Oozing kindness


I've been ill the past couple of days. It's cold season.

Today I was working in Recovery, where patients are wheeled round with LMA's (tubes that sit at the back of the mouth to help breathing) to wake up with us.

So I have this patient. Wakes up in a standard teenage way, thrashing and throwing themselves around while simultaneously biting down on the tube.

A careful balance is required where I have one hand on the tube and the other on the head to follow the rapid head movements while awaiting the perfect opportunity to whip it out without ripping out any teeth (for cereal, actual risk).

Then it happens. The deep intense pressure in my sinuses just bursts. Instant relief, right?

No.


Remember, both my hands are busy.

My patient is thrashing, there is a risk of them getting hurt. So I hold on. After a brief struggle, things settle. Then in one glorious, horrific moment the thrashing stops, the head turns towards me, mouth opening in a wide yawn whence I immediately pull out the LMA....

Only to have a torrential stream of my own snot pour down my face and drop into the open mouth.

In. The. Mouth.

Horrifying. Mortifying. Disgusting. Disturbingly hilarious.

Thankfully the patient was still disoriented enough that we could maneuver them sideways for a thorough wash out and suction of the mouth.

Immediately after the patient was discharged back to the ward, my boss invited me to remove myself from the hospital and into the exile of my own home. 


Isn't that kind?
 

 

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