Worst thing you have seen

clgmezzo · Aug 20, 2004

I had one woman who burned her children up purposely in a housefire, very susan smith-ish, new boyfriend, didnt want her kids-tried to pin it on th 6 year old playing with a lighter.

The other is just recently a woman and a man were getting a divorce, he was upset and had a "if i cant have you no one can attitude" went on line, bought the strongest acid he could. When she came to pick up her things he chased her, grabbed her, drug her down the basement and held her down while he covered her with the acid, especially her face, horrible full thickness stuff. He got some acid burns in the process, and was brought to our center as well, and she knew he was there and was scared til he left. Hes going on trial soon. That was horrid

BucklandRN · Aug 21, 2004

Geez, that was something Faith. Sometimes I wonder if I will be strong enough to face these situations and not carry them home with me . I guess I wont truly understand the magnitude of the job until I actually start my clinicals. I am so excited and scared at the same time. I don't know if I can handle it mentally, and emotionally, but I know that this is my calling. How do you heal after a days work?

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Aug 24, 2004

Geez, that was something Faith. Sometimes I wonder if I will be strong enough to face these situations and not carry them home with me . I guess I wont truly understand the magnitude of the job until I actually start my clinicals. I am so excited and scared at the same time. I don't know if I can handle it mentally, and emotionally, but I know that this is my calling. How do you heal after a days work?

Dealing with this kind of stress is easy for me

I exercise and GOLF GOLF GOLF

courtneyalissa · Jan 6, 2006

There was an 11 year old boy last summer who tried to jump on a train, but his foot got caught underneath the wheel. When he came to us they literally had his skin from his toes to his ankle that had been detached from his foot, but was intact. It couldn't be reattached to his foot so he ended up losing part of his foot and the flesh had to be grafted. Working in a burn unit you get exposed to things other than just burns...wounds, MVAs, etc. There are so many new procedures and techinques that its amazing. I wouldn't say this was the worst because it is difficult treating children especially if its a result of child abuse.

FranEMTnurse, CNA, LPN, EMT-I · Jan 7, 2006

One was my mother's intestines laying out on her leg, but the very worst is any child who has been abused. It tears your heart out.

dragonsfancy · Jan 14, 2006

I'm a tech in a pediatric burn unit and March will be a year since I started working there. I've seen quite a few things that make mad/sad/frustrated all at the same time.

*Eight year old with 82% TBSA 3rd degree burns sustained from accidentally dribbling charcoal starter fluid on his clothing while lighting a grill.

*Four year old with 4th degree burn to his foot after mom got drunk and decided to let her kids sit on the hood of the car while she was driving. He fell off and was ran over, foot contacting the muffler. Foot was amputated at the ankle.

*Developmentally delayed 14 month old whose mom decided that "she just wasn't right in the head" and poured boiling water on her and left her in the floor, burned, for several hours until the dad came home and found her.

*Two year old that was scalded by being dipped in the tub by a familial foster parent's son for pooping on himself.

These are the ones that hurt me the most, I think. The child abuse cases. :crying2:

grannynurse FNP student · Jan 14, 2006

The four year old son, of a friend, who suffered 97% third degree burns after his eight year old brother and a friend pushed him back into a burning shed. They had been in there tossing lite matches into a barrel containing paint cans. It flared up and set the materials on fire. His brother realized what he had done a rushed back into grab him. It took him three days to die. And he die in my arms. I left the burn unit shortly after.

Grannynurse:balloons:

following_faith · Jan 16, 2006

The four year old son, of a friend, who suffered 97% third degree burns after his eight year old brother and a friend pushed him back into a burning shed. They had been in there tossing lite matches into a barrel containing paint cans. It flared up and set the materials on fire. His brother realized what he had done a rushed back into grab him. It took him three days to die. And he die in my arms. I left the burn unit shortly after.
Grannynurse:balloons:

((((((((Grannynurse)))))))) HUGS HUGS and more HUGS to you!

Moranguinho · Jan 8, 2007

The worst case I've ever seen was a boy around 6 years old. His mom fried his hands in a frying pan. The injury was bad, but worse than that was hearing him saying: "Mom, mom, I promise I'll not leave my toys out of the basket again. I promise. Please, take me home, mom." She was jailed after that. :crying2:

FranEMTnurse, CNA, LPN, EMT-I · Jan 8, 2007

Ya know, I have no idea which one I have seen or experienced is the worst. I had 2 children die in a house fire, one had muscular dystrophy, a teenager who died in a burning car after they were broadsided by another, the young man who left his girlfriend brokenhearted, heading home and was run over by another car. ((he looked like he wasn't even injured,)

my mother, my grandfather, my great uncle who I didn't even recognize, etc. or my recent hospital experience where I wasn't even ABLE TO sit up without passing out, gurgling on my fluids, and the cold-hearted nurse with a list of 20 s/s on dying that she read out to me, or the brains that were scattered all over inside of an old bus from a suicide, etc. It's a good thing we aren't one another's judges.

muffie, RN · Jan 9, 2007

i could never do burn nursing

BLESS YOU ALL