Calling Hatzalah (Spinoff from "Trust your gut")

cookies6

Fri, May 11 2018, 8:41 am

amother wrote:

Obviously don't call for a bandaid but seriously, why volunteer for an amazing organization and then resent when people call for help? Some calls will be more severe then others. That's the way an ambulance service works.

My husband is very happy to go to any Hatzolah call and is never resentful - that's what makes him a great Hatzolah volunteer. But the key word here is "volunteer". It's not an ambulance service.

And we're talking about being mechallel shabbos, not feeling resentful.

southernbubby

Fri, May 11 2018, 9:08 am

amother wrote:

Maroon: Just something to be aware of:
Even if the lungs sound clear it can still be a life threatening emergency. My husband once had such a severe allergic reaction that his inside were so swollen that there wasn't enough room for air to pass and cause a wheeze.
I recommend getting a pulse/ox machine to keep in the house and test his O2 levels. And at the first sign of tightness, get the kid onto the nebulizer.

Just to share some more info for those who might need it:
I'm not a doctor, but I do run a medical gemach and below is the method I use specifically for seasonal allergy-induced asthma attacks, which is good to be aware of. (For food allergy attacks, you really need to more cautious as it is not only the lungs and airway affected, but the actual bodily tissue in the throat and tongue, as well.)

1. Prepare an albuterol and steroidal (usually budesonide) combo nebulizer and start patient on that. (I am very against wrongful steroid use, but the steroids in this method help prevent systemic steroids that would affect the whole body. Nebulizer steroids affect only the lungs.)

2. Give the patient two antihistamines, Benadryl for immediate histamine blocking, and a long acting one, like Zyrtec.

3. Have the patient drink a cup of very dense black coffee, which can help calm an asthmatic episode.

4. Monitor O2 levels. If saturation dips below 90/91, call Hatzalah.

Again, I am not a doctor, but this is what has worked for me many times in helping others. Just good to keep in the back of your mind.

Wow, this is great advice! I never knew about the black coffee and I will try to copy and paste on an email to my kids because we have a bit of an asthma issue among the grandchildren. In Crown Heights, my understanding is that if Hatzolah is called for an asthma situation, they often stop by Dr Rosen who boards the ambulance and determines if transport to the hospital is necessary or if they can stop the attack in the ambulance.

amother

Salmon

Fri, May 11 2018, 9:16 am

saw50st8 wrote:

My local ambulance corp told me the same thing - their relationship with the hospital helps smooth the check-in process. You've also had a sort of triage so they can get you the right help faster.

This.
When I miscarried, I was extremely weak and passed out in the toilet. My husband called hatzala. They checked my vitals and said it's ok to stay home as long as the bleeding is normal (for a miscarriage of that many weeks).
Then suddenly I ended up hemorrhaging. They rushed me to the hospital. Didn't leave until they were sure a doctor was treating me. They just walked ahead of the line and demanded first care.

Also, they didn't leave before making sure with us we have everything we can need.

The volunteer when he came the first time gave us his cell, so that if anything changes we should call him and he'll call in the base. So that I shouldn't have to be exposed to another male comunity member....
We called him. He has in the mikvah then.... it was a few minutes to the zman shabbos. a short few minutes later he was at out home and the ambulance truck was right behind him...... he was all wet, didn't have time to dry himslef properly. But he acted as if he just came back from an exotic trip in Hawaii.

I am forever greatful.

amother

Salmon

Fri, May 11 2018, 9:24 am

I've also has a few other times that I had to call hatzulah.
Once my kid had a virus already fir 2 weeks and suddenly was acting weird and refusing to drink. But as soon as hatzula came she was acting all fine.

But I insisted. And it was shabbos. In the truck she was so excited. Naturally an extrmely curious mischievous toddler she found the whole thing fascinating.
She was so cute. We laughted at her comments and questions. And the volunteer was like, "see she's totally fine" I said I still feel we need to go.
Then when we arrived she stacted acting weird again She was so dehydrated, they couldn't get a line and she started crying but had no tears (she did have before at home)
It was heartbreaking to watch my little girl like this. Bh she bounced back pretty quickly. But it was a good lesson to me. Always trust your gut when it comes to these things.

amother

Apricot

Fri, May 11 2018, 9:49 am

amother wrote:

What was the advantage of calling hatzala vs taking her to the hospital yourself in this situation?

amother

Salmon

Fri, May 11 2018, 9:54 am

amother wrote:

What was the advantage of calling hatzala vs taking her to the hospital yourself in this situation?

The transport time. It took half the time.

We were leaving and people who were there before us were still waiting around.... meaning, we got treatment faster. She was so severely dehydrated. Every minute counts.

Also, would something chv, happen we had a paramedic with us.

These volunteers weren't mechalal shabbos. They were doing a huge mitzvah. There was no desecrating of the shabbos but rather a beautiful mitzvah.
Saying it was an issue of mechalal shabbos is the most profound way of saying "I am a chossid shoita!"

A human life comes before shabbos.

And yes, I have family members who are hatzula volunteers and paramedics.
It's always a matter of better safe than sorry.

amother

Maroon

Fri, May 11 2018, 10:07 am

amother wrote:

Sorry, but I think this is an inappropriate use of hatzalah. Call your doctor for something like that, especially if you are refusing further medical care.

Im a more responsible mother than you I guess because I did what was right. Not that I need to answer to you but this was during the week at 12 midnight and my son was coughing nonstop and crying that his chest hurt, we were using cool mist humidifier, inhaler and air purifier and he was on allergy medication but he clearly needed more. His dr was closed and answering service would normally say go to the hospital so we called hatzalah to ask if there was any urgent care in the area that is still open and they insisted they come down and check themselves. They never made us feel bad about it the way you did.

amother

Honeydew

Fri, May 11 2018, 10:15 am

cookies6 wrote:

As a wife of a Hatzolah member, I take offense at OPs post. I have to say that your experience truly sounds like an exception to the rule. In my community the Hatzolah members do not treat people this way.

However, please bear in mind, like the above quoted amother says, there are always those that take advantage. A woman in labor, without any previous history of labor progressing at an unusually fast pace, does not need to call Hatzolah on Shabbos. She can call a cab to take her. And yet, there are women who DO call Hatzolah on shabbos, causing unnecessary chillul shabbos.

When I was expecting, my Rav told me it is better to call Hatzolah than a cab on Shabbos. Cookies6, please don't make assumptions.

amother

Honeydew

Fri, May 11 2018, 10:23 am

amother wrote:

I disagree, completely. The poster wasn't sure if it was an emergency or not. Breathing issues are never a joke. People can die from them, and they do, lo aleinu. The poster wanted to make sure he wasn't in a life-threatening situation.

And guess what? If she had called her doctor on Shabbos, he would have told her to...

ready for it?

Bada bing:

CALL HATZALAH!

And then you would have had the doctor be m'challel Shabbos, the poster x2, AND Hatzalah...

relax everyone... pikuach nefesh comes first. You are doing the right thing by calling Hatzalah in a life threatening situation. Don't wait to see if it gets better on its own, don't worry about being m'challel Shabbos. Hashem knows its Shabbos and made your family member ill... your duty to save their lives is greater than shabbos.

amother

Ivory

Fri, May 11 2018, 10:32 am

octopus wrote:

you should not even be writing examples because that is still a violation of hipaa and the jewish world is very small. Someone once told me an hatzalah story they heard from their husband, a very unusual one, of course with no names, and I told them, "excuse me, that was my kid." And it was.

I spent a few hours in a waiting room with 2 girls who run an ambulance. oh my goodness. the stories they shared. (they work in an area with high rate of suicide/drug overdose & crime...)
I will never use a dunkin donuts or 7-eleven bathroom after hearing what goes on there...
was surprised that they shared so much of what goes on- was wondering how ethical that was...

amother

Wine

Fri, May 11 2018, 1:39 pm

amother wrote:

Hatzalah is always better than 911, hands down.

This is not true in my town. Calling 911 gets an amazing response, with members of our shul who are volunteer firefighters and EMTs responding to calls. Why they started a Hatzalah branch in our neighborhood is puzzling, to say the least. Although many people prefer them over 911 for reasons I can't imagine.

bel

Fri, May 11 2018, 1:44 pm

Mint I am not going to bother answering any more but my son needed to get an operation because it was a serious infection .I asked the hatzalah over and over again if they are sure its ok for them to take me .I guess because you didn't see how sick my son was .and I didn't describe his full situation .that's why you are being so judgemental .but trust me I had to go to E.R. other times and I drive myself , this time I wasn't sure I could do it That's why I called and asked them what should I do.

Ema of 5

Fri, May 11 2018, 1:46 pm

amother wrote:

Sorry, but I think this is an inappropriate use of hatzalah. Call your doctor for something like that, especially if you are refusing further medical care.

I could have called my ped when my son cut his head, or when my daughter cut her lip, or when my son broke his arm, or when my baby fell out of the high chair. The difference is that hatzala would have been there right away to assess, vs. going to my ped which would have taken at least 20 minutes. And I know my ped, in all those instances he would have told me to call hatzala or go to the emergency room, without even stopping at his office.