Being Peta

Seriously... if horrible medical proceedures turns your stomach please don't read.


It's 5:30 am and I'm taking a rare break at work.  I can hear a squall of rain falling outside.  It's short lived, never enough to do more then wet the ground.  But still nice to listen to over the radio.

It's been a crappy night.  I guess i should have expected it after how smoothly Saturday and Sunday night went.  The highlight, or more acurately low light, was having to deal with a blocked urinary catheter.  usually I'm really good at those but this thing was completely stuffed and had to be replaced.  Problems: the lady in question is grossly, grossly over weight with a huge abdo hernia to hold up meaning even sighting a urethra a job in itself.  Gross gross faecal contamination thanks to the day staff member who wasn't brave enough to risk all those skin folds after the poor woman evacuated her bowels last.  The chronic hip and leg pain the patient suffers from meaning positioning her extremely large, stiff, oedematous legs in a reasonable position for the proceedure was next to impossible.  And finally the lady in question is an ex registered nurse... no pressure there :P

But after dosing her up with lotsa' nice analgesia i attempted to replace her stuffed catheter.  Twice actually with an hours break inbetween.   It's the first time I've failed trying to place a catheter. :(  I had to stop as the poor woman was just in too much pain with her legs to continue.

Then, as I'd used up all the available perscribed options for pain relief I had to chase down a Doctor to get an order for something stronger.  This is mission impossible, by the way.  You cannot get a Doctor here at night time except through the Melbourne based locum service.  And at this time of the morning they nolonger take calls.  They won't perscribe over the phone but have to come out and see the patient personally.  All I wanted was a damn phone perscription for endone!!!

Eventually managed to get the patients own doctor's private number and rang her at home, waking her up.  Note: Doctors are very crabby when woken at 4:30 in the morning.  i don't like doing it.  BUT!  My first responsibility is to my patients, not catering to the medico's convenience.  If I need to damn well wake one in the middle of the night you better believe i will.  Anyway, finally got the order for analgesic I needed.  Now to pass on this mess to day staff to deal with.  Not looking for to handover. no no no.

The nice side was the patient in question was very gratious about the whole thing.  Man I felt for her.