Neglect

I've been neglecting my blog.  Poor thang.  I just haven't felt like it lately, and  every time I said, "I should put something on my blog," I just have no idea what to post.  So here is my vain attempt at keeping you interested.....if you've been really bored with me lately, don't be, I'll start spicing it up.  Try anyway.

This one came in drunk.  Blood alcohol was 0.28, fours times normal if you were wondering.  Older patient, shouldn't be doing this kind of stuff anymore, but after all it's an addiction, I couldn't judge.  Broken elbow, hip, smashed face.  All from a drunken fall.  wow.
Tough night.  Wasn't their first night in the hospital with no vodka.  Convinced they were detoxing.  I had to remind, "You're last drink was 3 hours ago.  You're still a little drunk.  You're not detoxing.  I'll let you know when you are, okay?"
The call bell was doing off every 5-10 minutes.  My co-workers telling me, "You gotta do something about that one.  Can't you given 'em some Ativan?"  The patient calling me in there "Can't you do something for these shakes?" "No."  "Can't you give me something for pain?"  "I've given you everything you can have."  "Can't you get me something for the nausea?"  "No."  "Isn't there a doctor you can call?"  "No."  There was, but nothing the doctor could or would order for this patient.  I had to wait it out.
In the morning, the surgeon came for a chat, told me patient was refusing surgery.  Need I say, still a little drunk?  Bottom line was, patient needed surgery.  No use of arm for remainder of life would be detrimental.  That arm would be neglected(just like my blog) and probably end up with some big wound, infection, then amputation due to the basic neglect this patient had for any general health at all.  I went in, plopped down on the couch in the room (I've never done that before, surprisingly comfortable.)  Just me and patient.  "So, you need to have this surgery.  Don't you want to be able to eat, drink, shake hands with that arm again?"  Patient says "I suppose."  We carried on in this conversation for a while, but eventually patient had a sober enough thought to agree to surgery.
Two days later, I'm back to work, patient is still there, not discharged home yet.  I go in for a chat with patient.  Patient says, "Hey you're the one that convinced me to have surgery!  I wish I hadn't done it.  I'm in so much pain.  I want to rip my arm off!!!"  Yep, I'm the one that convinced you to have surgery.  You'll thank me in a few years when you're holding a grand baby in that arm, when you're hugging you're daughter after her diagnosis of cancer, and when you are at death's gate holding the hand of your nurse.  You'll thank me.