I had a 255kg guy sign in yesterday with leg pain. His legs were probably protesting the 500+ lbs they were forced to carry around! Well, after pushing his w/c to a room I realized that I couldn't stand up straight or take a breath. I was in so much pain I broke out in a sweat and started crying. I am not a baby, I was in excruciating pain :( I was forced to sign in to be treated as a patient in my own ER.
I'm feeling a lot better today, but it still feels like I have a charlie horse in my side. I can't lift my arms or twist my torso without increased pain. I'm out of work now til monday. Kinda pisses me off that people can allow themselves to get so freaking big...seriously, isn't he the size of two refrigerators? Then I hurt myself trying to help them! There oughta be a law.
A friend of mine let me know what I missed today. 0730, someone had fallen from a second story window sometime in the night and was discovered come morning...skull fractures, pneumocephalus, hypothermic. Later someone was thrown from a horse...c6 fx. Then a nice cardiac arrest that they got back but ? hypoxic brain injury. Then a stellar citizen with a BAL of 495. ER waiting room bursting at the seams. Another day in paradise that I missed due to the incredible 255kg man.
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2 comments:
You don't know how bad I wanted to give you a hard time, (you know,how we get labels like drug seekers, etc.)since I've had such awful experiences in the ER, not because of nurses, but mostly doctors. But you seem like a nice person, and I do admire nurses for what they do. I hope your back feels better soon.
Thanks for not giving me a hard time for doing something stupid and hurting my back trying to move a patient that was way to big for me to move alone.
I'm sorry you have had bad experiences in the ER. I think most people go into the medical field for the right reasons, but it does get discouraging taking care of people who really are drug seekers, without a real medical problem except for narcopenia. They give a bad name to all the people who really do suffer.
If I ever get so cynical that I can't differentiate the seekers from the people that I want to help I need to look for another line of work!
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