Sometimes I love the patients I care for. They put a smile on my face and it is a pleasure to care for them. Others are major pains in asses who I gradually grow to loathe throughout the shift.
Others just leave me scratching my head, questioning the future of the human race.
Example: A female in her 60's. She takes multiple medicines, including some rather potent medications to control her blood pressure and chronic pain. Like so many older people, she leaves the caps on her pill bottles loose to make them easier to get to. While getting her pills out last night she inadvertently spilled all of her medicine bottles on her kitchen table, leaving her unable to distinguish a Vicodin from an Atenolol, or a Metformin from a Lopressor.
So what does she do? Rather than call her physician or pharmacist for assistance, she swallows every single pill on the table.
Sigh...
Where do these people come from?
5 comments:
Geez! So, is "Stupid Patient of the Week" going to be a regular installment in your blog now? That would be interesting.
It might become a semi-regular feature, since I seem to have a difficult time committing to anything on a weekly basis. I certainly do have enough material for this sort of thing to keep going for a LONG time.
OMG! I guess she was thinking "Waste not, want not." I bet you were thinking, "What the hell were you thinking." Good grief!
MJ
OMG, I have a good one from tonight......
Lady in her 60's, known to us, calls ambulance to come because she fell down. On arrival to my ER, she is WELL intoxicated. Her bubble packs of pills are a disaster. Dr sees her and discharges her. She is ANGRY, wants him to keep her in hospital to figure out why she is falling down......
um, maybe the 8 shots of vodka and the 6 tylenol #4's??????????
I can't recall my login so we can just call me a regularly dumbfounded Houston TX. firefighter. Anyhow, here's on for you.
HFD Ambulance 69 arrived on scene to find a woman complaining of pain to the right arm. She had fallen outside of her home and felt that she may have fractured her arm stating that her upper arm was bent between her elbow and shoulder. Rather than call 911 the patient elected to get completely undressed and lie down in the bath tub. She didn't try taking a bath or a shower, she just got into the shower stall and took a seat. The patient was approximately 490lbs according to the weigh-in conducted later at the hospital using TWO scales. The patient was nude and lying in the bath tub upon our arrival. WHY? I have no idea! She was unable to stand up on her own and the bathroom was too small to allow more than two firefighter/EMTs to enter. I tried to assist the patient to her feet by standing on the side rails of the tub and attempting to lift the patient. This was not effective and actually caused injury to my left side shoulder and upper arm. The second firefighter in the bathroom was able to assist me in turning the patient onto her hand and knees which helped us get her to her feet.
As you can imagine I, like you, have a host of stories made possible by morons that know how to dial 911.
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