Medical/clinical discussion Forum

[Meatfoam]

Since we are all medical dudes and dudettes here, how about a forum in which we can discuss interesting cases, treatment modalities and medicine in general? I would!

[Da-Chief]

Look here.. But remmeber no "NAMES" HIPPA applies..:geek:

http://www.corpsman.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=41

This was already here and created for this very reason..
Enjoy..
HMC

[Meatfoam]

Oh, sweet. I never saw any stories in there. Well, I'll get started there. No military experience yet, but I've had my share of traumas here in Cleveland.

[puckmedic]

Funny story here- I was aboard Carl Vinson doing the Fleet Liasion thing in Guam a couple years ago. I was familiar with many of the medical folks, as this was their second trip into my island. The Navigator was my last CO at HSL-46 before I left for Guam. The Operations Officer used to be an AW there with us, I had family on board see.

Well this kid came in the treatment room and asked if I was an HM. I was in shorts and a t shirt (it was an unofficial stop on my way home or to the boat ramp - jet ski launch area).

I said yes, looking at the four HMs in uniform and giving them the "this'll be fun " look. Let me describe this kid: Timid, big ugly purple scar on top of his bucket, you could tell he was worried about something and was afraid of the outcome or answers to his questions. He then asked if we gave Tetanus shots. I wanted to reply "No they do those in Repair 1" or some such other goofy answer but instead I said "yes; yes we do". I asked why and he told me.

He said he had cut open his head nine months ago in the engine room, and was worried he might contract lock jaw. I reaasured him that was unlikely to happen. He then kept insisting, so I told him to go to his shop, get on the internet and look up Tetanus and read about the incubation period. Then I had the kill shot, "Do us a favor, next time you're sitting in the shop thinking, please don't. Find a project to work on" Well everyone about lost a gut (after the kid left of course).

It appears this same kid had for nearly every day they were underway kept coming to medical with the same type of scenarios. "I had unprotected sex four years ago, I think I have something", Somebody six weeks ago coughed at me and i think I have TB" etc etc.

They told me later, he stopped coming to medical for things like this.

[puckmedic]

I know I was ruthless but hey it was funny.

[bpsencik50]

I am now a Family Nurse Practitioner, but when I was working as a RN in Houston's trauma center, Ben ****, a patient came up to the triage desk at about 2 in the morning on Sat night. NJow remember this the local knife and gun club. He said that he was having abdominal pain. I asked how long. "oh, about 3 years." That was enough to bew able to send him down to be registered in 8 or 10 hours, so he could be seen in the next 24-36 hrs, providing he stayed.

Ben

[puckmedic]

Sounds like the VA in Memphis. I had a 10 am appointment on a Friday. Got seen at 830pm! Talk about steaming!!! I went ape crazy in there.

[AndiRRT]

I am now a Family Nurse Practitioner, but when I was working as a RN in Houston's trauma center, Ben ****, a patient came up to the triage desk at about 2 in the morning on Sat night. NJow remember this the local knife and gun club. He said that he was having abdominal pain. I asked how long. "oh, about 3 years." That was enough to bew able to send him down to be registered in 8 or 10 hours, so he could be seen in the next 24-36 hrs, providing he stayed.

Ben


We see this in my hospital all of the time.Working 7p to 7A, I see some pretty interesting stuff. They do it all of the time. When they tell you how long something has been going on and it is a month or two months. Usually this happens on Sunday night, as the ER excuse does wonders for getting you out of work on Monday morning, haha. We have one MD, and I love him, that will look them square in the eye and ask "So what made you think this was an emergency?" Then he will refer them to their family MD. My favorite is when I am paged to the ER stat, and I run down there and it is an asthmatic or COPD patient, and I ask them what maintenance meds they take and they tell me " A bunch, but I don't like taking them, so I don't". it takes every bone in my body to resist the urge to tell them they are idiots and that common sense goes a long way.

[psencik1950]

Then they don't know what meds they are on, haven't been taking them because they cost too much, but they have there cell phone, and smoke at least a pack a day.
Ben

[AndiRRT]

Then they don't know what meds they are on, haven't been taking them because they cost too much, but they have there cell phone, and smoke at least a pack a day.
Ben

Yep, Ben, you got it! This one particular patient killed me! I will be the first to admit that my husband and I have not always been financially stable and due to some hardships in the past, had to resort to some assistance (albeit very brief, my very last semester of college). But this one woman came into the ER in "respiratory distress". She had with her a washbasin full of prescription meds, including several very expensive inhalers. She told me she was on Medicaid, i.e we pay for her prescriptions. And she was one of the ones that didn't take them, but she got them filled religioiusly every month and had accumulated a little stockpile of expired meds. It is so frustrating, and sometimes it becomes very difficult to treat without judgement.