Okay, so this one is personal. You may have heard of the electrician who’s power points never work in their own house, or the builder who’s own house remains an unfinished project.

So there I was, 60 mins before a course was due to start sitting in my car suffering chest discomfort, shortness of breath, sweating and feeling all round completely out of energy. “Could it be stress?” I asked myself repeatedly. Not likely, I’d just come off a really good week, had a restful travel and was really looking forward to the upcoming course. I’ll be right, I told myself repeatedly. After half an hour of this I was not any better. In fact, I was feeling worse.

I texted my wife for advice. Being a straight shooter, she came back with “What would you tell your students to do?” What I tell my students to do is ‘don’t muck around with anything that could be REMOTELY associated with Heart issues. Call 000.’

So that was that. I called 000. I was hospitalised but released later that day with a couple of things ruled out but more questions than answers. More tests needed. So I returned home for tests and monitoring.

And that’s how things sit now. I’m at home, tests continue and I await the results.

Lessons? I was surprised how ‘vulnerable’ I felt being hospitalised nearly 4000kms from home when you are travelling solo. Don’t be afraid to head for home. People will understand.

The kindness of people you hardly know will astound you. A huge thanks to the Bush Heritage crew for coming to grab Diesel (dog) and look after him whilst I was in hospital at short notice. You guys are awesome.

Apparently, I’m not bullet proof. As I age I need to acknowledge that and make allowances for it.

By Scott Brown

If you would like more information about this topic or any others, purchase any First Aid stock or equipment, or to book a Remote Area First Aid course, please contact us on 0491 057 339 or email info@ruralandremotefirstaid.com.au

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Author bio:

For over 23 years Scott Brown has been training Remote Area First Aid across Australia. Having first joined Rural Ambulance Victoria in 2001 and working in the high-country in Victoria, he began teaching First Aid for Rural Ambulance Victoria. 23 years on, he works with some of Australia’s largest pastoral corporations and property managers that combined manage over 200,000 square kms of the Australian landscape.

Known for conveying detailed First Aid information in a relatable and relaxed way, Scott’s courses have become popular with Agricultural Property Managers, overseers and ringers alike. The highly practical course content ensures relevance to actual situations that are possible to encounter on a working property.

Scott continues to work with Ambulance Victoria alongside his First Aid training. 

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