The Inflatable/Deflatable Ego
Such a fragile thing it is, really.
One busy night, a patient's family member came up to me and said excitedly, "You took care of my Dad!" That greeting is always good for a quick adrenaline rush as a surprise bolus of fight or flight hormone is squeezed from the remnants of my overworked adrenal glands. I wonder if police officers feel that way when someone reaches into their pocket. Is he going to pull out his driver's license or a gun?
This time it was a false alarm, as the person cheerfully recounted how well his father's lip laceration had turned out. I remember him well....he had suffered a complete laceration through the upper lip as if someone had taken a scissors and snipped from the gumline almost to the nose. If there were a breeze, his face would have flapped in it. Nasty.
I really didn't want to repair it myself, but as is becoming the norm, the Plastic Surgeon wouldn't come in and nobody else would take the transfer. So repair it I did. I thought it turned out pretty well at the time, but I was afraid of leaving him permanently disfigured. As it turned out, all the Plastic Surgeon had to do was take out the sutures. That's really nice to hear.
Not five minutes later, a nurse came up to me and said, "Remember that girl last week that you sent home....."
One busy night, a patient's family member came up to me and said excitedly, "You took care of my Dad!" That greeting is always good for a quick adrenaline rush as a surprise bolus of fight or flight hormone is squeezed from the remnants of my overworked adrenal glands. I wonder if police officers feel that way when someone reaches into their pocket. Is he going to pull out his driver's license or a gun?
This time it was a false alarm, as the person cheerfully recounted how well his father's lip laceration had turned out. I remember him well....he had suffered a complete laceration through the upper lip as if someone had taken a scissors and snipped from the gumline almost to the nose. If there were a breeze, his face would have flapped in it. Nasty.
I really didn't want to repair it myself, but as is becoming the norm, the Plastic Surgeon wouldn't come in and nobody else would take the transfer. So repair it I did. I thought it turned out pretty well at the time, but I was afraid of leaving him permanently disfigured. As it turned out, all the Plastic Surgeon had to do was take out the sutures. That's really nice to hear.
Not five minutes later, a nurse came up to me and said, "Remember that girl last week that you sent home....."
posted by scalpel at 9:00 AM
11 Comments:
it's always nice to hear we've 'done good' we hear it so seldom.
You never know if what follows "You treated my Dad the other night" - either:
1. He is doing great, Thanks Doc!!, We are going to write a letter to the hospital administration!
2. He died! - we are going to write a letter to the hospital administration!
You know I almost did something similar last year. I was in the ER for myself when I spied the doc that misdiagnosed my mother with "failure to thrive" when in reality she needed a pacemaker and finally got it too late. I just stopped myself from saying "you killed my mother", instead I just told him she'd died. I know doctors are not God and can't be perfect all the time but listening to family members might at times stand them in good stead...ciao
No wonder you were concerned. If you sewed him up and it made him look like Michael Moore, he could sue you for big bucks.
Damn it Joints, you beat me to it.
That's great Scalpel!
I like the title of this post and it is so true.
We had an ED doc who must've been really good at suturing because I often had people tell me what a good job he had done or I would hear them tell him or a nurse.
So...what are a pt's options in your hospital for plastic surgery if they are concerned about scarring or disfigurement?
Either I do it or they can follow up in the morning, for the most part.
I've always thought ER doctors do a great job of suturing - who else, other than a plastic surgeon, does as many procedures to facial trauma!
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I wonder if police officers feel that way" They do indeed.
I remember greeting a patrol officer that my Fireguy and I had met on a call. We crossed paths again later, and I asked him if he was officer so and so. He looked down and hesitated. Seeing his distress, I quickly identified who I was. As relief washed over his face, he reached out to take my hand. Now, he has become a treasured friend, but I remember the look on the poor guys face, as he wondered is this going to be friend or foe?
I got a big chuckle over your post. It is so true about the 'flight or fight' response to an encounter with a former patient or relative after the fact!
I practice in a small town and have left the ER in favor of opening a doc in the box and enjoy it a lot more.
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