1st dead person you saw

[muireinin]

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last night, the attending i was shadowing let me do cpr on a doa. which was pretty cool, minus the fact that she was the first dead* person i've seen. i felt pretty nauseous - is that normal? i'm hoping you get (somewhat) used to it?



*clarification: first dead person with their eyes open. not all cleaned up like at a wake.

 

[apnea]

doing CNA clinicals...i had one of my residents die on me my second night there.

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

Eh, you get over it. Last time I was doing CPR in a code the guy had disgusting bodily fluids/substances coming out of every orifice. He wasn't dead though (Pulseless Electrical Activity, wife said to call it and we left before he officially "died") I guess.

But if it continues to disgust you you're not going to have it shoved in your face. Sure you'll have to do a medicine rotation, some trauma call, etc. but you'll generally be in a group with someone who is more than willing to shove you aside to get in and get their hands dirty and bust some of the poor guys ribs if you give them half the chance. If the prospect of this still scares you, there are plenty of residencies where you'll basically never run into it again.

 

[muireinin]

thanks guys. in retrospect, it's not too freaky. i think it was just unnerving at first

 

[Team Zissou]

while shadowing a trauma surgeon.. a man had just been run over by a truck.. arms mangled, skull cracked open and shifted and inch to the side, pieces of brain hanging out..

 

[ChubbyChaser]

Picked up a 16 month old, second day on the job, he died in my arms. I was upset

 

[apnea]

Picked up a 16 month old, second day on the job, he died in my arms. I was upset

kids are the worst

 

[Revenant]

Do funerals count?

Does it have to be violent?

If so the violent one I've seen was a picture at a shock site I got linked to. Some guy in Iraq that got sniped in the head. The head was caved in completely, skull fragments and brain matter all over the pavement. It almost looked fake but I had no doubt it was real. It didn't freak me out...it was just kinda odd to look at.

 

[Mayday]

I saw someone who was run over by a diet coke delivery truck once - while she was still under the truck (or rather the splatter that still had feet was under the truck) does that count? I had to go to the bathroom and lose my lunch. (To this day I can't see a diet coke truck without shuddering)

 

[154465]

I was shadowing a Pathologist and I asked about the negative aspects of the jobs. She points and is like "well, over there is a dead baby." It was pretty depressing.

 

[jochi1543]

I was shadowing a Pathologist and I asked about the negative aspects of the jobs. She points and is like "well, over there is a dead baby." It was pretty depressing.

When I was having a convo with the county's chief medical examiner, he was interrupted by his forensic path fellow who brought in a slide with a sample of this 8-month old's brain and the two sat there and marveled at "those fascinating calcium deposits there" for about 2 uncomfortable minutes.

 

[pakbabydoll]

Volunteering with the paramedics. I had just turned 17 and had just gotten my license and CPR certificate. We got a call about this guy in a car accident. He died right there in front of me. I was doing the breathing thing while the paramedic did the compressions. I was upset.

This summer when I was volunteering at the ER they bought in this guy I used to know in middle school, he had Over dosed. He died too.

 

[swim2006]

a 500g baby or a lady that came in through trauma (don't remember which came first)

 

[154465]

When I was having a convo with the county's chief medical examiner, he was interrupted by his forensic path fellow who brought in a slide with a sample of this 8-month old's brain and the two sat there and marveled at "those fascinating calcium deposits there" for about 2 uncomfortable minutes.

Yea, the indifference made it even worse. I was just like...wtf? How can you go about your work with a dead baby in the room? But I guess after many years you get used to it.

 

[gujuDoc]

last night, the attending i was shadowing let me do cpr on a doa. which was pretty cool, minus the fact that she was the first dead* person i've seen. i felt pretty nauseous - is that normal? i'm hoping you get (somewhat) used to it?



*clarification: first dead person with their eyes open. not all cleaned up like at a wake.

The first time I ever saw a dead person would have to have been when I went to MUSC for the AMSA regional conference for the SE region (Regions 5, 7, and 9). We were at MUSC's gross anat lab and they showed the premeds the gross anat labs showing the body of the cadavers but not their faces. I think I would have been more freaked out if it had been their faces or had it been a person who had freshly died and not been so highly preserved that they almost didn't look fully like a normal person or normal dead person.

By the time I saw these cadavers they had been so highly preserved that their skin felt like rubber rather then human flesh except that there was no elasticity.

 

[Concubine]

Anatomy lab.

 

[collegefootball]

I was in 4th grade. A classmate died from lukemia. One grandma is dead and so is one grandpa. My other grandma is starting to show signs now as well (losing balance). I have two aunts who have died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. I worked in a hospital fro 3 years and a patient I was going to transport was dead when I went to pick them up for a clinic appointment. I have also been in the ICU when a patient passes away...the same with the CCU. I had one patient once that passes away 2 minutes later after I brought them back from a clinic appoitment (it was on the heart floor and I was still signing the patient back in).

 

[jochi1543]

Not counting wakes/funerals, a few times in the morgue/hospital (under a sheet at least halfway, so not much to see), or people hit by cars on the street. Never really anyone up close in real life.

 

[Dr_Dan_the_man]

anatomy lab...

most days was just sections or bodies with head covered....

then one day we walk in and they had basically cut horizontally through the body at shoulder level so that the shoulders were sitting flat on the table and the face was just staring at you.

oh, and half the face was dissected out.
The damn thing looked like a cyclops, I was more shocked than disgusted!

 

[LittleRocker]

In 6th grade we took a field trip to a cadaver room. It wasn't really all that bad, especially considering I was 11. I've never seen a single dead person since then though

 

[Dr.D-man]

The first one I saw was at a funeral a long long time ago. Sometime after that my father became a mortician/funeral director. I have seen LOTS and LOTS of dead bodies since then. I have even gotten to help sew up the bodies after the autopsy (and there is a lot to be sewn). One time I was sent to take a body to a hospital for an autopsy. Needless to say, I asked if I could participate. My request was granted... it was a momentous occasion. My experiences in the funeral business have been great preparation for gross anatomy.

 

[Dr.D-man]

Volunteering with the paramedics. I had just turned 17 and had just gotten my license and CPR certificate. We got a call about this guy in a car accident. He died right there in front of me. I was doing the breathing thing while the paramedic did the compressions. I was upset.
--OFFENSIVE CONTENT REMOVED--

Nice. One post and BANNED. Dumb*ss.

 

[apnea]

Nice. One post and BANNED. Dumb*ss.

There were three a minute ago...this one, one telling someone they should kill themself, and another berating Panda Bear for being a neurotic pre-med or something.

 

[TheRealMD]

He was.... big and probably had it coming for a few years.

 

[JaggerPlate]

I did cpr on a DOA when I while doing my volunteer internship at a hospital in Santa Monica. They literally pronounced him while I was doing compressions. Everyone in the room started asking me if I was okay and if I wanted to leave or anything ... but for some reason it really didn't bother me. I just went on with the rest of my shift. I told my girlfriend later and she had the same reaction. Maybe I'm weird, but it happens in this line of work ... so I guess we all better get used to it.

Also saw a 27(or 28) week premie die in Neonatal ... that one did mess with me a bit though, just too sad!!

 

[Jolie South]

When I was in high school, I did this clinical rotation program and ended up rotating through the ER. We didn't see much since it was always early morning when I came in, but one day we had this adorable 2 year old come in on the ambulance. He wasn't breathing and later they ended up doing CPR to no avail.

The sad thing was that the kid came all alone. The mom didn't ride with him in the ambulance even though she was the one that called 911. Guess you can figure out the cause of death.

 

[ocddoc]

I work on a neonatal unit as a social worker and have been present at many deaths. I feel fortunate to be present during these times because it's an honor when families invite you to share in their child's life, however brief that life is. Also, these are generally preemies who had they lived, would not be able to do some of the most basic things that make us who we are (being able to recognize and relate to others.) At these times death, although difficult and sad, also seems natural. I sometimes wish that more people could have this type of experience. It has really helped me to view death as a natural part of life.

 

[riceman04]

Doing research in ER at University Hospital (UPenn)...older male transported in from scene of car accident...guy was thrown from vehicle...tibia completely broken...but did not pierce through skin (so his leg was just dangling)...right arm completely mangled...ripped to shreds...and face sliced diagonally...very very gruesome.

First dead person I ever saw was with my father...on his rounds...I was only 6

 

[Sir Buckethead]

Happened a week ago.

I was going to the YMCA to play basketball when I see this big crowd of people up the street a ways. I walk up there to check it out and find myself in the immediate aftermath of a mob killing. There was a thief laying dead on the road crushed by rocks and all the people that had just finished killing him were standing around refusing to let anyone cover the body. Had to be at least 100 people.

I didn't really know what to think. Now I've seen a dead body, in rather disturbing circumstances, but i didnt feel anything. I kinda wish something had changed...

 

[Powdermonkey]

Yea, the indifference made it even worse. I was just like...wtf? How can you go about your work with a dead baby in the room? But I guess after many years you get used to it.

I dont think that you will ever 'get used to it' and all that. I picked up a pretty quick indifference working in the ER after my first one that I saw. I had to help put him in a body bag and we took him down to the morgue at the hospital. The rest of the shift was weird. But I am ok with it now. Had to put one in a bag just last night. Especially working in the ER, seeing as much as we do, you come up with coping mechanisms. You build walls I guess. You still care or you would not be doing what you are doing. The dark humor present in most medical facilities is not to actually make fun of people, but a way for you and your coworkers to deal with the horrible things that are seen each day so you dont lose it after work each day.

 

[littlealex]

Seen of few fellows that kicked the bucket in my time. However, most of them are peaceful -looking and just lying. There's the sadness that a person's gone, but it isn't nauseating.

Worst was when I was in a car, 2 car-length behind a car that hit a pedestrian. The legs and body ended up quite seperate, and there was blood to show for it. I almost puked.

 

[utahjazz]

I find it much more depressing than "gross."

 

[gujuDoc]

There were three a minute ago...this one, one telling someone they should kill themself, and another berating Panda Bear for being a neurotic pre-med or something.

Someone was berating Panda bear for being a neurotic premed???????? Wow that person obviously doesn't know Panda Bear seeing as he's graduated from med school and halway through residency.

 

[gujuDoc]

He was.... big and probably had it coming for a few years.

who are you referencing?

 

[TheRealMD]

who are you referencing?

Not referencing anyone, just talking about his size and the very high likelyhood he had of a heart attack (which is what he died of).

Now I should probably say that seeing dead people isn't the actually difficult thing. It's seeing someone who was a live a few minutes ago that you knew somewhat and THEN died that will be a killer in medicine.

 

[alphaholic06]

last night, the attending i was shadowing let me do cpr on a doa. which was pretty cool, minus the fact that she was the first dead* person i've seen. i felt pretty nauseous - is that normal? i'm hoping you get (somewhat) used to it?



*clarification: first dead person with their eyes open. not all cleaned up like at a wake.

Wait to you get to Gross lab.

 

[Dr.Pdizzle]

Gene Simmons.

 

[Aynsl156]

my friend taughto the gross lab, and she took me up to see the cadavers when she found out I'd never seen a dead person. The arm was expertly dissected, because some surgeon was there practicing. Actually looked kinda pretty.

 

[futuredrcrawfor]

The cadavears I worked on in high school anatomy- we went to a chiropractic school and used their gross anatomy lab... one of my friends flipped when we did reproductive system on a man who must have been 90!

 

[Gut Shot]

Yea, the indifference made it even worse. I was just like...wtf? How can you go about your work with a dead baby in the room? But I guess after many years you get used to it.

Oh, it doesn't take that long.

 

[gujuDoc]

Not referencing anyone, just talking about his size and the very high likelyhood he had of a heart attack (which is what he died of).

Now I should probably say that seeing dead people isn't the actually difficult thing. It's seeing someone who was a live a few minutes ago that you knew somewhat and THEN died that will be a killer in medicine.

Definitely. There is a difference between seeing a cadaver of someone you've never met when they were alive and getting to know a patient when they are alive and seeing them pass away.

 

[eugel]

first dead person i saw was while i was traveling through italy. The bus stopped and i got out to walk the rest of the way to my hostel, and it ends up that a person on a scooter was hit by a car. It had just happened. He broke his skull and died. There was a helmet next to him... maybe he wasnt wearing it.

 

[alyssadk]

Shadowing in the ER. The guy was out shopping with his wife and had a heart attack, he had major fluid in his lungs and he turned really blue. It upset me because the wife was only in for a minute and then they shoo'd her out of there, yet there I was, some stupid kid who had been in the ER for 2 days shadowing and I got to watch her husband die. I cried when I left.

 

[Phoenix.]

A whole room full of them at once. Thanks to RFU, their anatomy lab yesterday during our tour directly after lunch. Oh, that lovely fetal pig smell. Thank you, student tour guide, for the timing of that visit!

Some of the cadavers were pink and flesh-colored, which really creeped me out as I watched students pull entrails and other organs out of their lively-colored bodies. The yellowed cadavers were much easier to look at, given that they didn't look half as human. And I found the body hair perhaps the most disturbing part - hard to pretend they weren't real with chest hair. The entire bodies were laid out, with just some gauze or thin plastic over the head.

Anyway, it convinced me in short order that I will NEVER donate my body to science. Sorry.