Island Life by David Slack

Why is it always men collapsing in gyms and getting packawhacked? Never women, not once.

It's a conspiracy, isn't it?

I had a similar thought: why is it always people who are working out who have heart attacks? I never hear about a poor schlub who expired on a couch watching TV; yet I hear plenty of tales (from reliable sources) along the lines of "I know a 35 y.o. who ran Triathalons - he suddenly dropped dead without warning last week". It usually comes with a heartfelt admonition for me to take better care of my health. And yet I'm expected to jog and/or go to the gym?

This is what a defibrillator gives you: "a therapeutic dose of electrical energy".
I anticipate a blog from RB about one of the items on TV1's 'Sunday' programme last night ie. The American 'clinic' giving electric shocks to 'special needs kids' to 'modify' negative behaviour. The clinic uses 'before & after' video of the kids violently hitting themselves juxtaposed with them later 'modified' into functioning young adults. Whilst the results were positive, the methods are abso@#$%inglutely creepy/disturbing/sick.

Umm, it could be because people karking it on the couch at home are not doing it in public. Do it at the gym and a lot of people see it.

I suspect you don't hear of women collapsing at the gym so much because they're better at pacing themselves than us blokes.

Having had a wee ride in an ambulance myself recently (they didn't need to use the packer whacker, it wans't as bad as that, but it was still a bit of a jolt) I can vouch for David's comments about the whole business making you contemplate your mortality.

i had to haul this sorry arse into the emergency myself, only to be sent home. was back there two days later. and three days later.

finally got an appointment to see if they can diagnose anything just the other day.

nice 19 month wait.

i'm thinking the application of the packwack probably would have speed this little farce up nicely.

I like the colloquial style of Australians. I wouldn't give you ten bucks for a trailer-load of John Howard, cynical political football player that he is, but I like the way an unflustered Aussie can undo all the tension. Cardiac arrest? No worries. We'll get you on the Packer Whacker, mate.

This makes me think that in New Zealand, if such a nickname emerged for a defibrillator, there would be mutterings that was it was inappropriate and not world class and would make New Zealand seem like a third-world nation, and that we should actually be using whatever multisyllabic term is used in medical books.

Che, have you been able to check your ECG since Sir Humphreys went off the air?

Che, have you been able to check your ECG since Sir Humphreys went off the air?

lqtm.

i did wonder if voodoo wasn't the actual problem.

all good though. the guys have been using anonymouse to stay in touch via object dart

I went to a First Aid course last week where a portable Defib was demonstrated. It's your little emergency buddy alright.
Tells you where to put the sticky flaps, tells you to take the pulse, tells you to get away, tells you to press the button to deliver the whack. Then it tells you to start chest compressions and provides a beat for you to keep to.

i'm thinking the application of the packwack probably would have speed this little farce up nicely.

I think they tend to discourage you using them on the doctors when they're not sorting your problems out fast enough. Something about an unsafe workplace environment I heard.

so did the guy make it, or what?

on edge of seat. . .

It happened yesterday morning. Young, fit-looking guy. When they took him away he was unconscious. I asked after him at the gym this morning and the latest they'd heard was that he was in a coma. That's all I know.

'Packer Whacker' - heh, love it.

Shortly after Big Kezza shuffled off this mortal coil, there was a thriving Aussie cottage media industry recycling some of the considerable gruff wit and wisdom of Mr Packer, one of which seems directly related to the use of the Packer-Whacker.

Reputedly uttered after one of his several major heart-attacks, after being resuscitated by the afore mentioned (and as yet un-nicknamed) Packer Whacker, "I can tell you I've been to the f***ing other side and theres f***ing nothing there".

I dunno, looking back at the larger than life, upfront, rough as guts likes of Packer, as opposed to the master of the universe, elitist, sneaky likes of Fay and Richwhite, makes me agree with David - sometimes that Aussie colloqialism makes something bitter a little more palatable.

good luck Che i spent 2 yrs getting reffered for problem i was having.
ended before easter when i attended after my 4th refferal, the specialist said no problem i'll send you for a test (for the 4th time). luckily the dr that did the refering checked blood test results as well, admitted me for emergency surgery that afternoon. they tell me we used to have a great health system.
cheers

True story.
An Emergency Department doctor I know told me about a grizzled old farmer who came in with chest pains and irregular heartbeat. When asked how long he had the problem he said "About two years". The doctor asked "Why on earth didn't you come to hospital before now?"

The farmer said "Whenever the old ticker was feeling a bit crook, I'd just grab hold of the terminals of the electric fence unit, and Bang!, I'd feel right as rain".

Yes, that's right. He was de-fibrillating himself with the electric fence unit.

And the kicker is, he pulled back the sheet on the stretcher to reveal said fence power-pack. He had brought it with him to hospital as he didn't trust the hospital ("You bloody townies") to have the right equipment to sort him out.

Honest to God. All true.

Maybe Gallagher's should get into the health business...

Evan,

Love the story about the farmer.

Have passed it on to my brother-in-law who works at Gallaghers.