Sunday, October 23, 2011

Remember back when I had CANSUH? Back when I was in a good mood?

Yeah. Been that sort of week up in here.

Something I should've told the "Reader's Digest" folks: If you're going to admit Junior to the NCCU after he's smoked/snorted/stuck into his body whatever the hell the kids are doing these days, you should not then expect me to police his friends and extended family.

It is not my job to be a policeman.

My job is to make sure that Junior, who's currently taching along at about 130, since he hasn't had his God-knows-how-much methadone in the last week, doesn't pull the tube out of his skull. It's also to make sure that he doesn't stroke out again as the result of three of your darling relatives getting into an all-out fistfight in his room. Additionally, I'd kind of like to be able to keep the arterial line he has in his wrist in place, and the ventilator tube in his throat, and the Foley in his bladder. Those, you see, have specific purposes. They can't accomplish their specific purpose if you're getting your nasty paws all over 'em and wondering if he could do without them.

Yes, yes, I know he's mouthing words around the tube, but *he cannot protect his airway without it.* I don't know why this is so hard to understand: just because you can talk doesn't mean you won't inhale your own spit and get pneumonia (yours truly being a case in point; see, Obturator: Fitting).

So after the Bigton Police showed up--you know, the ones who don't take silliness lightly--and led the majority of the family away in zipties, I got to thinking: This is the second time in a month that this has happened, with two different patients.

What the hell is wrong with you people? Do you not understand that a hospital is not the place to slug out your deep-seated familial resentments? We do not have time for this.

It is not about you.

It is about the person in the bed.

Speaking of which, I have thoughts on The Person In The Bed for next time. Meanwhile, I'm going to go try to find the Cooper's hawk that's calling "squeeee! squeeee!" in the back yard and rub some Max Belleh.

18 comments:

Cr0w$C@lling said...

Welcome to the 'Lands!

woolywoman said...

oh yeah. been there. why is it always about someone else?

messymimi said...

Nothing like having a relative sick or dead to bring out the worst in people. Sorry you have to go through that.

jimbo26 said...

It's a shame you can't tell relatives to Foxtrot Oscar . (g) .

bobbie said...

BT,DT ~ HATE playing policeman...

Give Max a cuddle for me ~

JustRex said...

Well, it's not like the relatives of druggies are pristine people to begin with. You should see some of the dregs that come visit at the prison. Bleagh!

Jen ♥ said...

Hi there! Found you from Reader's Digest. Lovin' what I see so far! Your writing is so refreshing and hilarious! Can't wait to become more of a regular around here :o)

http://cairelchronicles.blogspot.com/

Niecey said...

I remember when hospitals used to be extremely strict about who they would let in a patient's room. Around here if you were younger than 12 y/o, forget it. (My mom used to "dress me up" so I'd look old enough to go see grand-parents/family in the hospital)

Now pretty much everybody and their brother gets in! I've kicked a few people out in my time.

Penny Mitchell said...

I know this is apples and oranges, but yesterday I was on an airplane, surrounded by college-aged kids yelling flat-out obscenities and coming way closer than they ever understood to getting thrown off the flight because one of their number got bumped. We live in a society where it's perfectly acceptable to scream profanities and threaten people who are just trying to do their jobs if one isn't perfectly content with one's personal circumstances, screw all y'all and I don't care what's better for the greater good.

We live in a society where stupid people with no grasp of basic science get very serious press over the fact that they don't give a rip about YOUR child; they are not going to vaccinate their own kids and you can't make them. Even though they grew up with gonads that function thanks to the herd immunity afforded them by the fact that YOU got vaccinated, screw all y'all.

I am a fairly unconventional person. I daily tread the road the less traveled. I don't advocate a return to the society we had in the '50s, but I clearly remember the society we had in the '70s when even then kids were raised with the knowledge of, "Sometimes you just gotta sit there in uncomfortable clothes, not fidget, shut the hell up and be polite for a couple of hours. Because I said so, dammit." I am not advocating a full-out return to the past, but in the name of all that is holy, a little bit of kindness aimed at someone other than one's self is an idea I'd like to see come back.

Not that I'm still trying to shake off the mental offal those college kids spewed all over my psyche yesterday, or anything. ~~~shudder~~~ They were repugnant little trolls who have no idea how to Play Nice With Others. It's not looking good for the future, folks.

Ivanhoe said...

I *still* can not believe how stupid some people are. Are they missing good old common sense? Sigh. Hope the kid gets better :) BTW: found you thru Digest...

Anonymous said...

Penny: when did they stop teaching manners at home and/or school and/or church and/or so on. laugh. Most of the most hilarious comments seem to involve exactly what you and head nurse said: 'i'm gonna do what i want regardless of whether it screws you, or screws with you, naaaahhh.'
I wonder if people just said, 'fine, die and kill off those stupid genes before they can be passed on' if it would do any good? Yes, had one of those days too.

Unknown said...

I don't understand how these people can act so foolish while their relative like sick in a bed. It seems like manners must have went out the window long ago and is becoming a past-time. So sad.

Hermit Cookies said...

I too found you in RD. I work as a scheduler in a small town hospital in New Mexico. Love to hear what happens on the floors above me. Got you bookmarked. Cheers.

Orfyn said...

Yeah, we even haave them try to force their way into the OR when their darlin is there during the night shift.

April Storm said...

It's always good to hear stories from other nurses! Keep up the good work!

Avalon said...

Nicely said..

Linda Carole Bloom said...

Have I been in this situation? Oh yeah, Also the wife who sat staring at her husband as he pulled out his NG tube. Also people who let their babies crawl all over the floor. Also the family who doesn't want mom to have narcotics because it might make her confused (never mind the open heart surgery). Also the people who sneak in food to her - because we WON'T FEED THEIR MOTHER, and feed it to her while she is trached on a ventilator. Whew, thanks, that feels better!! Love, Linda

snakey said...

Haha! This is great! I've always said I wish there was a video called "What nurses really think". Looks like your blog is just that!