Thursday 2 February 2012

Blood

People sometimes ask me how I don't get sick at the sight of blood. It's a damned good question, and one for which I don't have a good answer. I've seen (and smelled) some of the worst things the human body can create, including gangrenous intestine, necrotising fasciitis ("flesh-eating bacteria"), Fournier's gangrene (google it if you dare), and horrible cancers. But it seems the most unlikely people are the ones who are the most likely to faint at the slightest drop of blood.

A group of very large marines were observing in my trauma bay. These are the toughest of the tough, men who can kill you 74 different ways with their pinky fingers and Scotch tape. One if them, a particularly burly fellow, kept pacing the room, excitedly asking when a "good one" was going to come in. The way he was jumping around, you'd think Santa was on his way with a shiny new bike.

Finally a good one came - a pedestrian hit by a dump truck at 80 kph (50 mph). Here's what the floor of the trauma bay looked like when we were done (yes, this is a real picture of my trauma bay last night after we finished):


You'll notice a distinct lack of marine on the floor. That's because we had to pick him up and put him on the stretcher in the next bay after he fainted and fell straight back, landing directly on his clean-shaven head.

15 comments:

  1. This is amazing. I love you. You always make my day knowing that someone has as little faith in the human raise as myself.

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  2. I'm still counting down from 3 to click google images with Fournier's gangrene written in it. I know what it is and I swear, I will look at those pictures as soon as I get my balls back.

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  3. I googled It... When can i get my eyes back?

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    Replies
    1. i know right. I wish I could go back in time to avoid looking at that. Fuck curiosity.

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  4. Hey, doc. How's that pedestrian doing? Did (s)he make it?

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    Replies
    1. Unfortunately when a large dump truck gets into a fight with a person, the dump truck always wins.

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  5. I googled Fournier's gangrene. I wasn't necessarily grossed out...but the idea of someone whose scrotum is rotting and probably smelly is pretty nasty.

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  6. I feel sorry for the person that had to clean that mess up. Why were the marines observing your bay?

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    Replies
    1. I'm not exactly sure - it may have been some kind of combat trauma training exercise. The only thing they learned was how not to fall backwards.

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  7. so that's a dead person on the bed in the picture? :s

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  8. Oh! My! God! I should have not dared to look at Fournier's gangrene pics on Google. My. Goodness. Wow.

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  9. After googling the gangrene, I can't help but feel a certain sense of pride as my elevated unnerved expectations gave way to only a mildly disgusted "oof."

    Don't think I would have the same surprising tolerance if I had to smell or touch it though.

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