Word of Caution

I would like to share this cautionary tale with all my fellow PCT/NA buddies because it is something I will forever wish I knew about before it happened to me.

We all know the importance of body mechanics and lifting with our knees etc, but I suppose I took my back for granted for the first few years of my health care career. That all changed when I was doing a simple chair-bed transfer with a patient. He probably was a 2 person transfer, but I had been given grief about asking for help before, so I decided to do it myself. Within seconds of starting to help him stand, I felt the WORST pain of my entire life in my lower back and left leg. It was so bad that I had to sit the patient back in the chair, lay in his bed, and press the call bell. I was taken to the ER by stretcher because I could not sit up. An MRI revealed a herniated disk at L4L5, and I was out of work for over a month!

Luckily, I have a great chiropractor and I took the doctor's advice to stay out of work for a month. I am now back on the job, but with one big change. I now ask for help for ALL transfers, boosts, repositions, and lifts. If the patient needs anything more than minimal assistance, I call for help. People sometimes get annoyed with me, but I tell them that my health is not worth risking. Never again will I take a chance of getting injured for the sake of the convenience of my coworkers, or even of my patients.