The Night That Would Never End

I guess I have put way to many hours in this week because my patience level was not high at all. Most of the time I try to see patients as people who really need help and treat them that way. Tonight I could not pull up that attitude. A few patients didn't help the case.

First, was the 500 pound patient who came in with her wheelchair and made me immediately gag. I have a pretty strong stomach and an even stronger one when I eat something before work. To paint the picture of how bag she smelled close your eyes and focus on this. She had rolls and rolls of skin that hadn't been washed in weeks. Incontinent of urine with day old pads stuck in between her rolls to cath the leaking urine. I saw flecks of something fall of her clothes as we helped her into the bed. As if that wasn't bad enough she had a bowel obstruction for a few days. Because her stool couldn't go out one way it started coming out her mouth. She gagged, burped, and vomiting yellow liquid that reeked of stool. I must admit i did a little dance when I sent her upstairs to the floor--poor nurses.

Second, the lady who was completely faking it. We of course got an ambulance call at 0200 saying they had an unconscious lady who had taken "a purple pill." She came in with an oral airway--something used to keep the tongue from blocking the airway. She was breathing on her own and her vitals looked okay. We tried our usual tacks and she didn't wake up so we threw a foley cath in her bladder and walked out of the room. She wouldn't talk to us but low and behold her boyfriend leaves and she is crying for him over and over. One particular time he left and she freaked out wripping off her leads,BP cuff, etc. She went for her IV and one of bigger nurses stopped her. She slapped and kicked him before I hear her scream and cower in pain. Well the swearing and f bombs began streaming from her mouth. The poor child down the hall just had his little eyes wide open. My favorite is when she tried to pull her foley out. A 10cm balloon pulled through a 2 cm tube. OUCH!!! By the end, after a visit from the police, she was very respectful calling me mam and saying thank you.

The only good thing that night was an adorble 2 year old girl who said thank you after she grabbed the apple juice out of my hands. She was cute and downed the apple juice in a minute flat I was impressed.

I wish I could understand why people must be so uncivilized and out of control. What happened to basic decor and HYGIENE! Please do me a favor and take a shower before you come into the ER!!