negative attitude

ok then, how's this.....the 4 year old with the nasty BOM and temp of 104. His parents say "he won't take medicine, we've tried"............so you don't believe them and sure enough, he spits that tylenol in your face. You force the tylenol PR into his little buttcheeks, and 30 minutes later, the little guy comes out and hugs your legs. "i feel better now!' awww...................

Here's one. It's all true. I swear. Really.

The JCAHO inspector for the hospital I used to work at was a real bulldog. Somehow, my ER supervisor must have offended her or irritated her somehow because for a period of about 2-3 months, she was in the department looking over charts at least once/twice week. During that time, we must have gone thru 50 policy revisions and all kinds of silliness, as the department scrambled to become compliant. About gave our supervisor a nervous breakdown.

Well about midnight, one night, the ambulance brings in a little old lady....altered mental status w/ progressively decr. LOC, resp distress. We're just hooking her up to the monitor, getting report, the JCAHO lady walks in. We're like....not now (at midnight?), we're busy. Well, it's her mother! Oh. Well then. About that time, the pt starts kicking out all these PVC's and boom....run of V-tach. JCAHO lady's forgotten. We had the pt tubed, labbed, CT'd, and on her way to ICU in like 25 minutes. Like we always do. Everybody did their job....like we always do. Neuro consult even called back right away (like they never do). The JCAHO lady got to see what we actually did. I think it made an impression on her because she sent the department a really nice thank you note and didn't come back for a year....and then it was sort of a cursory.....did you do everything right? Ok, see you, bye. Which goes to show you, sooner or later, everyone comes to the ER.

Helicopter brings in a 27 y/o OD on a Saturday morning. Pt took undetermined amount of Xanax, Lorcet and Methadone the night before. On arrival pt was intubated, he had aspirated huge amount of vomit. His lungs were about 3/4 full. We did what we could and sent him to ICU basically to die there. There was no telling how long this kid had been without adequate oxygen.

About 3 months later the doctor who had taken care of this guy came and found me. He asked me to come see a patient in room 20 who had slipped and popped his knee out of joint. I went in the room and it was the OD guy!! He was alive and well and in a drug treatment house. After all the hugging and crying by him, the doc, and me..we popped his knee back in place (without any sedation, narcotics, or even Tylenol. He didn't want to mess up his recovery) put and immobilizer on him. I talked to him for a while later. He told me about the suicide attempt and the first thing he remembered was waking up in ICU and seeing his mom crying at his bedside.....that was the turning point in his life.

Patients like him come along very seldom, but when they do, it is profound. It renewed my reasons for doing what I do. We do have a purpose and we do save/change lives.

I worked in level 1 pedi ER- had a kid come in by ambulance that had sustained a neck lac when dad shut the window and it shattered. Kid was OK at the outset, but during the course of the ambulance ride apparently struggled enough to complete the tear in his internal carotid. kid was essentially lifeless when we got him, limp, grey...spurting blood from the neck wound despite HUGE pressure being applied by the paramedic. tubed, set to surgery. I went to the PICU to see the kid the next a.m., thinking he's dead, feeling terrible for the dad (who was screaming and crying in the trauma room). Kid was awake, and while I was there, extubated, and the first workds out of his 8 yr old mouth? I'M HUNGRY, DO I GET BREAKFAST! It was wonderful.

:chuckle

Now THESE are the stories that the prenurses and students should focus on.

I'm getting teary here...

Thank you for sharing...........

ok, I know I must have some stories ..... in the last 7 years in the ED.. but I cant think of any. Its been a very very looooooonnnggg winter.

After a rough week at school and reading the post about the woman cleaning her trach with her mouth I really needed this thread. Thanks for reminding me why I chose nursing school.

After a rough week at school and reading the post about the woman cleaning her trach with her mouth I really needed this thread. Thanks for reminding me why I chose nursing school.

"Cleaning her trach with her mouth"!!!??!!

Oh my!