Thursday, May 26, 2016

Ketamine

Somebody tried to tell me today that we aren't allowed to ride around dangling from the elbows on the cardiac walkers, making TIE fighter noises. Fortunately I was on a cardiac walker at the time so I just screeched away with my toes dangling over the linoleum, faster than they could shuffle after me in their Dansko mules.

We’ve had some extra-special pts on the ICU lately. Things seem to come in waves, a month at a time, and this month’s theme seems to be a tie between “exhausting psych” and “heartbreaking pulmonary fibrosis.” April started out with a seemingly straightforward admit: a woman with a fresh spinal fusion, history of chronic pain, and osteoporosis.

Ellen Hamm* was the first pt I took with my latest preceptee, Lizzie, who comes to us fresh from a psych hospital-- sharp and bright and already jaded as hell. “I hope my experience is useful on the ICU,” she said, and sighed when I toppled into chair-spinning gales of laughter.