I thought I would pass out. Hot, nervous, increased pulse. That's me being a sympathetic physician again. Ella, this is happening to the PATIENT. Not to you. Get over it.
A Family's Cry...
5 years ago
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
This Will Hurt Me More than It Hurts You.... Well... maybe not
Today at my preceptor (the bariatric surgeon) I watched from the corner of the room where he totally botched a drain. Poor lady. She was trying to get her lap-band drained... but the doc couldn't find the spot. For like 15 minutes. He poked her over and over and over and over and over again. And the needle wasn't small folks. And it was inside her abdomen at least 4 inches while he wriggled around (rather aggressively) trying to find the spot.
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I think we're supposed to be sympathetic to our patients though...isn't that why we all want to be doctors? To help people feel better, not worse?
ReplyDeleteI think you should stay sympathetic...trust me, people want sympathetic doctors. I know from a lot of personal experience, that it makes it hurt less when you that the doctor is aware that it hurts.
ReplyDeleteI'm a PA student and I've had the same problem on my clinical rotations... I nearly lost it when I was watching a central line placement and again with a chest tube placement. Let me know if you come up with the miracle cure for this one because it's mighty embarrassing.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, that reaction doesn't happen if you're the one doing the procedure.
ReplyDeleteI once saw a surgeon do a bedside I&D on a teenager's forehead, and I almost passed out too. Then I did one myself a few months later, no problems.