Most of the mechanisms of injury I see are rather mundane and pedestrian. Auto accidents, falls, stabbings, shootings, pedestrians struck, bicycle accidents, and assaults are the mainstays of what I see, do, and fix. Sometimes I get the "other", however. These can be anything from ordinary (dog bite) to a bit strange (chainsaw to the face) to how the hell did that happen (foot run over by a lawnmower) to what the actual fuck (bitten by a camel). To be honest, it's difficult to come up with a mechanism of injury that I haven't seen.
Until someone does.
Saturday night seems to go along with alcohol just like peas and carrots, peanut butter and jelly, salt and pepper. It just doesn't seem to flow linguistically, however. Hm. Anyway, I'm constantly astounded at what drunk people will do to themselves or others, simply because they are drunk. It doesn't seem to matter what they do or to whom they do it, as long as they can blame alcohol.
"Hi Doc, good evening. This is Dawn (not her real name™). Dawn was assaulted with bug spray tonight, and . . ."
I don't typically interrupt the medics in the middle of a patient presentation, but this time I couldn't help myself.
"Wait wait wait . . . what?"
The medic chuckled a bit and continued. "Heh, yeah. Anyway, she was assaulted with bug spray after her and her boyfriend got into a fight after a night of heavy drinking. She's got a lac on her scalp about 5 cm, positive loss of consciousness. She's 49 years old, history of HIV, not taking any meds, no allergies. Only complaining of a headache."
If you're following along here, you probably have the same question I had. I could not resist the temptation and just blurted it out:
"So, was she hit with the can or sprayed?"
"Heh. Yeah, Both."
Fortunately the spray didn't get in her eyes, so all she needed was a few staples to close the wound and a heavy dose of IV fluid to get her sober. Once she was coherent, her boyfriend came to take her home. All was forgiven, apparently.
I know I've said this several times before, but this time I really really really mean it:
NOW I've seen everything.
Monday 11 December 2017
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
-
EDIT NOVEMBER 1 2017: GINGER'S LIST HAS BEEN UPDATED TO 142 PAPERS. I HAVE ADDED ALL THE NEW ONES IN ORDER. NEW PAPERS ARE PREFACED BY *... -
EDIT: New and improved version, now with 83 of your favourite myths. Ooooooh boy. I have no idea what kind of rabbit hole I'm entering...
-
I think of myself as a very secure person. I endure a lot of stress at work, and despite sometimes overwhelming circumstances, I always man...
That last line sounds like a challenge...
ReplyDelete=P
Never tempt fate...on the bright side, at least he didn't use it as a flame thrower.
ReplyDeleteDid you hear the one about the naked kidnappers? In Alberta? In winter? Using their car to assault the rescuer?
ReplyDeleteOh but THAT needs a link, please!
DeleteHIV but not taking any meds? That sounds worrying.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a resident I sewed up a patient in the ER who, while drunk, decided he wanted to know what the cougar at the zoo felt like. So he climbed up a rock wall and stuck his arm through the bars to pet it. At least he didn't want to know what a garbage disposal felt like.
ReplyDeleteSo, isn't it dangerous when literal poison is sprayed into an open wound? Like, it gets a shortcut into the bloodstream and... then what?
ReplyDeleteWait...thats it? It doesnt seem that strange. Just amounts to being hit with a generic spray can. It happens.
ReplyDeleteIf it was a story of an anvil smashing a hand (by going under the anvil) or a toilet cutting open a hand, thatd be strange.
Why so specific?
Happened to me.
Yes. It was the same hand.
Well...finger
what were you doing with an anvil on your toilet?
DeleteThank you Ken. I haven't had a laugh like that in a few days. Now I'm stuck visualizing the possibilities.
DeleteThe incidents qere abput 6 years apart
DeleteDont text and walk. Lesson learned. That looks atrocious
DeleteI once responded to a laceration from a ceramic soap tray in a shower.
ReplyDeleteHope the person was clothed when you arrived! Man I bet you have some stories too!
Deletebleeding was controlled with direct pressure and a bath towel. fortunately, it was minimal.
Deletebut that call is one more reason why I don't plan to ever install tile in my shower.
Call Gods: “Challenge accepted.”
ReplyDeletealso, "hold my beer"
Delete“And watch this.”
DeleteReminded me of my favorite video to come out of Houston, post Hurricane Harvey. Scroll to the 35 sec mark if you're short on time. "Imma spray you...." So great.
ReplyDeletehttp://kluv.radio.com/2017/08/31/sophia-mcintosh-is-ready-to-protect-her-houston-neighborhood-with-a-can-of-bug-spray/
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteForestry workers tend to hit themselves with a chainsaw from the non-dominant knee downwards.
ReplyDeleteFarmers can hit themselves anywhere.
I recall a farmer hitting himself with a chainsaw from the mastoid process to the sternoclavicular joint. Another hitting himself over the thoracic vertebral spines between the scapulae.
Both survived.
Farmers can hit anything with a running chainsaw.
Stuartg
let me be sure I understand the terminology correctly: the injury was on his BACK? I can understand hitting yourself in the face. the mechanics are within the bounds of careless saw operation. but how do you put it into your BACK?
DeleteWith talent, skill and just a little bit of luck.
DeleteWas it done stylishly or a pigs dinner?