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  • The Ball game

    This story was related to me by a friend at work, whom I'll call Tough as Nails Nurse (TNN).

    TNN is a highly experienced staff nurse who often works with my students. She's very student friendly, so they all love working with her.

    Recently, TNN was admitting a patient with a heart rate of 150. She had atrial fibrillation with a rapid ventricular response. In English, that means the atria (two smaller chambers of the heart) were quivering like jello instead of contracting, and the heart is beating twice as fast as it normally should.

    This condition carries two problems. One, the heart does not fill normally, so blood does not circulate properly. Dizziness and falls are common problems.

    Secondly, the blood in the atria kinda congeals. Clots form and flow to the brain, causing strokes.

    So, as you might guess, this is a medical emergency. The patient was admitted and TNN was trying to get the cardiazem drip set up to treat it.

    Problem is, the patient rooms in our hospital are very small. It's hard to maneuver. TNN hooks patient up to an Omni Cell, a machine that reads the heart rate, EKG, and cycles a blood pressure every 15 minutes. Plus she's trying to set up the IV pump with the medication.

    Son comes in and pushes TNN away from the patient. "Gotta see the score," turning on the TV and changing the channel to the game.

    Disgusted, TNN, starts trying to chart the vital signs, but the patient and other family members keep turning the Omni cell away from her. "Look, this is my heart beat." TNN tries to tell them she needs to see the screen to chart the results, but they continue to ignore her, and more family crowds into the room focused on the ball game.

    As the blood pressure cuff cycles, the patient says, "enough of that," and pulls the cuff off. The family won't move to let TNN get to the IV pump to adjust the settings.

    Finally, TNN says to the patient and family, "Look, I'm trying to take care of your heart problem here. When you decide you want to let me do that, you let me know." And she walks out.

    I do not get people some times. You're in the fucking hospital. You know your heart is not right. Why the fuck wouldn't you let the health care people do their jobs?
    They say that God only gives us what we can handle. Apparently, God thinks I'm a bad ass.

  • #2
    ... got to see the BALL GAME?!

    I ... have no words. Just no words.
    Seshat's self-help guide:
    1. Would you rather be right, or get the result you want?
    2. If you're consistently getting results you don't want, change what you do.
    3. Deal with the situation you have now, however it occurred.
    4. Accept the consequences of your decisions.

    "All I want is a pretty girl, a decent meal, and the right to shoot lightning at fools." - Anders, Dragon Age.

    Comment


    • #3
      When that patient removed the cuff, I really would have been tempted to ask the her wnat she preferred: seeing the ball game, or living long enough to have someone tell her what the final score was...
      "For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
      "The difference between an amateur and a master is that the master has failed way more times." - JoCat
      "Thinking is difficult, therefore let the herd pronounce judgment!" ~ Carl Jung
      "There's burning bridges, and then there's the lake just to fill it with gasoline." - Wiccy, reddit
      "Retail is a cruel master, and could very well be the most educational time of many people's lives, in its own twisted way." - me
      "Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down...tell you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens...makes her a home." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, "Serenity" (2005)
      Acts of Gord – Read it, Learn it, Love it!
      "Our psychic powers only work if the customer has a mind to read." - me

      Comment


      • #4
        It should be illegal to value stuff over your life or the lives of the ones you love.
        cindybubbles (👧 ❤️ 🎂 )

        Enter Cindyland here!

        Comment


        • #5
          This is when you call security and have the relatives removed. Next you have the patient sign a waiver to absolve the hospital from any liability.
          And then you read the riot act to the idiot patient. Her choice: ball game or stroke...
          No trees were killed in the posting of this message.

          However, a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.

          Comment


          • #6
            Quoth cindybubbles View Post
            It should be illegal to value stuff over your life or the lives of the ones you love.
            It is. Clearly a violation of Darwin's Law, section C, paragraph 2.

            P*S

            Comment


            • #7
              Surely the thing to do would have been have the patient sign a paper that they were not accepting medical assistance and then have the lot of them thrown out?
              "Bring me knitting!" (The Doctor - not the one you were expecting)

              Comment


              • #8
                Quoth Plague*Star View Post
                It is. Clearly a violation of Darwin's Law, section C, paragraph 2.

                P*S
                They have to die first, for it to be a violation of Darwin's Law. This lady did eventually get better and go home.

                Most hospitals would be leery of calling security when the patient herself is part of the problem. Unless they're creating a ruckus, we don't usually get security involved.

                I would have called the physician and told him, "I'd like to start your cardiazem drip but the patient and family are obstructing the nursing staff."

                Cue physician coming up to give the riot act.
                They say that God only gives us what we can handle. Apparently, God thinks I'm a bad ass.

                Comment


                • #9
                  More specifically, they have to die in such a way that inhibits their reproduction.
                  Seshat's self-help guide:
                  1. Would you rather be right, or get the result you want?
                  2. If you're consistently getting results you don't want, change what you do.
                  3. Deal with the situation you have now, however it occurred.
                  4. Accept the consequences of your decisions.

                  "All I want is a pretty girl, a decent meal, and the right to shoot lightning at fools." - Anders, Dragon Age.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I hate that sh!t, but thankfully don't deal with it too often. I have had family removed by security when the patient was cooperative but the family was obstructing. Ive had the patient removed when they were the one being as asshat. I generally turn off the TV and have a "You will die" speech (if their untreated condition will cause that, of course). If that doesn't work, MD comes in to try and get them to come around. And when that doesn't work, the patient can sign out AMA and go off into the wild blue yonder. It rarely comes to that last part but if they're not going to at least cooperate with care, whats the point in coming into the hospital in the first place??

                    Sorry TNN had to deal with that. Clearly, some people don't have common sense.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Quoth Seshat View Post
                      More specifically, they have to die in such a way that inhibits their reproduction.
                      Death seems like a rather effective way to inhibit their reproduction

                      I think you meant injured in a way that inhibits reproduction. The site you're thinking of does give out Honorable mentions for that.
                      "For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
                      "The difference between an amateur and a master is that the master has failed way more times." - JoCat
                      "Thinking is difficult, therefore let the herd pronounce judgment!" ~ Carl Jung
                      "There's burning bridges, and then there's the lake just to fill it with gasoline." - Wiccy, reddit
                      "Retail is a cruel master, and could very well be the most educational time of many people's lives, in its own twisted way." - me
                      "Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down...tell you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens...makes her a home." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, "Serenity" (2005)
                      Acts of Gord – Read it, Learn it, Love it!
                      "Our psychic powers only work if the customer has a mind to read." - me

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Okay, a ball game is more important than a heart problem. Gotcha.

                        Now I see why they only allowed three family members in the delivery room. They said it was because, "If there is an emergency, we'll need to act fast to get you to the labor OR." Really, it's just to keep the staff from being driven nuts when they're in the room! :P

                        Needless to say, it didn't really matter, because I chased them out of the room when the nurse or OB was there, because they were driving ME crazy!
                        If I make no sense, I apologize. I'm constantly interrupted by an actual toddler.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Quoth EricKei View Post
                          Death seems like a rather effective way to inhibit their reproduction

                          I think you meant injured in a way that inhibits reproduction. The site you're thinking of does give out Honorable mentions for that.
                          I wasn't referring to the site. And I did mean die; I just phrased it badly.

                          They have to die before reproducing (or before reproducing as many as they would otherwise reproduce), or be injured to the point of inhibited or prevented reproduction.

                          Better phrasing?
                          Seshat's self-help guide:
                          1. Would you rather be right, or get the result you want?
                          2. If you're consistently getting results you don't want, change what you do.
                          3. Deal with the situation you have now, however it occurred.
                          4. Accept the consequences of your decisions.

                          "All I want is a pretty girl, a decent meal, and the right to shoot lightning at fools." - Anders, Dragon Age.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Quoth Amina516 View Post
                            if they're not going to at least cooperate with care, whats the point in coming into the hospital in the first place??
                            This is one of my biggest pet peeves. I can't tell you how many patients have fought me or clearly didn't want to do whatever test was ordered for them. Especially when they're outpatients. If you didn't want to have this test, why did you even come? My favorites are the ones who refuse lung scans or stress tests because their chest or back hurts too much. Um, we're checking to see if there are clots in some fairly important and major organs (lungs and heart respectively). That would explain why you're hurting. I don't fight with them anymore or try to talk them into it. If after I've explained you might have a blood clot and we need to find it and they want to refuse, fine.
                            I am no longer of capable of the emotion you humans call “compassion”. Though I can feign it in exchange for an hourly wage. (Gravekeeper)

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Seshat - Indeed, Madame ^_^

                              I figured you were referring to the Darwin Awards
                              "For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
                              "The difference between an amateur and a master is that the master has failed way more times." - JoCat
                              "Thinking is difficult, therefore let the herd pronounce judgment!" ~ Carl Jung
                              "There's burning bridges, and then there's the lake just to fill it with gasoline." - Wiccy, reddit
                              "Retail is a cruel master, and could very well be the most educational time of many people's lives, in its own twisted way." - me
                              "Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down...tell you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens...makes her a home." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, "Serenity" (2005)
                              Acts of Gord – Read it, Learn it, Love it!
                              "Our psychic powers only work if the customer has a mind to read." - me

                              Comment

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