Monday, April 09, 2007

They come in 3's....

So that was the first. I don't think I mentioned that about 15 minutes after we got that lady off to the ICU, we had the second code. Next door.
Thankfully, it was just a respiratory crumble, and he's fine now, but still. I left that day practically placing bets on who would be next. Codes, like other bad things and ironically blessings, always come in 3's.
The next day, we had the third.
At change of shift. No suprise there.
That was a much messier code....
I got puke down my scrub top as the tube in the patients throat caused her to cough! Not just on the front, but down in my scrub top! The whole code team cringed and "ugh"-ed at the same time, as I winced, at the same time smelling and feeling the hot gastric content slide their way down between my boobs, over the middle part of my bra, and continued like a nasty slug down my belly. Of course, my gloved hands were covered in it as well, as was my left arm, but that didn't bother me quite as much.

"You okay? Did it get in your eyes?"
And this is where I was very thankful. "No, it didn't get into my eyes, or my nose, or my mouth" and after a quick check, "or on my shoes!"
And everyone let loose the breath they had been holding.
Focus turned back to the patient, and I finally managed to get a new pair of gloves, a towel, and a whole pile of alcohol wipes.
It's good to be me, though. It didn't get on my shoes. Every nurse has their "little things" and that's one of mine.

1 comment:

L&D said...

Loved this one. Especially how you described it as a slug. Perfect.

Oh the joys of nursing.