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- Dec 2, 2004
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So I'm watching the Capra/Jimmy Stewart classic for the umpteenth time tonight, and thinking about the unit today. Around here there are two types of patients on the ward on Christmas eve--the truly sick, and the truly lost-with-nowhere-to-go. Some qualify on both counts. Had a guy admitted last week with a tale worthy of Job (or at least a bad country song)--parents, sister, girlfriend, job, car, apartment all gone in 3 months, basically through no fault of his own. Today he's decided he does want to live, and thanks me😳 for that. (All I did was refuse to let him go when he was thinking about signing out!) To his credit, he's also been calling the guy who took the gun away when he was going to shoot himself to thank him too...
I hope the gals I wouldn't let go on pass with their pot-smoking baby-daddies will feel the same about me someday--if they get sobered up. The one was pretty mad at me--but I caught her lying to her dad on the phone about who was coming to pick her up. I did let one woman go home--she convinced me she "wasn't going to jump off any f-----g bridge--I want to be with my family!!!" A few phone calls by my frazzled social worker confirmed there was a family there for her to go to, so we went back over the safety plan, and discharged her--opening up a bed for some other unfortunate soul on Christmas eve.
Well--Merry Christmas from the OPD house. Kids are in their jammies, fireplace and Christmas tree are lit (a safe distance from each other), and the presents are all wrapped (except for that ONE THING that I have to wait to assemble after the little ones are in bed). LittleMissPsychDoc is busy trying to manipulate her little brothers' belief in the Big Red Guy and has actually got MasterHyperPsychDoc in tears that we're keeping him up too late (waiting for a neighbor to stop by) and that Santa might skip us. I know a young lady who may be getting a lump of coal instead of a digital camera in her stocking tomorrow morning!!!
Well, bless you all. Remember that we've really got it good.
Happy HoliHanuKwanzaSolistoChristmas!
I hope the gals I wouldn't let go on pass with their pot-smoking baby-daddies will feel the same about me someday--if they get sobered up. The one was pretty mad at me--but I caught her lying to her dad on the phone about who was coming to pick her up. I did let one woman go home--she convinced me she "wasn't going to jump off any f-----g bridge--I want to be with my family!!!" A few phone calls by my frazzled social worker confirmed there was a family there for her to go to, so we went back over the safety plan, and discharged her--opening up a bed for some other unfortunate soul on Christmas eve.
Well--Merry Christmas from the OPD house. Kids are in their jammies, fireplace and Christmas tree are lit (a safe distance from each other), and the presents are all wrapped (except for that ONE THING that I have to wait to assemble after the little ones are in bed). LittleMissPsychDoc is busy trying to manipulate her little brothers' belief in the Big Red Guy and has actually got MasterHyperPsychDoc in tears that we're keeping him up too late (waiting for a neighbor to stop by) and that Santa might skip us. I know a young lady who may be getting a lump of coal instead of a digital camera in her stocking tomorrow morning!!!
Well, bless you all. Remember that we've really got it good.
Happy HoliHanuKwanzaSolistoChristmas!
