.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35It was quite worrying for him and quite scary for him and his family.
0:39:35 > 0:39:37because it seemed a neurological...
0:39:37 > 0:39:39There was something neurological going on.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42Have you ever been in hospital for anything at all?
0:39:44 > 0:39:46How long ago was this?
0:39:49 > 0:39:51So it's all been quite close?
0:39:58 > 0:40:01And then it never happened again until today?
0:40:01 > 0:40:03- Yeah.- What are we going to do with you, then?
0:40:03 > 0:40:06When you're a paramedic and you've got something acute,
0:40:06 > 0:40:10it's quite easy to deal with because you know what you're going to do.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13But when it's quite vague, it's like being a detective.
0:40:14 > 0:40:17Unsure of what might be causing Adrian's symptoms,
0:40:17 > 0:40:19Simone takes an ECG of his heart.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23Well, that says you are normal.
0:40:26 > 0:40:30- It's a waste of time.- It isn't, not when you're not feeling right.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32- DOORBELL RINGS - That'll probably be the crew.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35It's all right, there's an ambulance that came as well.
0:40:35 > 0:40:36Why?
0:40:36 > 0:40:38Hello!
0:40:38 > 0:40:41- It's a reunion.- Hello, sir.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43Right, then. This is Adrian.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47He's not with it, are you? It's the only thing that we can say.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50He knows that he's a bit unsteady on his feet.
0:40:50 > 0:40:55We were suspecting that maybe Adrian might have had a mini stroke, a TIA.
0:40:55 > 0:40:59He might have a bit of dysphasia, where you confuse speech,
0:40:59 > 0:41:04or he might have a weakness to a limb, or some slurred speech.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07But it actually corrects itself within 24 hours.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10And that was what we were querying.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12When you woke up, you were feeling fine then?
0:41:12 > 0:41:15- Yeah.- Other than you felt a bit stressed, that's why you took your tablets.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18When you took the sertraline, what time did you take it?
0:41:18 > 0:41:23- About half past nine. - And when did you start feeling bad?
0:41:23 > 0:41:28Well, I didn't feel bad, I just felt a bit stumbly and sleepy.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31And when was that?
0:41:31 > 0:41:35So he started to feel unwell before he took the sertraline.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38So he can't say it's the sertraline that's done it.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43With the antidepressants ruled out as a possible cause,
0:41:43 > 0:41:48and the team suspecting a mini stroke, Adrian must go to hospital.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51We're going to pop you to the... I won't,
0:41:51 > 0:41:52these lovely people will take you.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55A trip up the hospital, get you checked out.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58- Do some blood tests, like. - Bit of peace of mind.
0:41:58 > 0:41:59Adrian had to go in that day,
0:41:59 > 0:42:02because even though his observations were fine,
0:42:02 > 0:42:05there was obviously something abnormal
0:42:05 > 0:42:07that needed more scans, more tests.
0:42:08 > 0:42:13There's no sort of signs of a stroke at the moment.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15He'll just be going at normal speed to A&E,
0:42:15 > 0:42:16and obviously they can check him.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19Whether he's going to have further tests afterwards,
0:42:19 > 0:42:22whether he'll have some repeat scans, CT scans,
0:42:22 > 0:42:25and obviously just some blood tests to make sure there's nothing else going on.
0:42:25 > 0:42:29Three months later, Adrian is back home,
0:42:29 > 0:42:31feeling optimistic about the future.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33I've had various tests.
0:42:33 > 0:42:37They've assured me that there's nothing serious that's shown up
0:42:37 > 0:42:39on the tests as I've had up to now.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42To get that news was very good.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46When you don't understand what's gone on, you do imagine
0:42:46 > 0:42:50all sorts of things that could or couldn't be there.
0:42:50 > 0:42:54And to be told that there isn't anything serious,
0:42:54 > 0:42:59but two or three more tests to see the specialist in four months,
0:42:59 > 0:43:03is a relief. We are back to normal now.
0:43:03 > 0:43:07Well, I'm feeling back to normal, but Diane might say differently.