Emergency room

[LoveStopsDeath]

Hi,i have noticed in various msgs in various places people sometimes ask for help with an immediate problem.ie.overdose..toxic poisoning..allergic reactions to drugs etc,. but often they seem to be lost in the myriad of 1000 posts. is there a particular place to ask for help?..i couldnt really find one..do you think its worth making a thread or sumfun where people are only allowed to post in "emergencys" it guarantees that they will only get the best attention when they ask for help instead of "well i dont take that so i dunno"..and if it was neccesary the members could arrange real help. example..i can barely stay awake..im overdosing on a cocktail combo..im to scared to call 000 etc etc. all im thinking is every second counts...as we know.

 

[drplatypus]

I think that's a great idea. And it should definitely be for something that is really serious, with the mods being able to really spank people who abuse it... I've also seen far too many "EMERGENCY- I REALLY WANT TO USE IV RHUBARB AND I DON'T KNOW HOW!"-type messages... Maybe something in red at the top of the page? I'd be happy to give my phone number to some of the more sensible mods (hoptis, phase dancer, lil angel etc, and anyone that they would recommend) so that I could be contacted 24 / 7 in the case of a REAL emergency. That being said- it shouldn't substitute for a 000 / 911 /999 call where necessary... Maybe some of the other medico's lurking around would be interested. Up for it, Buck_Reed?

 

[uNhoLeee]

;o a very nice gesture there

 

[poledriver]

Yes indeed it is.

If it is that much of an emergency i think the ambos should possibly be called.

Information is good, and i think it is sometimes hard to start a new thread on certain subjects as alot have already been done and you 'might' get told off by a mod via way of it getting 'closed' and told to use the search feature.

So i dunno, its a good idea in one sense, but in another a real emergency that is life threatening should, i think, be handled by emergency specialists (ambos) OR the hospital.

 

[LoveStopsDeath]

i also feel any drug emergency should be handled by a proffesional,just tossing it into the wind.

 

[lil angel15]

It’s a good idea in theory, unfortunately, in practice it’s another story altogether. The problem arises when moderating such a thread and determining what should and shouldn’t be allowed. Additionally, the process of determining what action should be taken under specific circumstances can often be derailed by poorly thought out replies from members who may not realise the gravity of the situation.

Although we do have medical professionals that frequent the site, the majority of members DO NOT have the appropriate qualifications to diagnose and provide the required assistance in a medical emergency – especially online. As such, the best words of advice that could be given in such a thread is to seek medical attention if the situation permits.

Ultimately, the best option in situations like these is to call an ambulance or seek immediate medical attention. You know your body, have an idea of its limits and also know when something isn’t right. Use that natural intuition to make the required decision!!!

All this being said - genuine emergency threads would be treated as such with the appropriate assistance and advice being provided wherever possible. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that Bluelight is not the backstop for individuals that want to test their limits.

 

[3 to the 3]

I hate to be the wanker who uses the L word, but wouldn't BL be liable for information given out that leads to harm?

 

[drplatypus]

As ever, completely agree with lil angel, in principle. When people are definitely sick, they definitely need to go to hospital. However, what I have found in the past is that some people who I've treated have paused, or waited too long before seeking medical attention. There's a whole bunch of reasons for that, including the fact that my profession can behave like wankers when treating drug overdose... I would see the service more for those who are undecided, or hesitating, rather than the seriously unwell. Let's face it, you are unlikely to be typing messages if you aren't breathing! The default in these situations would always be to encourage people to seek medical help.

A further possible use of such a thread might be to act as a de-brief for those unlucky enough to have hurt themselves and needing to attend an ER. What happened? What went wrong? And perhaps most importantly, how can we avoid it happening again? That appears to be true harm minimisation, at its very best...

As to liability- believe me, there are enough crazy ideas and suggestions about drug use spouted around the threads of Bluelight to make a thread such as this the very least of your problems!!!

 

[Splatt]

I reckon if you can post on a forum most of the time you're gonna wake up. I've been scared heaps of times.
Only went to the hospital once where I trhought it was really needed. And I wasted hospital resources for 12+ hours where I could of basically slept it off at home, and not have a scar where a monkey could of inserterd a better drip.

Although i was severley dehydrated..... they wouldnt let me drink water, only have a drip.

Had a cool chat to a nurse about spirituality and DMT and stuff though... although then she started going on about how GHB is some toxic engegenous compound and its not recreational it only slows down your breathing and kills you.... lol

 

[Samadhi]

I have no idea if this is even relevant, however it's all about the sharing of information, right?

There is a phone number to call: 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84). It's an initiative of QLD health, and i've actually used it a couple of times when my husband has been sick and had a high fever... i didn't know whether or not to call the ambulance (very high fever and i thought he was convulsing) so called them, spoke to an RN and she gave me some very sound advice.

Here is the website: 13 HEALTH

As the site states, as have others in this thread - if you think it's an emergency, call 000/911/999/112.

 

[Splatt]

thanks for that, great

 

[MDPVagrant]

As ever, completely agree with lil angel, in principle. When people are definitely sick, they definitely need to go to hospital. However, what I have found in the past is that some people who I've treated have paused, or waited too long before seeking medical attention.

Unfortunately, "the system" sux (at least in the U.S.) and anything less than strong chest pain, seizures, unconsciousness etc. may be put on the back burner. Damn hard to tell if/when to call, in my experience. At this point, I wouldn't do it unless I was noticeably having serious probs (unfortunately that could make dialing a phone difficult) cuz ER's just don't seem to care much otherwise. Especially big-city ER's... the crowding is ridiculous. They seem to think "oh it's drugs, they did it to themselves" & leave a person to rot 8).

 

[Samadhi]

Honestly - I thought that the QLD health system was crap, until i spoke to Stellablue about the state of the US health system - i'd seen "sicko" and knew somewhat of how bad it was, but it's only from speaking to people who live it everyday, that I got the true indication of how bad it is. Hell, at least here in Australia - if you need surgery, but don't have insurance - there's a wait, but you'll get the treatment.

 

[hoptis]

Unfortunately, "the system" sux (at least in the U.S.) and anything less than strong chest pain, seizures, unconsciousness etc. may be put on the back burner.

That's quite funny, I just finished watching Sicko by Mike Moore and come to find your comments from the perspective of the American health system.

I would never advise someone to hide drug use from an ER physician under the idea it will get you better treatment, but as drplatypus says, there are some wankers in the profession. Still I would personally have enough faith in doctors in general that if I turned up to an ER (in Australia anyway) with symptoms relating to drug use, I wouldn't hesitate to report that when describing my symptoms.

In regards to a thread for emergency medical problems relating to drugs.

There has been a fair amount of debate in staff recently in regards to overdose and suicide threads that pop up in 'The Dark Side' forum. A lot of this debate is around how Bluelight deals with emergency situations, to what extent are we here to help, liability and how much help can we really provide in genuine emergencies.

This discussion certainly dovetails into that one so I'm going to see if I can get some of the other parties to come in and comment.

Information is good, and i think it is sometimes hard to start a new thread on certain subjects as alot have already been done and you 'might' get told off by a mod via way of it getting 'closed' and told to use the search feature.

An emergency would never be treated in this manner.

 

[MDPVagrant]

That's quite funny, I just finished watching Sicko by Mike Moore and come to find your comments from the perspective of the American health system.

Unfortunately I had some probs in August & went to the ER several times. Pretty unbelievable -- one of them (big city hospital) left me lying out in the hall for like, 4 hrs & then I was seen by some intern or something. Also, accusations of drug-seeking when I was definitely not doing that...

A lot of this debate is around how Bluelight deals with emergency situations, to what extent are we here to help, liability and how much help can we really provide in genuine emergencies.

I don't see what BL could do, aside from urging someone to go to the hospital. If enough people do it, a person would probably listen. Certainly counts as harm reduction in my book.

 

[vanth]

I agree that in Australia at least you should definitely tell the doctors about the drugs you've taken. They will have an inaccurate picture of what's going on otherwise and may not treat you correctly. Also in Australia they won't call the cops.

 

[drplatypus]

At the very least, it'd be good to have hospital and doctor names where patients believe that they have been mistreated. BLer's would not believe what sort of whoop-ass can be opened on inappropriately behaving medico's from inside the profession...

 

[MDPVagrant]

I agree that in Australia at least you should definitely tell the doctors about the drugs you've taken. They will have an inaccurate picture of what's going on otherwise and may not treat you correctly.

^^ That is a good point, and I stand corrected. I'll edit my earlier post(s).

 

[Splatt]

I agree that in Australia at least you should definitely tell the doctors about the drugs you've taken. They will have an inaccurate picture of what's going on otherwise and may not treat you correctly. Also in Australia they won't call the cops.

i didnt tell thenm of an accidental 100mg of 2c-b insufflated, and ND's and speedy pills. only the extremely, excessive alcohol and multiple downer dosagaes, which was more of yhe problem, just trying to knock myself out with time release stilnox and benzos.. thats all they needed to deal with, i was tripping off my head, and my heart rate was 55 or so for a pretty unfit guy. their blod tests found benzos, alcohol and stilnox. no 2c-b, no meth, no mdma, no ND drugs, no thc, no 2cb..... think it was a bit of a BS test. i was allowed to go when psychogically stable enough tnot to commit suicde (which apparently is what i was trying to do by law).. not the that Dr wasnt happy enough to write a script of valium to have a properl sleep and anti anxiety few days. but i was next to mamed or half dead patients.. waste of a room for a public hospital.

ECG tests showsed fine on the 2cb. even at four times the dose or an oral dose, think the benzos would of helped. But drplatypus i ask you, have you ever had reports of people on an ECG who have back and forth skipping memory loop errors. my friend has also.. suddennly you see a nurtse, he dissapeaps, return nears your bed and is writing sometihng or playing with the ECG monitor and other stuff. doing the exact same thing, action to action he/she just did. even move back and foorth, like a total deja vu brain error.

i had iot for an hour straight
until i noticed i could actually control the ECG levels. blood pressure and heart rate etc.. by willpower. and i pulled the sticky pads off.

 

[madmick19]

if you want mods ill put a list together while im at work of 24hr emergency lines and crisis numbers for aus if we dont already have that somewhere