LOrraine, Jac, and ER's

[Guest guest]

Dear Brave Souls; I am here up late working and the kava is running in my

veins---otherwise I might fall asleep at the keyboard(grin)

Jac dear, that is GREAT news. I am rooting for you. And will you hubby be

able to be there for you? I pray for a gentle and swift and easy time for you in

your surgery. Please let me know if and when we can call you direct.

Lorraine Dear, you are not crazy wondering what has happened to your surgery.

I think for so many of us, knowlege about rny proximal has been slow to

either come to us, or to sink in. But, you know, theimportant thing is you ahve

optins, and friends here who care for you. I will be praying for you every step

of the way, You are not alone. Ever. (I have had six abdominal surgeries in my

lifetime--you gonna be ok baby)

Also just my two cent's worth having been on both sides of ER work. As a

patient, have had HORRENDOUS DEATH-DEALING EXPERIENCES more than half the time

in

ER from incompetent docs.... About 30% of the time, a-ok. Most of the prob for

me appears to be massively inexperienced and unsupervised residents.

Have been on the other end also in chaplaincy (nowadays) and teacher of 2nd

and 3rd year med residents (current), and a thousand years ago, as orderly at

VA. Here we call ER, the Knife and Gun Club. Many many unwashed souls stagger

through the doors with foot fungus and maloderous open festering wounds and

rotting teeth. I can't say I love the odor or the attitudes sometimes, but I try

to clean people and comb their hair and talk to them because even when they

are wild on illegal drugs or drunken beyond belief, or completely gone in the

midst of a psychotic break, I believe their souls can hear us and are trying to

respond, and I can feel something in them that is so very afraid, and that my

life, regardless of my own frail health is blessed compared to their day after

day after day travails.

I have been bitten by patients (a human bite is ten times worse than a dog

bite I am afraid), been thrown to the ground by men who outweighed me by more th

an a hundred pounds, had knives pulled on me (It's a good thing I used to be a

girl gang leader in my younger days--I know how to deal for the most part),

have been thrown up on, spit on, shit on, peed on--bled on--the most scary

nowadays. I have been cursed to go to hell more times than I can ever count, but

I

have to tell you too, that I have had people apoligize later, many times, for

they were out of their minds in pain before, and are calmer now. I have had

people praying for me, I think some of them that I would eat sh-- and die, and

others that God would bless me and preserve me forever. Working ER at

Children's Hospital is the worst. Being with the souls whose babies have died is

just

the absolute worst that makes me wish I was God Almighty and could raise those

little ones from the dead. Being wit grandchildren who love their grandmas

and grandpas who are dying is almost as hard. People who are mortally wounded

who are loved deeply by someone are as hard as people who are dying who are

completely alone with no one whatsoever to notice their passing except us.

It is true that triage is the rule of the land in ER. Whoever is heart

attack, bleeding profusely, stoke, other 'must intervene now,' or person will

die

within minutes--they come first. Broken bones come middle depending on what bone

and how near an organ. And so on. There is no doubt in my mind watching the

health care system over the last 35 years of working in it, that in so many

ways, it is broken. But also, there are lots of souls who insist on swimming

against the tide and contineu trying to help all the strange, horrible, pitiful

and I think, yes, beautiful humanity that comes in through the door. The problem

for most of us is not compassion or love , which are some of the greatest

components of healing, but too many souls and too few hands. Most of us knew

what

we were signing on for when we went into this end of the profession, but for

me, it is the feeling of helplessness I have sometimes when there are too few

hands on board. Whether in ER or at a trauma site, there are times when I feel

like I am on a battlefield of slaughter with one aspirin and nothing more

except my eyes and heart and words to give.

So, this is just my two cent's worth opinion, but if you are having pain and

think it might be a bowel obstruction, yu must say so loud and clear, It's a

high likliehood it is a bowel obstruction. It is also helpful to ask to ask

that your doc or doc on call for your doc, meet you at ER. If you can go during

daylight, it is often better than in the middle of night--though it depends on

the hosp and what catchment area they serve. Our downtown hospitals have more

stress on the system than the suburban ones.

If I have one prayer besides I wish no one would ever have to suffer in pain

EVER again, it would be that all souls in our country, where we have some say

so, would have adequate health coverage, and that all docs and staff would be

paid adequately and not understaffed, and that some medical technology was

handed over to the patient in areas of diagnostics and also certain medicines.

OK, I have gone on way too long. Thanks for listening. And I hope everyone is

doing well, if not today, then tomorrow is a new day for sure.

love

ceep G-mom