Few things surprise me. I have seen and heard some crazy things. Working in a hospital as I do the list as gotten longer and more impressive. I must say that recently something topped the list.
I can’t breath, I haven’t gone to the bathroom in 6 1/2 hours. I have more patients than I know what to do with and I’m working with an old nurse. I have to scream at her just so she can hear me. (Spring chicken wasn’t on her resume) Its been a long shift and I still have 6 hours to go. My next person has a sunburn. (They are already on my nerves, who comes to the ER at 1:30 in the moring for s sunburn?!) I have had sunburns. They hurt! You can’t sleep you are really itchy and WAY to hot. I have never gone to the ER before. (Let alone said something this absurd.) This 20 something pt had the perfect remedy. Demerol. That’s right. A narcotic injection. For a sunburn. The list of reasons why they should receive it was quite long. I will just give you my favorites. 1. It hurts real bad. 2. Its the only thing that works for me. 3. It doens’t inturrept my drinking! 4. That’s always what they give me. (As you’d guess we keep extensive files on pts. They have never had Demerol from us before. They had asked for it on more than one occasion.) They were quite annoyed when I calmly explained to them this wasn’t going to happen. I kept a professionl face and tone of voice till I got out the room. As I was telling the doctor why this patient was here I could see his face become increasingly more pinched. Then he started laughing. It wasn’t a quite laugh either. It was a GREAT BIG 10 GALLON laugh. I laughed with him. We have made that choice that the next time we have a bug bite we are going to the ER and demanding some Demoral. …. Its the only thing that works.
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