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Robin’s story – “I’m absolutely sure that the fast response and treatment influenced my quick recovery”
Robin’s story – “I’m absolutely sure that the fast response and treatment influenced my quick recovery”
21 July 2025
Robin’s story – “I’m absolutely sure that the fast response and treatment influenced my quick recovery”
When Robin suddenly started to feel unwell when she was at work, things quickly turned frightening – from thinking she needed someone to drive her home, to needing an ambulance, urgently. Thanks to the assessment, treatment and care of Robin by Extended Care Paramedic Josie, Robin got the help she needed and was soon on the road to recovery. Read Robin’s story to see the life-changing difference our extended care paramedics make.
Robin’s day started like any other. Her work as a physiotherapist saw her visiting patients in the community. But when she returned to the office, Robin noticed that she was starting to feel unwell – dizzy and nauseated with a headache and loss of balance.
As a trained physio, Robin was aware that what she might be experiencing was a sudden onset of vestibular neuritis. Vestibular neuritis is an inflammation of the inner ear's balance system, causing symptoms like sudden, severe dizziness (vertigo), nausea, and balance difficulties.
Robin explains:
“Every time I moved my head the world would swim, my eyes were starting to twist and swim, and I was losing focus, the nausea was extreme. In the space of around 15 minutes, I went from thinking someone needed to drive me home to needing an ambulance. Things got serious fast.”
Robin’s colleagues, also health professionals, called 111 immediately and an ambulance was dispatched arriving to Robin’s workplace very soon after. There were concerns that Robin may have been having a stroke, so an immediate paramedic response was needed.
Robin remembers that at the time the ambulance was called, the world started to spin, she was unable to walk straight and was vomiting uncontrollably.
Immediate and effective clinical care
The paramedics who responded to Robin that day included Extended Care Paramedic Josie. In an interesting twist, which was a great benefit for Robin, Josie has a specialist interest in vertigo!
Josie says:
“I have a special interest in vertigo – which is a hugely debilitating condition. There have been so many evolutions of how we provide care to people suffering from vertigo. It’s extremely complex – involving brain stems and inner ears and there can be very serious underlying causes of vertigo.”
Upon arriving and hearing about Robin’s sudden deterioration and symptoms, Josie swung into action. Priority one was to carry out a HINTS assessment on Robin. A HINTS assessment (Head Impulse, Nystagmus, and Test of Skew, a three-part exam) helps rule out other causes of vertigo symptoms, like a stroke, and helps confirm the diagnosis of vestibular neuritis.
After conducting the HINTS exam, Josie was satisfied that what Robin was currently experiencing was related to vertigo rather than any other more sinister and potentially life-threatening cause.
Josie explains her next steps:
“Once I’d confirmed what was going on for Robin, I was able to consider the immediate treatment she required. It was clear to me that Robin needed an immediate intramuscular injection of prochlorperazine to help with the nausea and a prescription for medicine to support her in the coming hours and days.”
Following the injection, Robin started to feel better very quickly and from a clinical perspective no longer required a trip to the hospital emergency department. Josie had diagnosed and treated her in the community – providing immediate and effective clinical care to resolve Robin’s condition.
A life-changing difference
Without Wellington Free Ambulance attending, and Josie’s treatment, Robin says:
“My illness progressed so quickly, there’s no doubt in my mind that if Wellington Free had not been so responsive and able to treat me immediately I would have waited many hours at the emergency department - feeling absolutely terrible, waiting for the same treatment Josie provided me in the community. I’m absolutely sure that the fast response and treatment influenced my quick recovery.”
To ensure Robin received the treatment she needed, a medication that was not currently in the guideline, but one that Josie knew Robin needed that would hasten her recovery, Josie consulted with Dr Andy, one of the Medical Directors at Wellington Free.
Together they arranged for Robin to receive the treatment she needed. This shows how the team at Wellington Free bring a range of skillsets together – in this case, extended care paramedic and emergency doctor, to ensure the best treatment plan is put in place for a patient.
Reflecting on her Wellington Free experience, Robin says:
“Thanks to the amazing skills and compassionate clinical care from Josie, I was able to walk up the path to my home and return to work the next day. I still felt a little fuzzy, and could maybe have rested a little longer, but that’s not how health professionals roll! And compared to how I was feeling the day before, I felt safe to return to work and not leave my patients waiting for their next visit. The flow-on effect of having time off was avoided thanks to Wellington Free Ambulance.”
“Not only was Josie clinically exceptional with her immediate diagnosis and treatment she was professional, human and never made me feel belittled or like a bother. When you’re unwell the personal touch is so important. I felt so sick, vulnerable and worried but that was alleviated so quickly thanks to Josie and Wellington Free. There’s literally no other way I could have gotten this immediate treatment.”
Robin has had no further health issues related to this incident and recently enjoyed the opportunity to personally thank Josie for her professionalism and amazing support when she was so unwell - see photo above!
If you’d like to ensure that Josie and our paramedic crews are able to respond in a moment’s notice, with the vehicles and equipment they need to save and change the lives of people like Robin, please donate today – www.supportwfa.org.nz