This past weekend, I returned to the Spring Hill Medical Center's Emergency Department with my mentor, Mr. Justin Edmondson (PA). My drive over started very dreary and rainy, perhaps setting the scene for what I was about to see in the Emergency Department. When I first entered the ER, I noticed that things were S-L-O-W. A word I have learned is shrouded in superstition and should not be said in any Emergency Department unless you want a serious influx of patients to come through the door.
Within the first few minutes of my being in the Emergency Room, one of the nurses came to Mr. Edmondson and Dr. Babcock (one of the physicians in charge that day) telling them they had an incoming level one trauma--Motor Vehicle Collision. The collision had caused a truck with a father and his two sons to be flipped over. The trio was quite beat up, but no life-threatening injuries were sustained, thankfully. This was quite spectacular as the accident itself looked very bad from the photos that I saw. All three of the patients had minor cuts, but none that required any stitches. The oldest of the two boys had no injuries other than naturally being very scared. The younger boy had some pain in his hand that was concerning for a fracture, but x-ray confirmed he just had a hard hit and sustained no serious injury. The father had a serious concussion that left him disoriented and having difficulty hearing. His collarbone had also been separated from his shoulder. These patients were eventful for other reasons though. The father of the boys, despite being their biological father, had no legal guardianship over the boys at all. The boys' guardian was their step father, a man who clearly showed great care for them. Their mother passed away in a MVC less than two years before, and the step dad took over as their parent after this incident. This was a heartbreaking scene as I could tell the boys were so scared having to go through what had caused their mother to pass away. The biological dad was moved to a separate room after discovering he was a reckless driver and did not have the boys wearing seatbelts, factors that could have taken the boys lives. Eventually, the boys were able to go home safe with their step dad, and I truly hope all is well for them now.
The next patient we saw was somehow just as eventful. This patient was a chronic poly substance abuser and frequent flyer to the Emergency Department. He was taken in by paramedics after a call was sent about a man causing a scene after the result of a serious maniac episode. The man was adamant that he had been bit on the head by a snake. The man had no visible injuries and it was determined that he had imagined this incident. Mr Edmondson was reluctant to bring me around the patient but saw it as a good learning opportunity. The man was not very compliant during his evaluation, often staring away from us and not answering a question until several seconds and sometimes minutes later. Quickly, Mr Edmondson decided he wasn't comfortable with me being around this patient, so I stepped away while Mr. Edmondson evaluated the patient. The patient said he had abdominal pain from swallowing a "gut bomb", which we learned is methamphetamine wrapped in plastic. The man was given a chest x-ray that showed nothing concerning. I was very surprised to see all of the stool that was backed up in the patient. I learned that drug abuse can cause serious constipation. This is why those going through withdrawals have diarrhea and vomit often because the body is finally starting to release this stool. A little gross, but I found that very fascinating!
We saw several patients with an unnamed viral illness that was causing high fevers and stomach related issues. It seems that there are definitely a lot of people in the Mobile-Baldwin area who are sick with this mystery illness now. The good news is steroids have shown to clear up the symptoms, with patients returning to their normal activities in a few days. We also saw a patient with strep throat, obvious from the white patches on her throat. She was unable to swallow pills, so she had to be prescribed liquid medication. Everyone should definitely taking extra caution to avoid getting sick in these coming weeks.
We saw two patients with orthopedic related injuries. The first was a man who fell through his wooden stairs while trying to do maintenance on his house. His ankle was very swollen, but not fractured. He was given a crutch and some high strength ibuprofen with hopes he would feel better in the next few days. The second was a woman with a bone spur in her neck. She had recently left a four day stay at Mobile Infirmary, but she still was in a lot of pain. She was already taking high-strength pain medication, so there was not a lot we could do for her at that time.
Next, we saw two patients presenting with blood in their urine. The two patients had very different severities, though. The first was a young woman with slight blood in her urine caused by a urinary tract infection. The second patient was an 87 year old woman with a severe amount of blood in the urine. This blood made it difficult to even be tested. Pathology reports did show a mass that was concerning for malignancy. Urology was paged to take over the case, and the woman was swiftly admitted as her stats were fading fast as well. She was clearly very confused and it was truly devastating. I hope she took a turn for the better.
One of the physicians there, Dr Babcock, also made an effort to discuss his patients with me. He was going to let me in to watch him place a central line, but the patient's state improved, thus no longer being necessary. That would have been very cool, though!
I am very grateful for the opportunity for experiences like these. I feel that I learned SO MUCH from this experience, and I hope that I can go back soon!
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