Here is a CRAZY story from work yesterday. I don't even know if I should write this because I won't be able to convey the actual intensity of it all.
So as some of you may know, I work as a dietitian on the psychiatric and substance abuse units of a veteran's hospital. To me, there are 2 degrees of crazy -- you have dementia, which is your run-o-the-mill nursing home crazy, and then you have veteran crazy which is in a whole other realm. So I'll kick-off the story. Most mornings I attend an interdisciplinary meeting, which is a meeting with the psychiatrists and other staff where the pt's cases are discussed. When a pt is admitted, they are usually brought into this meeting to briefly explain why they came into the hospital (as most substance abuse admissions are voluntary). So yesterday we have a new pt come into the meeting, who is obviously already irritable because you can see it in his eyes. Actually, "eye" -- the other eye was glass because the original had apparently been scooped out by a disgruntled drug dealer. Ick. So his doctor, who happens to be an older very frail looking woman, asks him what brought him in, to which he responds, "I'm having my period". When she probes further to try to determine what he meant by that, he flies completely off the handle, saying things such as, "your supposed to be a dr. and you don't know what a period is? I have mine every 16 months". From here he continues to escalate, (I will spare you the graphic and profane remainder of what he said), but he was pointing at each and every one of us in the room saying he was definitely going to kill someone. During all of this, he's not only pulled out his slobbery dentures, but also his gooey glass eye! Waving them around like he's going to hurl them at one of us! Let me tell you what you NEVER want to see -- someone unexpectedly taking out their eye! I was of course terrified, but trying not to draw attention to myself. I honestly have no idea how the Dr's stay so calm in those situations, it must just come with experience. The recreation therapist leaned over to me after the pt left and said that she's been there 12 years and had never seen anything as scary as that!
I promise, you had to be there to know what I mean!
5 comments:
WOW! I don't know if I'm more freaked out about the story or the fact that you have updated your blog! I laughed myself silly just imagining the kinds of dirty looks you must have been flashing that guy! Classic!
Yes, I too would have liked to see the look on your face. Ok fine!
Like I always say, there is NEVER a boring day at the hospital! Nomatter what floor you are on. That's a pretty darn good story!
Oh wow! And I thought I got some pretty crazy cases working with eating disorders (I have some pretty CRAZY patients right now.. one of which includes a girl who is so deathly afraid of calories and gaining weight that she repeatedly wipes, hides, throws, and drops food every last place she can to avoid it. She'll pretend to be wiping the hair out of her face but really is wiping food IN her hair- and this has been going on for 3 months!) Ya I definately get burnt out sometimes- BUT I think i'd take all this anyday over that experience! I would be freaking out. I agree I can never understand how doctors and therapists say so calm and collected!
I don't ever want to see someone digging an eye out of their own socket. Sorry you had too.
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