Neuro is the most tragic

Published

Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

I have decided that neuro is the most tragic and that I basically hate it. It makes me too sad to see young people devastated by brain injuries in the prime of life.

I had another young patient yesterday, a 20 yr old Mexican woman. Social history was that she had snuck into the United States in order to follow the father of her now 4 yr old child. She got pregnant again by him, he dumped her so she went to live with relatives here.

She had a normal, healthy delivery, but the next day the OB nurse noticed ataxia on ambulation. CT scan revealed a large brain tumor. She went for surgery, and now she's been in the hospital for a month and a half, has required a shunt, and is neurologically compromised. Her baby is fortunately being raised by her uncle's wife who seemed very loving and has other small children.

Her prospects are poor. Her older child is in the hands of a friend of its father because he took off to California. The pt's own father has now snuck across the border in order to get the child into the hands of their side of the family. Because of these people's illegal status they have to handle their own affairs outside of the rule of law.

It's so sad. :bluecry1: Life is so uncertain and every day is a gift.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I agree, brain injuries are tragic and such a loss and waste of a life.

Some people would be upset that US taxpayers are footing the bill for the medical care for an illegal alien as you describe.

It seems that there are a lot more motorcycle accidents in the news this year, probably due to the price of gas.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

The positive thing is that she is getting very good care and probably free (to her).

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Some people would be upset that US taxpayers are footing the bill for the medical care for an illegal alien as you describe.

I for one don't care if my tax money goes to help domestic citizens or illegal aliens! A life is a life and it is disgusting to even hear such bias coming from a health care professional.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I work in rehab, and most of my pts are traumatic brain injury. Very often these pts get so much better. I see many many miracles, and I am a grateful witness.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
I work in rehab, and most of my pts are traumatic brain injury. Very often these pts get so much better. I see many many miracles, and I am a grateful witness.

I agree and after working on a spinal cord injury unit I learned to adjust my ideals as to what a miracle actually is, the smallest things become huge accomplishments.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Some people would be upset that US taxpayers are footing the bill for the medical care for an illegal alien as you describe.

Alien or not, life is life. If one experinces such a tragedy in their family and realize the pain associated with it, perhaps this can help change attidudes about other people.

Even the Israelites were aliens in Egypt hence were mistreated by Pharaoh. I don't think most US citizens would treat foreigners like the Egyptians did. Most of them are pretty civil and God fearing. But if they did, God would find a way to rescue them from their tomentors.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I for one don't care if my tax money goes to help domestic citizens or illegal aliens! A life is a life and it is disgusting to even hear such bias coming from a health care professional.

If you had to choose to treat only 1, legal vs. illegal, who would you choose, assuming they are both young, otherwise healthy, & have kids?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU.

however tragic neuro injuries are for the family experiencing them, there is an up side for 7 other families......neuro patients make the best donors.....sad, but true. it's all in how you learn to look at it

Up Vote Up Vote ×
If you had to choose to treat only 1, legal vs. illegal, who would you choose, assuming they are both young, otherwise healthy, & have kids?

Have you had to make such a choice? I don't think so. Even people in third world countries don't come across such scenarios, leave alone a country like America.

Your tax dollars will not be less if you don't treat illegals. They will keep climbing up no matter what. I don't think you will get a rebate if you don't treat illegals--just a thought.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

What are you going to do, leave people dying in the street? Treating illegals is the only right thing to do. Also, it does create jobs for healthcare workers, so the money does go back into the economy.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med onc, med, surg, now in ICU!.

I hate the unpredicability of neuro injuries. I am totally inexperienced when it comes to neuro pts, but it seems that I can never tell which ones are going to get better and which ones we should never have tried to save.

A patient I saw once was a teenage boy who was found semi-conscious in the bedroom; it was assumed that he had OD'd. In ED he had 3(!) VF arrests and 3 times got a return of output. He was found to have had a significant bleed near the cerebellum from a massive AVM which they could not coil.

He's alive. He will have surgery some time soon to chop out a section of his cerebellum to make room for the AVM, reducing pressure on it. He has a 75% chance of surviving the surgery, and if he does, he'll be disabled.

Aren't you glad we worked so hard to 'save' him?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment