A group of friends and I got together - they are all nurses. We were swapping trauma stories about some of the weirdest and grossest things that walked into our ER. Now, I don’t work ER anymore, I am now working in home hospice care - - but I have to say that the years in the ER were some of the most interesting years I’ve spent in the last 12 years of my career.
I told the story of the poor guy who walked into the ER at about 11am in the morning. He was 28 years old, tall, cute and very calm as he walked up to the desk. He had his arm wrapped in about 4-5 big, thick white towels that were drenched in blood. The towels were soaked and dripping. I remember he was very calm…he even smiled at me and said, “Can you help me?”
I yelled out for the aid to bring the cart over and while I was helping this guy onto it, he said again, “Can you help me?”. I replied, “Of course I can..we need to get you into the exam room over there so the doctor can see what’s going on underneath those towels.”
He said, “In the mean time, can you hold my hand please?”
Such a simple request, I smiled and said “Yes, I will hold your hand.”
With that reply - one aide and a nurse wheeled him away, but not before he gave me his hand - - packed in ice, sealed up in a Ziploc baggie.
6:26 pm on February 4th, 2004
A Beatles song comes to mind…
6:41 pm on February 4th, 2004
I sliced my penis open once. Now THAT’s an embarrassing story. Hmmm. Maybe I should blog it.
7:11 pm on February 4th, 2004
ohh, that story gave me the shivers!
7:14 pm on February 4th, 2004
Good God, Geoffrey! That made ME wince - - I think you should definately blog it - - there are many out there in the blogosphere who care deeply about your package.
7:49 pm on February 4th, 2004
But it was an extremely EMBARRASSING screw up on my part.
I’ll sleep on it rather than do something I may later regret.
7:54 pm on February 4th, 2004
What’s a blog for if you can’t embarass yourself once in a while.
chicken.
8:12 pm on February 4th, 2004
GEEZUS! Now I have images from BMEzine.com popping into my head.
8:45 pm on February 4th, 2004
True story about my package
Since Lisa called me a coward, and I really have no shame anyway, I guess I’ll share this story. If you have a weak stomach, or hate penis talk, then read no further. This tale contains lots of both. About…
9:13 pm on February 4th, 2004
Maybe sleeping on ^it^ in the first place would have saved it from slice-age…
11:08 pm on February 5th, 2004
I’ve been telling this story to everyone I know since reading it, Lisa. It’s just so in-fucking-credible! LOL I hope you don’t charge me royalties.
11:16 pm on February 5th, 2004
Ok, I offically lost it when Jason said you should have slept on it!
Lisa, did you laugh or cry when he gave you the hand?
11:53 pm on February 5th, 2004
DeAnna - - just send royalties over when you can!
11:53 pm on February 5th, 2004
Lori - neither one. I was just rather shocked and held onto it until the doc came to retrieve it.
2:06 am on February 7th, 2004
Eww..that’s so gross. I’m a medical transcriptionist, and I’ve heard some doozies, but hearing it is a lot different than seeing it.