The Biggest Dog Agility Trial Distraction Ever

I have an old tee shirt that’s very special to me. Custom made, it says “DOCNA – It’s all fun and games until someone rides flight for life.”

It was a hot and sunny summer afternoon at the dog trial. We’d driven a long way to get out to the trial site, about 40 miles east of Denver.

I was standing, talking to a friend when I felt a sudden sharp pain on my upper back. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a wasp crawling over my shoulder.

After frantically shaking it off, I wasn’t too worried – I’d been stung before, and it hurt, but I’d been fine. It was painful though, so I went and sat in my chair.

The rural ambulance crew consisted of two EMTs. The small town didn’t have a paramedic on call. The first EMT didn’t look too concerned, even scoffing at my friend who quietly told him she could no longer find a pulse in my wrist.

He came over and started asking questions, picking up my arm to take my vitals. Then he changed his grip, changed it again, tried the other wrist, grabbed the blood pressure cuff and tried to get a blood pressure reading…and panicked. I was still completely conscious and lucid and didn’t understand what the fuss was all about.

My son is a Paramedic, and I have the utmost respect for anyone who is a first responder. BUT, the two EMTs who responded that day were either too new to be on their own, or they weren’t cut out for the profession.

Blood pressure guy started yelling at the other EMT to get an IV started NOW, but he wasn’t having any luck. They decided it might be easier in the back of the ambulance and had me walk (yes, my son was furious about this) the 30’ or so to get there.

Somewhere in the mix, Flight for Life got called in. EMTs can’t give the drugs necessary for anaphylactic shock. Denver was an hour away.

In the background (I’m laughing as I type this), dogs were running agility. They took a quick break when the helicopter set down, and another one when it took off with me inside. Despite my GSD-mix having a conniption and trying to come over the x-pen to get to me (until a friend took her to her trailer), despite the ambulance and the people gathered around, despite a helicopter in the adjacent field with spinning blades, the dogs ran.

The Rest of the Story

The flight medic was extremely professional and competent, and gave me all the medications I needed to counteract the wasp venom. When she got there, my blood pressure was so low they couldn’t even read it on the automated machine, even though I was still conscious.

I had my first and only helicopter ride and was a little mad that I couldn’t see out the window.

My wonderful friends packed all of my stuff and took care of my dogs while I was in the hospital for observation for the rest of the day.

And I now carry an Epi-pen.

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Second photo: Courtesy of Cliff Grassmick