Sunday, January 4, 2009

Heal Thyself

Resolution #1 for when I head back to work in a few days: be less clumsy.

Normally I'm not too bad, but I've had my fair share of bumping into IV poles, playing bumper cars with stretchers, or juggling vacutainers.  A while back I was checking lab results on the computer when I saw an elderly man walking to the bathroom syncope and hit his head on a crash cart as he fell.  Rushing over with several nurses and a doc, we found him with a nice forehead lac and a newly forming hematoma.  I ran to grab a backboard and c-collar but, former track star that I am, accelerated right into a parked stretcher and won myself a massive bruise on my thigh for the next several days.  I limped back with the goods, and after a negative head CT and a couple stitches, the patient was right as rain.

My blue and black souvenir reminded me of my favorite phrase from first chapter of my EMT text: "An injured EMT is of no use to anybody."

2 comments:

Surgeon In My Dreams said...

Same thing we were taught at the academy...when a fellow officer is yelling over the radio for help, we won't do him a bit of good if we don't get to him in one piece.

I LOL'd when I read this post...running into the stretcher...I can see that.

Love you BLOG!

Anonymous said...

An automatic door closed on me at full speed today. I took the corner of the door in the right flank...my ribs still ache a little! No doubt I'll have an enormous bruise soon.