She was 15. She was a mess: eyeliner smeared down her face, hair matted against her forehead, blood pouring out of her scalp wound and pooling neatly around her right ear. Her bright yellow tank top was pulled up to underneath her breasts, revealing a young, soft, round tummy bulging over her 'skinny' jeans. She had several piercings in each ear, and ones on the right were covered in blood, and dripping delicately over everything. She had positioned herself on a chair, propped herself up in the corner, and fallen asleep. She reeked of a lovely combination of cheap 'Charlie' perfume and cheaper 'papsak' wine.
I set up my suture tray, shook her awake and removed the blood soaked bandage. There was a 5 cm scalp laceration that needed cleaning and suturing. However, this is difficult if your patient keeps falling over onto your lap. I tried again and again to wake her up, unsuccessfully. Her boyfriend was at the window, shouting abuse at the casualty staff (he may well have been the Drunkest Man in the World.)
I got one of the nursing staff to hold up while I quickly fixed her up. I didnt even consider using lignocaine, and she didnt notice. After I had stapled her scalp, we got up to get a bandage to cover up her wound, and she slowly slid off the chair. She seemed completely paralysed, with no control over her limbs. She slumped between the chair and my trolley, against the wall. Slowly a puddle began to form under her. We noticed the darkening of her jeans. She had lost control of her bladder and was now lying in a pool of her own bodily fluids, blood and fresh alcohol laced urine. She didnt move a muscle, just continued to pee; it seemed like LITRES of urine. By now all the other patients and staff were staring. Even the boyfriend had shut up.
You can fix people's wounds but you cant always give them their dignity back.
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When that happens, that is, the patient is very young and very drunk, I like to tell myself the fairy tale that they will never drink that much ever again. Everyone has been terribly drunk one time, and most people don't repeat the experience. That is my optimistic thought for today.
ReplyDeleteget a colleague to sit on the floor and hold the patients ears firmly...like ...pulling them right out like the handles on the rugby world cup...that usually works to keep them still and focused
ReplyDeleteWow. Props to you for dealing with her. On the other hand, servs her right. THIS is what they need to be telling kids at schools, rather than "drinking is bad, so don't do it."
ReplyDeleteSo sad. I am not sure she'll earn from that experience as she wasn't really there to experience it. I just hope you don't see her again and don't get to see her leave.
ReplyDelete