We had a lady today that came in to get a knee replacement. She was so large that she had to be wheeled around to the back of the hospital and weighed on our laundry scales, because none of the other scales in the hospital went up past 350.
She was mad, because this is her 3rd knee replacement. She spent the entire morning complaining while I assessed her that the surgeon didn't know what he was doing, or else she wouldn't be going through this trouble and pain. She complained about being NPO since midnight because she couldn't go to McDonalds. She complained about being too cold, then the warm blanket made her too hot. And don't get me started on how she screamed like a 2 year old when we tried to start her IV.
On top of obesity, she had every problem known to man. Diabetes? Check. COPD? Check. Neuropathy? Check. The list went on and on...
It was a pretty busy day at the hospital, so after recovering in PACU, we had to move her back to the outpatient area until a bed came open on the floor. I brought her husband back to see her.
They pulled the curtain for privacy. And I started to smell something. Something fried, greasy, and nauseating. After getting another nurse, we peered around the curtain, and watched in awe as the patient ate 6 cheeseburgers. Yes, there was 6 we counted the wrappers in the trashcan. While we were trying to find the charge nurse, someone had put an order through to the kitchen to send her a tray.
I walked back to her cubicle with charge nurse and her doctor to find the aide setting down, feeding the patient. The doctor demanded that the aide stop, and the patient burst into tears, screaming that she would die if she didn't eat soon.
The doctor (and I love him) stated she that she didn't get to be that size by not feeding herself, and that it would be a cold day in hell when she finally starved.
The patient signed herself out AMA and shrieked that she was going somewhere where the staff actually cared about the patients and allowed the hungry ones to eat. Then she proceeded to shit on the floor.
After that episode, we all stood waving good riddance at the door.
She was mad, because this is her 3rd knee replacement. She spent the entire morning complaining while I assessed her that the surgeon didn't know what he was doing, or else she wouldn't be going through this trouble and pain. She complained about being NPO since midnight because she couldn't go to McDonalds. She complained about being too cold, then the warm blanket made her too hot. And don't get me started on how she screamed like a 2 year old when we tried to start her IV.
On top of obesity, she had every problem known to man. Diabetes? Check. COPD? Check. Neuropathy? Check. The list went on and on...
It was a pretty busy day at the hospital, so after recovering in PACU, we had to move her back to the outpatient area until a bed came open on the floor. I brought her husband back to see her.
They pulled the curtain for privacy. And I started to smell something. Something fried, greasy, and nauseating. After getting another nurse, we peered around the curtain, and watched in awe as the patient ate 6 cheeseburgers. Yes, there was 6 we counted the wrappers in the trashcan. While we were trying to find the charge nurse, someone had put an order through to the kitchen to send her a tray.
I walked back to her cubicle with charge nurse and her doctor to find the aide setting down, feeding the patient. The doctor demanded that the aide stop, and the patient burst into tears, screaming that she would die if she didn't eat soon.
The doctor (and I love him) stated she that she didn't get to be that size by not feeding herself, and that it would be a cold day in hell when she finally starved.
The patient signed herself out AMA and shrieked that she was going somewhere where the staff actually cared about the patients and allowed the hungry ones to eat. Then she proceeded to shit on the floor.
After that episode, we all stood waving good riddance at the door.
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