My sister says i saved the day today.
This is the story:
I was working in the ER today (against my will, but that's another story....) and my coworker told me that the Doc on call was going to do a right thoracentesis (removing fluid buildup between the outer linings of the lung by sticking a large needle in someone's back!) and she said it was alright if myself and another newer nurse observed.
cool!
the day before i had helped reduce a hand (pulling the fingers until the broken bones were back in place!) and today i was going to watch a thoracentesis!
so the doctor is all set-up and is percussing down the back to landmark. the other RN with me asks her what she is doing and the doctor explains how she is landmarking so that she does not hit the liver when she inserts the needle. I thought that this was really interesting considering the fact that i was certain that the liver was on the right side of the body. What exactly was she going to do that she could hit the liver with a needle that she inserts on the OTHER SIDE OF THE BODY?!?!?!
i don't question her about the liver but i do casually say "i thought he had a right effusion?".
the doctor pauses.
she looks at me.
she looks at her hands... on the left side of the body.
and says "it sounds as those he has a left pleural effusion as well".
"are you going to do both sides then, doctor?", i ask.
she does a smooth sidestep over to the right side of the patient's back. "no, just the right"
she begins re-landmarking and calmly says, "i guess it's a good thing you are here."
so i didn't really save the day... maybe just the left lung!
5 comments:
Super-JV saves the day!!!
Well done! But you could have just pushed the big red button like Bond...
Saving a lung means saving the day. I think there's an eqivalence equation that proves it with lots of seemingly random numbers. And decimals. And fractions. Complication galore.
I am in Clearihue. 3rd floor. B wing. I'm pretty pround of this despite you not knowing where this is. This is because I'm using WIRELESS internet on my fancy laptop.
I guess I'll go now. I'm waiting for another class because my one before it (Medieval phil) was cancelled due to illness of the instructor. Ok. Bye.
Pround should be a word. But unfortunately, it's not. Therefore, I must have meant something close to it, being "proud."
That is all.
did you hear saving the day type music in your head as all this was happening?
i did as i read it.
gnarly!
that rocks!! but is also totally frightening at the same time!
-rev
Post a Comment