The ER where I work is missing the room 13. It's also missing room 7, although the reason for that is even less clear. It seems sort of silly--I'm not sure anyone really knows which room they are being treated in, and if they're truly sick, I doubt that they care.
In Room 13's place is a bathroom, which coincidentally, is the place where I do some of my best thinking...
Me: Sir, what's your pain ranked at right now, on a scale of 0-10, 0 being no pain at all and 10 being pain so bad that you lose all control of your functions. Pt: It's a 8 for sure. I have a really really high tolerance for pain, so this must be really really bad.
Giggles. Today I had a epidural cortisone? shot in my back. I was scared to death. I was okay until I felt a lighting bolt shoot down my leg. Of course my leg did a reflect jerk and a yulped. The doc asked me what I was feelings....I think I was able to mummble something about a "leg" as my face drips with sweat.
A second at a 10 perhaps?
The doctor was talking to the nurse....blah blah.....nerve...blah blah blah.... Suddenly a nurse placed a hand on my shoulder and told me to breath.
That was an awful 2 seconds of my life. I could not imagine someone being conscious for a 9-10 pain.
Oh...and I told them I was really scared and a wimp before they started!
Reply to 'high tolerance' remark: "Good, sir. Since your tolerance is high, then it won't take but a minute amount of non-narcotic pain reliever to ease your discomfort. Here, have a Tylenol."
Unless, of course, you test them and they actually do have a high pain tolerance. There's a girl in my school who I'm sure has CIPA. She gets hurt a lot but doesn't feel it.
Funny ryan should mention that. My cousin can't feel any pain in some of her fingers. She can set them down on a running electric stovetop and receive no pain.
Argh! This always happens. An awesome blogger comes into the medblogosphere, they post just enough to get me hooked, then leave the blogsphere forever.
My personal favorite is when they start adjusting their frame of reference from off the scale to still off the scale...
Oh, it was a 18/10 when we started, now it's down to a 12/10.
Really? That's good news to me, since I can start punching you and you'll just remain in the worst pain of your life regardless!
It's as if dropping down to a 10/10 pain is an insult to them. Seriously, is the pain involved in breathing put them at a 5/10? Does the comforter from the bed bring it up to 6/10 when you are sleeping?
The only people I can classify as having a high pain tolerance fit into one of two groups from our area.
1. The farmers.
ME: "Do you want something for those two broken femurs sir? That jagged edge sticking out from your thigh looks kind of painful."
HIM: "Nah. It hurts a bit, but I just want to know if I can get back to work tomorrow"
2. The Omish (see same example above, except he waited a day, since wanted to make sure it wasn't just going to get better with a good nights respite)
11 comments:
Last night this conversation occured:
Me: Sir, what's your pain ranked at right now, on a scale of 0-10, 0 being no pain at all and 10 being pain so bad that you lose all control of your functions.
Pt: It's a 8 for sure. I have a really really high tolerance for pain, so this must be really really bad.
His CC was an ingrown toenail.
Giggles. Today I had a epidural cortisone? shot in my back. I was scared to death. I was okay until I felt a lighting bolt shoot down my leg. Of course my leg did a reflect jerk and a yulped. The doc asked me what I was feelings....I think I was able to mummble something about a "leg" as my face drips with sweat.
A second at a 10 perhaps?
The doctor was talking to the nurse....blah blah.....nerve...blah
blah blah.... Suddenly a nurse placed a hand on my shoulder and told me to breath.
That was an awful 2 seconds of my life. I could not imagine someone being conscious for a 9-10 pain.
Oh...and I told them I was really scared and a wimp before they started!
Reply to 'high tolerance' remark:
"Good, sir. Since your tolerance is high, then it won't take but a minute amount of non-narcotic pain reliever to ease your discomfort. Here, have a Tylenol."
Amen, brother.
Unless, of course, you test them and they actually do have a high pain tolerance. There's a girl in my school who I'm sure has CIPA. She gets hurt a lot but doesn't feel it.
Funny ryan should mention that. My cousin can't feel any pain in some of her fingers. She can set them down on a running electric stovetop and receive no pain.
Argh! This always happens. An awesome blogger comes into the medblogosphere, they post just enough to get me hooked, then leave the blogsphere forever.
*tear*
Whoops, that last comment was me, my lovely husband didn't log off the computer.
My personal favorite is when they start adjusting their frame of reference from off the scale to still off the scale...
Oh, it was a 18/10 when we started, now it's down to a 12/10.
Really? That's good news to me, since I can start punching you and you'll just remain in the worst pain of your life regardless!
It's as if dropping down to a 10/10 pain is an insult to them. Seriously, is the pain involved in breathing put them at a 5/10? Does the comforter from the bed bring it up to 6/10 when you are sleeping?
The only people I can classify as having a high pain tolerance fit into one of two groups from our area.
1. The farmers.
ME: "Do you want something for those two broken femurs sir? That jagged edge sticking out from your thigh looks kind of painful."
HIM: "Nah. It hurts a bit, but I just want to know if I can get back to work tomorrow"
2. The Omish (see same example above, except he waited a day, since wanted to make sure it wasn't just going to get better with a good nights respite)
-slicy
Are they allergic to anything except pethidine?
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