So I work in a hospital...a trauma hospital in a not so nice neighborhood. You tend to get jaded with stuff: patients that come in for no reason just to get off the street, then causing a ruckus when they get a bed and don't want their turkey sandwich because "that's what you gave me yesterday". Then screaming going out the door that they will never come back to this ***hole again. The gun shot/stabbing victims, that are there for the third time for the same thing. The trauma alert that is drunk that was just involved in a car accident that just killed somebody and you still need to treat them like a patient and not a murderer.
People that drive in, get out of the car by themselves, then check in with a bag of McDonalds food that are there for so-called abdominal pain, but then won't walk 30 feet to the bathroom without a wheelchair. "The worst headache of my life, or chest pain" just because they know that gets them back faster. Menstrual cramps. Back pain for 4 years (cause today was the day you just needed to finally get it looked at).
Stretcher Paralysis: the phenomenon that occurs when you get into a stretcher, that your legs no longer work no matter what your ailment is. Example: "Hi, my name is Kim. I am going to take you to CT Scan across the hall, what are you here for today?" "I have a toothache." "Ok, come with me, the Dr ordered a scan of your facial bones." "I can't walk, I am too weak from it."
The skin-head that got hit in the head with...antlers? The other skin-head with tatoos all up his neck, face, head...that is afraid of needles and won't let you put in an iv. The IV drug user that is "allergic" to Narcan. The IV drug user with a needle sticking out of his arm given CPR in the lobby bathroom, gets up screaming profanities and runs out the door after being given narcan.
I got punched tonight (not terrible I'm ok)
Kid walked in tonight. He walked right past triage and straight back to the door and politely knocked. The officer opened the door for him and he walked straight up to the nurses station "yeah man, I just got shot". The officer is behind him and is like "go straight back and to the left, trauma is back there". Ok, that's not how it works, but you definitely heard a lot of wheezy-snorting laughing going on here from all of us LOL. "Did he just send him to trauma??" One of the trauma nurses comes running up screaming who sent this patient back there. Now all the real trauma stuff starts happening "Trauma alert, one in the er. Trauma alert...one in the ER" and everybody comes rushing down and poking and prodding and doing all their trauma exams.
After a while, you just don't care anymore and it just becomes a job.
I had a lady last night brought in "ETOH" (drunk) and the dr ordered some scans on her because she was covered in dirt so she (dr) didn't know if she fell, or had been assaulted, etc. Her clothes weren't horrible and she didn't smell (except for alcohol). But she was foaming at the mouth, and with all the dirt etc she just looked like one of our run of the mill, crawled out from under a bridge people.
She was flailing all over the place and we needed several people to get her onto the table from the stretcher. There were no sheets under her because of all the flailing and then she wet herself and I'm like great...pee everywhere, which was a lot. My new girl was like what is going on. Medic says christmas season brings a lot of depressed people.
Now trying to move this woman back to the stretcher after the scans, with pee soaked clothes and no sheets...she starts screaming "He died, he died, why did he leave me. He died. Jesus bring him back, why did you take him from me" It heartbreakingly went on and on with this woman now somewhat lucent, crying and moaning that her husband died tonight.
Everybody got super quiet now realizing what was going on with her. I just looked up at the medic and I was just like "OH".
Christ I had the biggest lump in my throat. I don't get that ever, I have been conditioned to not care anymore. I just got done laughing about the polite kid who got shot that was unceremoniously directed back to the trauma bay by the cop.
The clothes should have given it away, but we get so much. She lost her husband on xmas eve, and got gorked to oblivion. Understandable. I think it brought us all back down to earth tonight. The Dr. got her something to sleep and I helped them get her out of her wet clothes and get fresh sheets under her.
I don't know what happened to her husband. I will probably know more tomorrow.
People that drive in, get out of the car by themselves, then check in with a bag of McDonalds food that are there for so-called abdominal pain, but then won't walk 30 feet to the bathroom without a wheelchair. "The worst headache of my life, or chest pain" just because they know that gets them back faster. Menstrual cramps. Back pain for 4 years (cause today was the day you just needed to finally get it looked at).
Stretcher Paralysis: the phenomenon that occurs when you get into a stretcher, that your legs no longer work no matter what your ailment is. Example: "Hi, my name is Kim. I am going to take you to CT Scan across the hall, what are you here for today?" "I have a toothache." "Ok, come with me, the Dr ordered a scan of your facial bones." "I can't walk, I am too weak from it."
The skin-head that got hit in the head with...antlers? The other skin-head with tatoos all up his neck, face, head...that is afraid of needles and won't let you put in an iv. The IV drug user that is "allergic" to Narcan. The IV drug user with a needle sticking out of his arm given CPR in the lobby bathroom, gets up screaming profanities and runs out the door after being given narcan.
I got punched tonight (not terrible I'm ok)
Kid walked in tonight. He walked right past triage and straight back to the door and politely knocked. The officer opened the door for him and he walked straight up to the nurses station "yeah man, I just got shot". The officer is behind him and is like "go straight back and to the left, trauma is back there". Ok, that's not how it works, but you definitely heard a lot of wheezy-snorting laughing going on here from all of us LOL. "Did he just send him to trauma??" One of the trauma nurses comes running up screaming who sent this patient back there. Now all the real trauma stuff starts happening "Trauma alert, one in the er. Trauma alert...one in the ER" and everybody comes rushing down and poking and prodding and doing all their trauma exams.
After a while, you just don't care anymore and it just becomes a job.
I had a lady last night brought in "ETOH" (drunk) and the dr ordered some scans on her because she was covered in dirt so she (dr) didn't know if she fell, or had been assaulted, etc. Her clothes weren't horrible and she didn't smell (except for alcohol). But she was foaming at the mouth, and with all the dirt etc she just looked like one of our run of the mill, crawled out from under a bridge people.
She was flailing all over the place and we needed several people to get her onto the table from the stretcher. There were no sheets under her because of all the flailing and then she wet herself and I'm like great...pee everywhere, which was a lot. My new girl was like what is going on. Medic says christmas season brings a lot of depressed people.
Now trying to move this woman back to the stretcher after the scans, with pee soaked clothes and no sheets...she starts screaming "He died, he died, why did he leave me. He died. Jesus bring him back, why did you take him from me" It heartbreakingly went on and on with this woman now somewhat lucent, crying and moaning that her husband died tonight.
Everybody got super quiet now realizing what was going on with her. I just looked up at the medic and I was just like "OH".
Christ I had the biggest lump in my throat. I don't get that ever, I have been conditioned to not care anymore. I just got done laughing about the polite kid who got shot that was unceremoniously directed back to the trauma bay by the cop.
The clothes should have given it away, but we get so much. She lost her husband on xmas eve, and got gorked to oblivion. Understandable. I think it brought us all back down to earth tonight. The Dr. got her something to sleep and I helped them get her out of her wet clothes and get fresh sheets under her.
I don't know what happened to her husband. I will probably know more tomorrow.
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Merry Christmas
