"I was really impressed with the paramedic, who came to see me"

I was really impressed with Simon, the paramedic, who came to see me when I was vomiting and suffering from severe abdominal pain.

When Simon came, in his responder car, I was in a lot of pain – when he asked what scale the pain was at I think it was 9/10. The symptoms were due to pancreatitis of which I get periodic flare ups. Simon gave me pain killers which made the pain come down to a more manageable 4/10.

What made Simon’s treatment of me so special was that I also suffer from borderline personality disorder and this can be a barrier for people trying to treat my physical symptoms. Simon however managed to calm me down and keep me calm whilst he treated me. He took his time, spent time with me and also called the out of hours GP service to ensure my sickness has stopped enough to carry on further treatment at home rather than being admitted to hospital.

I frequently end up in hospital and I was really keen to avoid being hospitalized again. I know that paramedics don’t all have training in dealing with mental health issues but Simon really looked after me. I wish they were all like him, he deserves a medal.