Community Chat

[sfnative]

I suppose most of us have had such an experience, some more weirder than others.  I've quite a repetoire of them.

Please share yours!

***

One that comes to mind, because there were about 7 people in the hall watching this "come down" & no one helped, is the following"

The Emergency Department was having the usual training, which I was overseeing.  On this particular day, they were learning (for those who had never performed this) or repeating, a thoracotomy.  If, during an emergent situation, immediate access to the heart and/or left lung and/or spleen is required (on the left), short version-an incision is made, access between ribs is acquired and a rib spreader placed, then ribs spread using the handle.  This all occurs quite rapidly, as the patient's life is at risk.  So, imagine this occuring with 22 Resident physicians and Staff physicians as well involved around 6 tables, when all of a sudden a 6'4" tall Resident walks like a drunk toward me, looked me in the eye and said, "I'm going to faint and you'll need to catch me."

What?!?!  (I'm only 5' 4")  I needed him out of that room and into the hall, so got right up to him, front to front.  Just as we got to the door frame he collapsed.  Fortunately, I had just placed my arms under his armpits from the front, as there was no room or time to get around to his back.  He slumped over me.  I yelled to the lab folks from across the hall to help.  They stood there with their mouths open.  College kids from UCSD about as useful as  _____s on a witch.  So, I dragged my doc over to and against the wall and we both slumped down to the floor.  I removed my lab coat and placed it under his head, then took his pulse.  It was 24!!!  Went into my office, grabbed my coat, placing it under his knees.  (None of the E.D. docs would come out to attend to his obviously bradycardic condition.  I quietly walked up to one doc I knew well and asked about my doc in the hall.  "Oh, he does that once in a while," was the answer I received.

I don't know how this Resident could get away with that medical condition and remain in the branch of service in which we were all involved.  The entire department was hiding it - I do believe.

[CelticCrafter]

Hope he doesn't choose surgery as his specialty is all I can say.

[kittyloo]

@sfnative  wow! that is some story! was it brought on by the sight of blood or something?? i mean he is a doctor.

i can't think of anything that compares to that yet. 

[Laura14]

My favorites were last year when three separate people came screaming into my office in a complete and utter tantrum trying to get an unearned credit on their account aka steal from the company and not one manager cared as if that was normal behavior for me to deal with. 

It still boggles my mind since I've never seen anyone do that in the grocery store to get an extra 10% off their food bill.  Why?  Because it wouldn't be tolerated and they would no longer be able to be a customer there. 

Exactly what should have happened here.  

[chickenbutt]

It wasn't actually my experience (I just watched), and don't know why this came to mind as it happened some 30 years ago, but I was sitting in my office on the 5th floor of a 5 story building and  we  saw a car, down in the parking lot, that appeared to be smoking.

Somebody had called the FD and we were up there watching as one of the fireman just starting tearing the vehicle apart with his ax  to get inside the vehicle to pull the hood latch.

Well, the problem was that the door was unlocked and he didn't even bother to check before he took the ax to the vehicle.  We all watched in horror just glad it wasn't our vehicle that got all chopped up.

It was definitely a 'you've got to be kidding' moment.

[dex]

@sfnative@That was good work on your part but I don’t understand why nobody else assisted you.That doctor fainted why?....I don’t understand that part.I have no medical background.Were you working on a real patient at the time or a video of a surgery.

[dex]

I worked in a grocery store that also had a clothing dept. when I was young.We were always joking around and I had just handed down a great one to one of the guys.He said that I was up next.A couple of days later a huge tall man walked in yelling he wanted to buy underwear and needed assistance.I stepped up to help figuring this was a prank for me..The man loudly told me he needed underwear with a big pouch as he was a big guy.I was a little uncomfortable but decided to be a good sport about it.I opened the pack and shoved my fist into the pouch area to demonstrate size.I asked him if that would do and he happily agreed it would..He told me I was really good at my job and would ask for me next time he was in.I said I bet you will.I figured I nailed it but then I was told nobody knew that man.

[SilleeMee]

Not work/home related but...

A few weeks ago I went to the Village Inn restaurant to buy some pies. When I got there the pies were stacked in rows on a big table next to the register but there were no prices on any of them. So I asked the person at the register if the pies were arranged in some kind of order from low to high, thinking to myself about the price ranges. The answer was something like:  "Yes, we put them on the table from the back to the front." 

[Carmie]

I have a few stories, but this one is the worst.

When I was a teenager, my family went to the beach in Cape May, NJ.  We owned a beach house there and some of my other family members did too. ( it was cheaper back then)

My first cousin who was quite a few years older than I was, was on a raft with her niece, her sister's daughter.  They were just floating around when a big wave knocked them both off of the raft.  Neither could swim and they both panicked.

My adult cousin found her way back to the raft, but the niece was drowning, kicking and splashing.  I went over to help and she jumped on me before I had a chance to even think.  She pinned my arms down by my side and held on.  I was trapped and thought I was going to drown because I couldn't get to the surface to breath.  The harder I tried to get her off of me, the tighter she held on and wrapped her legs around me.  We were about the same size.

Finally, I figured out that if I went to the bottom, I could push/bounce  myself up far enough to take a breath.  I did this for what seems like forever until I could touch bottom with my head out of the water.

Finally, we both got out of the water where a crowd had gathered to watch.  I will never forget that lifeguard who watched me and never left his stand to help.  He was clapping and said " I am proud of you.  You did a great job"

I was so mad I could have punched him hard enough to knock him out.  I almost drowned with my cousin's daughter and all he did was watch.

He should have been fired for not helping.  That was his job.

Everytime until he passed, whenever I saw my cousin's husband he thanked me for saving his daughter's life.  He was very grateful.

I know one  thing, I will NEVER get close to a drowning person again, unless it is a toddler.  It's better to pass a floating device or towel for them to hang on to. It was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life.

[dex]

@Carmie.that was very traumatic.You are brave and I am happy you both survived,