Comic Relief

Just when you think you can't take anymore, sometimes you're hit with some much needed comic relief.

This week has been intense. I've spent a total of 26 hours this week in lectures discussing modes of mechanical ventilation, weaning parameters as well as non conventional methods. Don't worry...I'm stopping here. Yes this can be quite boring. But anyway...I went to work this morning the first time since Monday due to these said lectures.

Now, most days at work my day is boring and dreadful. I'm an equipment tech for the Respiratory Dept. at a fairly large hospital. What this means is I clean and set up ventilators and put away materials when it comes in. This has been valuable and I'm very fortunate to have this job. But it is BORING most days.

Well now that I'm a little further in school and I've proven to not be a complete idiot, I'm now starting to help more in traumas, codes and other procedures. Which leads me to the purpose of this post today.

So we had an 18 year old male come into our ED today for a conscious sedation to reset a fractured leg. Basically the leg was set incorrectly yesterday and he isn't ready for surgery yet due to swelling. So it had to be redone today. Now its much safer to do a conscious sedation than to put someone completely under. Basically the patient is given Diprovan (yes that is what killed MJ) but in much smaller dosages. The patient is pretty much asleep but conscious. Get it?

Ok...so this particular lad required quite a lot and fought the drugs so he never feel asleep. We couldn't give him too much of the meds so unfortunately he did feel a little pain but not too much. So the orthopedic surgeon is there resetting his leg and all of a sudden he sits up, and shouts, " You mother f&*@ers are hurting me. Please, please stop...I'll give you all my weed. Just please stop."

Of course we all started laughing and feeling extremely glad that we had asked his parents to leave the room.

We do this job every day to make other people feel better. But every once in awhile, a patient makes you feel better...whether they remember it or not.

~M