Christmas Horror Stories

[Speed Racer]

Not to be morbid or overly morose, but I think the horrible stories are what make are chosen field more real, truthful and bittersweet. And since I'm working the next three days I may need to vent. I'll start it off.

This one didn't happen to me as a physician, but to a kid in my neighborhood growing up. In short, nice kid, honor student, great family.... Parents bought him a go gart for Xmas. They fire it up on Xmas morning and all the kids in the neighborhood have a go, including me ( I grew up somewhere warm). The kid runs a stop sign and gets run over by a car, and everyone in the neighborhood witnesses it, kids included. Kid died instantly.

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[roja]

Not to be morbid or overly morose, but I think the horrible stories are what make are chosen field more real, truthful and bittersweet. And since I'm working the next three days I may need to vent. I'll start it off.

This one didn't happen to me as a physician, but to a kid in my neighborhood growing up. In short, nice kid, honor student, great family.... Parents bought him a go gart for Xmas. They fire it up on Xmas morning and all the kids in the neighborhood have a go, including me ( I grew up somewhere warm). The kid runs a stop sign and gets run over by a car, and everyone in the neighborhood witnesses it, kids included. Kid died instantly.

Ouch. I think I am going to bypass this thread. I usually don't work on christmas because I work NYeve and tday.

 

[diphenyl]

Had a guy a few years ago 45 YO M, no prev Hx of CAD, had a massive MI at Christmas dinner surrounded by family. Goes down. Quick EMS response time so by the time he gets to the hospital he has a downtime of only 20-30 min. Worked on him for over 45 min but couldn't get him back. Had to deliever the news to twenty family member on Christmas day.

 

[Aloha Kid]

Coded an obese gentleman dressed in red garments, long fluffy white beard. He died, had to notify his 9 talking Reindeer outside. One of them with a bright red bulb light for a nose was really shooken up by it. Fortunately, this gentleman's short friends were there to support these poor poor animals. Never seen anything like this before. I'm still broken up about it. What more could I have done, this guy seemed like such a kind and jolly fellow.

 

[kungfufishing]

crazy aloha, I went through the same sort of thing when I was, I dunno, six? seven?

 

[FroggerMD]

Killer Santa... http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/us/26Santa.html?_r=1&hp

 

[BADMD]

True horror:

Christmas day, I worked 11.5 hours and saw 12 patients. That is what, 3 and change RVUs per hour? Truly horrific. Thank heavens they offer a holiday differential.

 

[docB]

Had bad busy Xmas day yesterday. 3 codes, 1 septic patient, 2 central lines on patients besides those. Ick. The doc who followed me had it just as bad.

Interestingly I did see Santa on the 23rd. Seriously. A guy who plays Santa professionally (big white beard, tummy like a bowl full of jelly, HTN, DM, CHF and all that goes with being a non-elfin Santa) came in for vertigo. He was ok, didn't die on me, but for 8 hours Santa sat on a gurney in front of my desk retching his guts out every time he moved. White beard festooned with bits 'o cookies and bile. That's a holiday moment I'm trying to forget.

 

[deleted109597]

Day after christmas I saw 26 patients in 9 hours. Miserable.

At least none of them died. We had one die they day before Christmas though.

 

[greytmedic]

Had bad busy Xmas day yesterday. 3 codes, 1 septic patient, 2 central lines on patients besides those.

Hey, I think there is a Christmas carol that goes something like that.

"...3 codes, 2 central lines, and a septic patient in a pear tree."

 

[docB]

Hey, I think there is a Christmas carol that goes something like that.

"...3 codes, 2 central lines, and a septic patient in a pear tree."

The septic guy wasn't the one up in the pear tree. Around here only guys on coumadin are allowed to climb trees. Then they get to compete in the Grand National Subdural Championship series. You're not eligible unless you have squeezed your ventricles to the point of invisibility and generally the "winner" is the guy who can herniate his entire cerebellum through the foramen magnum.

 

[Apollyon]

The septic guy wasn't the one up in the pear tree. Around here only guys on coumadin are allowed to climb trees. Then they get to compete in the Grand National Subdural Championship series. You're not eligible unless you have squeezed your ventricles to the point of invisibility and generally the "winner" is the guy who can herniate his entire cerebellum through the foramen magnum.

Had that on Christmas Day - on Coumadin, accidental fall, subdural that actually led to a bona fide Cushing's triad.

I don't think she's doing/did well.

 

[diphenyl]

Both the 26th and 27th. 25 - 30 pt's each day. most of them admits. 20 people in the lobby at all times. 2 codes and an elective intubation on the floor. Winter is upon us.

 

[matt_mt19]

24 y/o gravid female with reported 34 wk twin gestation involved in a high speed head-on MVC. Reports from the scene were grim, intubated, and scene flight to our facility. Loss of circulation en route with asystole throughout, was met on the pad and rushed in. EM, trauma surgery, and maternal-fetal obstetricians at bedside, quick ultrasound while coding mom showed no fetal heart motion. No bedside section due to no signs of life in either of the three was the decision of all EM/TSx/OB MD's involved. Eventually, without return of spontaneous circulation, she was pronounced.

 

[docB]

24 y/o gravid female with reported 34 wk twin gestation involved in a high speed head-on MVC. Reports from the scene were grim, intubated, and scene flight to our facility. Loss of circulation en route with asystole throughout, was met on the pad and rushed in. EM, trauma surgery, and maternal-fetal obstetricians at bedside, quick ultrasound while coding mom showed no fetal heart motion. No bedside section due to no signs of life in either of the three was the decision of all EM/TSx/OB MD's involved. Eventually, without return of spontaneous circulation, she was pronounced.

Sorry to hear that. That's one that will stick with you.