Crazy Day at Work

Last Tuesday I was on call. This means that we cover the ER. The last couple times I was on call, it was pretty dead. This time was different...

The day started out with me seeing clinic. I had a few normal visits, and then got called to the ER for a swollen knee. It was a lady who had been out kayaking and woke up the next day with a red swollen knee, so bad that she could not bear weight on it. We stuck a needle in there and got back some bloody fluid. She is on blood thinners and was way over the normal levels for anti-coagulation. She was bleeding into her knee.

The next guy was walking and had some visual field changes. He had a stroke.

Next guy had a kidney stone.

Next a guy with urinary retention.

While this was all going on, I had patients piling up in clinic...one of which needed to be admitted with a red swollen knee...he had a septic joint.

Oh there was also a lady who drove her car into a ditch at around 3am. She was seen by someone who called 911. She was brought into the ER saying that she was escaping her husband who had held her captive for 4 days, forcing her to drink alchol and beating her. During the escape her husband was allegedly ramming her car with his trying to chase her down. The story sounds so dramatic but she had not one mark on her, the car was completely undamaged. She complained of abdominal pain, but had none to palpation...overall the lady was just drunk. I think she made up the story to avoid going to jail.

It was a crazy day of call- I saw some good stuff...but would have rather seen my pillow at home, sleeping.