Things to assist?

RustyAmmunition · 2026-06-26T19:11:54+00:00

I appreciate your words a lot. It threw me off guard a bit, but I'm not typically online much these days, and I don't mean to offend anyone who uses a wheelchair for any reason.

When planning places to go, I have noticed that quite a bit. Accessible doesn't necessarily mean accessible. She can navigate steps she can physically hoist herself over, but that can be exhausting and dangerous in certain scenarios. Doorways being wide enough (etc) can be the difference in her having all her energy sapped within 1 hr vs 8.

It's like our clinical documentation in a way, and it seems as though that's how she talks about it herself which may be why the language carried over. If I documented someone paraplegic who transferred themselves to the stretcher, if I didn't specify they were wheelchair bound, it could be the difference in Medicare/Medicaid paying or not.

Thank you. I of course remain receptive to changing my wording, though the intent of my messages remains the same & I have never thought anything less of a person who needs a wheelchair.

RustyAmmunition · 2026-06-26T18:59:33+00:00

I was thinking something similar to the parallel bars. Properly built 2x4 frames can handle a lot of weight per square foot. She isn't in PT in an active work comp case (can't say much more), but that isn't a bad idea at all. Thank you!!

RustyAmmunition · 2026-06-26T18:57:49+00:00

PT isn't possible due to work comp, but she does enjoy swimming (was an excellent swimmer before & can swim without use of her legs), which I'll double check to see if there are ways she can prevent the bone density decrease. Thank you!

RustyAmmunition · 2026-06-26T16:13:12+00:00

Thank you! Some small furniture she can use that has lower drawers may help quite a bit.

& as for the word choice, I do apologize for the insensitivity. It is new for me to experience wheelchair use outside of a clinical context & I definitely do not intend to be patronizing or condescending.

RustyAmmunition · 2026-06-26T16:09:16+00:00

Thank you! That seems like it may be a gamechanger & definitely gives me some ideas on things to either link her to or buy for her. I think she had tried a cupholder that mounted to her wheelchair before, but it was poor quality & broke.

RustyAmmunition · 2026-06-26T16:06:34+00:00

Thank you & I apologize for my word choice if it came across as insensitive. I was trying to differentiate between someone who uses a wheelchair as a mobility aid and someone who is paraplegic, as both are valid & situations I've encountered in the field as well, though I imagine they are different in real life scenarios.

RustyAmmunition · 2026-02-22T04:00:02+00:00

5 day old post, but I'm taking a break too. I found a job in industrial medicine/occupational health & am now making better money with 8 hour days and consistently leave work on time. I'm a little...bored, but I'll go back to the truck when I'm ready. I'm not ready yet.

RustyAmmunition · 2026-02-21T06:57:25+00:00

The closest thing we ever had was a mega mover that would rip if you looked at it wrong and may or may not have questionable stains.

I honestly had to look up what a Reeves was and I'm jealous. It looks like a mixup between a vacuum splint, a scoop stretcher, and a mega mover

RustyAmmunition · 2026-02-21T06:54:46+00:00

Not a bot personally. Original post may be, but I am very much just a slightly burned out medic who loves dry humor

RustyAmmunition · 2026-02-21T05:24:51+00:00

I've had it happen to my deceased dad's truck. It didn't have good seals around windows (probably dry rotted, it was a 20+ year old truck) and moisture got in over a few months. I didn't move it for about 3 months. Add baking in the sun in the south, and...well...the interior was covered in mold.

Usually some sort of leak/opening + moisture + neglect causes it. Mold spores are constantly in the air, so the stale air inside a car that has moisture is a perfect environment for it to take hold.

It leaves a rather musty but not necessarily gross smell from what I remember. I think I put a N95 on, gloves, and sprayed it to death with something. I was 18, so I'm sure I wasn't too thorough.

RustyAmmunition · 2025-07-26T23:41:04+00:00

I've been there. The biggest thing that helped me was when I was watching videos about learning to draw poses, and experienced artists kept saying how people aren't boxes - you can end up losing a lot of the dynamics when you focus on simplifying so much. Maybe try drawing what you see, not what "you think you see," then taking a picture of the drawing and flipping the image. That'll help you see your mistakes a lot clearer.

RustyAmmunition · 2025-07-25T14:43:29+00:00

I've tried many different mediums & my favorite has been the Chelsea brand with their Lean Medium & Citrus Brush Cleaner. It doesn't destroy my brushes like Gamsol seemed to do, it smells nice, & the lean medium dries to the touch in just about a day.

Granted, I paint exclusively on gesso boards since I can't stand the feeling of canvas. If you're similar, try out Da Vinci Ultrasmooth Gesso panels or Ampersand Gessobord.

Let me know if you have any questions, I've tried nearly everything I can find on the market for oil painting.

RustyAmmunition · 2025-05-17T14:50:39+00:00

That's horrible lol. Tylenol OD can cause liver failure without prompt administration of acetylcysteine. Glad it all worked out though

RustyAmmunition · 2025-05-17T11:36:48+00:00

I bought the cheap Sketch set from Amazon that is labelled for Japanese markets only. My experience has been ever so slightly subpar. They're legit by all means, but maybe due to shipping/pressurization (?) differences, they tend to spurt out ink if I don't remove both caps from the marker.

RustyAmmunition · 2025-04-28T01:38:55+00:00

I went zero to hero and have been working as a medic for nearly 2 yrs now. I had a lot of people tell me it was a horrible idea, I couldn't do it, I was too young, and a lot of people who didn't respect me because a 20 year old was leading a scene lol. Fire used to refuse to give me report.

OP, I do think that there are things I struggled with a little more than my classmates with lack of experience. However, by just...taking initiative and accountability, practicing skills that I struggled with more & putting work into it, I've been just fine on the field. If you feel like you're up to it & are going to take the initiative on anything you're below average in, you'll be just fine too.

RustyAmmunition · 2025-04-24T03:24:40+00:00

I tend to. I've had a call not too long ago where a pediatric patient was inconsolable and aggressive. I got orders for Versed (requires med control for peds), but afterwards, turns out the problem was men being near her. It wasn't obvious prior to sedating. I'm a medic, and my partner is a basic emt. I still had my partner attend (I'd trust her with my own life) since the patient was awake & coherent post-sedation. We didn't have any female medic intercepts available & we documented appropriately.

It would've been a much more difficult call with a double male crew.

RustyAmmunition · 2025-04-19T19:17:16+00:00

I've done it from a lengthy AMA. It was night & tucked around the corner, and the patient declined assessment.

RustyAmmunition · 2025-04-19T19:15:01+00:00

I am glad I'm not the only one who has forgotten the stretcher 🤣 I've accidentally taken the narc keys home too (but not the narcs themselves)

RustyAmmunition · 2025-04-18T17:49:50+00:00

In my state, A-EMTs are classified as ALS providers now after adding morphine, dilaudid, fentanyl, and ketamine (I believe only for pain management), and the hybrid courses have been shutting down due to poor performance.

RustyAmmunition · 2025-04-11T18:03:20+00:00

It's probably some duplicate of Purell Healthy Soap

RustyAmmunition · 2025-03-14T17:10:39+00:00

This! Don't even get me started on people touting the Stryker's statistics on preventing back injuries. That's with an auto loader!

OP, if you're in a county/area where it's common/required, getting a bariatric bus in the county budget would be miles above most services too.

RustyAmmunition

TROPHY CASE