The methadonian who had been snoring away for four hours finally awoke and was discharged--after stating that he had been asleep through his methadone clinic appointment and therefore didn't have any methadone for the weekend, so could we please give him some. (It's more likely that he took all his methadone for the weekend in advance, and no way were we going to give him any more.)
I amusedly watched him get his things together, nodding off a few times as he did so. Then, without skipping a beat, he carefully folded his patient gown and put it in his bag. Then he added the nonrebreather mask that had been on his face. Then he folded the sheet from the bed and stuffed that in there too. He was about to add the ambu-bag from above the bed when I casually said, "Dude, whatcha doin'?"
He looked at me dopily for a minute. "Uh...I really like souvenirs," he said. "I'm an industrial artist and I like to use things I find in my artwork."
I smiled and said, "Nice try." I took all the stuff back. "Sorry! We don't give out doggie bags at our hospital."
(admittedly, I could have let him have the nonrebreather; those are one-use only. But I wasn't feeling very charitable.)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
87 comments:
late one night in the the early morning hours a transient was caught steeling surgical supplies from on of our OR's.
I'm not quite sure what the street market value of surgical supplies are these days. But I guess he was wearing a long winter coat that was just packed full of goodies.
At least he was not walking out with some angiocaths!
Well honestly, I hope if I have to be in a hospital for any reason, that YOU are not the employee that is in charge of MY care. Your description of your patient as a "Methadonian" is rude and perpetuates the stigma that patients on methadone have to live with each and every day of their lives. If nothing else it's totally unprofessional.
I'm guessing that this was meant to be amusing, but I have to tell you, my friend....I find it nothing short of ignorant and very, very sad.
Chava, do people follow you around all day trying to pull that stick out of your ass?
You should let them. You'll feel much better, and you won't be compelled to troll medical blogs looking for something to get offended about.
Chava--
I'm terribly sorry that you were offended by my unprofessional terminology.
You're correct that some people who are part of methadone programs do not deserve derision.
In this case, however, maybe "junkie thief" would be more appropriate.
AD:
thanks, buddy! Beat me to it.
xoxo
GG
Guitar GirlRN, I used to be a nurse myself, and I know that nurses are trained to be patient advocates, not to perpetuate stereotypes.
Why would you "assume" he had taken all his methadone--that he had to be lying--and to say that you "amusedly" watched him get his things together, etc is just so darn judgmental. Look, I know that dealing with people who have addiction problems is tough, no one denies that. But I will tell you that clinics OFTEN tell patients who missed their dose to go to the ER. It is a small matter to call the clinic--they always have an on call person--and inquire as to whether or not the person missed their dose. Methadone patients do NOT get a high or euphoria off their medication, and despite what you may think, so it is very unlikely the patient would take all his weekend doses and then decide to troop down to the ER (since that is such a fun experience!) for MORE of something that does not get stable patients high--if he wanted a high he would be trolling the streets for heroin, cocaine and the like. Could it not possibly be that he DID oversleep, DID miss his dose, and then in fear of spending the weekend seriously ill, approached the hospital seeking help, where he was "amusedly" dismissed without treatment?
I am a professional with a college degree, like yours. I am a mom of 3, married, and have a full time job. I am very involved in volunteer patient advocacy work, I attend church, drive a late model car, live in my own home in the suburbs, my bills are paid and paid on time, and my life is good. A few years ago, much of that was not true. I had a long term, seriopus Rx opiate addiction, and had been through 13 abstinence based treatment programs without success. I gave up my nursing license as I was afraid to be around narcotics. I went to thousands of 12 step meetings and did everything I was told. Yet over and over I relapsed--every time I became abstinent I was severely depressed, exhausted, anxious and had horible cravings, and though most people feel this way in the early post addiction period, my symptoms did not recede, even after 4 years. Finally, after my last relapse, I got on methadone. I felt like you probably do--that it would be horrible, that only the worst of the worst ended up there, and so on. In fact, it completely saved my life, and I was so surprised to find that the people around me were for the most part just like me--moms, businesspeople, college students, blue and white collar workers, people from all walks of life. Yes, some inner city clinics have mostly poor patients, but that is true of ANY inner city medical facility--it doesn't mean that all methadone patients are homeless criminals looking for a fix and someone to rob.
I am not taking up for the man's trying to steal from you--that was wrong of course--but I almost wonder if it wasn't an attempt--however stupid and misguided--to "get back" t the hospital for refusing to treat his probably legitimate problem. Methadone withdrawals can be dangerous and even fatal, leaving the patient with skyrocketing blood pressure, dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, hyperemesis, severe diarrhea, etc. Should the man suffer that way because he overslept? I mean, it doesn't sound like he was an everyday frequent flyer there.
All I am saying is, please don't pre-judge methadone patients who present with this issue. Check with their clinic to see if they have missed a dose. It's easy to do. And don't forget that the heart of nursing is compassion and care--not judgment and derision.
Anonymous:
Once again, people are missing my point. This blog is where I get to write about what I see and experience.
Congratulations to you for dealing with your addiction and for living your life in a productive way.
We have plenty of patients who, when they are brought in, hand over their methadone program cards and then patiently wait for us to verify their participation in a program.
However, this person was brought in because he was nodding out in an apartment building lobby. He refused to present his program card when asked, stating he didn't have it with him. We had only his word that he was on methadone (that and the fact that 20 minutes after waking him up with Narcan, he was asleep again). He was not in withdrawal. Once we were sure he was not going to stop breathing, we told him it was time for him to go home.
At no time did I treat him like a second-class citizen, and I'm not sure where you're getting that from. Nowhere in my blog entry is any indication that I treated him like "a homeless criminal looking for a fix." Perhaps that's your own perception. I treated him like any other patient with the same presentation. And I gently reprimanded him when he took things that did not belong to him.
And, in case you're not aware of it, the emergency room is not the place to deal with long-term narcotics addictions.
But thanks for your time and attention!
Nurse: you should be very much aware of the fact that the US federal government, academic and clinical and research leaders in the US and around the world, the WHO and Institute of Medicine, etc, all are in accord that addiction is a chronic notoriously relapsing medical condition for which there is treatment, but no panacea and surely no cure."
So . . . what did you do to address the medical problem of the patient you describe? There is nothing I see in your description of what you "saw and experienced" that suggests you or your medical team-mates tried to determine just what caused his acute problem (could he, just perhaps, have had a TIA?), or that you asked permission to contact his family and the "program" staff to discuss findings and followup, or that you offered referral to other acute or chronic care givers.
As for your contention that emergency departments are not the place to address chronic problems like addiction: dead wrong! any place and every place where medical care givers (who care!) encounter patients who need help is a place in which that help, to the extent possible, must be provided. Shame on you!
Dr. Bob
Referring to him as a "methadonian" means what? It certainly does sound like stereotyping to me. And saying that you "amusedly" watched him collect his things gives a disturbing picture of your views of the addicted as someone to chuckle at as you refuse to assist them and them blog about the funny experience you had with that "methadonian" to your co-workers. When we as medical professionals become this jaded about a problem as serious as addiction, it may be time to take a break or change fields for awhile.
Oy fucking veh.
Dude, it's a blog. Not a classroom. Not a case study. A little anecdote.
And again, in an EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT we treat EMERGENCIES.
Chronic addiction is not an emergency.
Was his airway patent? Yup. Was he breathing? Yes. Was his blood going around and around in his body? Yep. Could he be aroused with Narcan? Yep. When aroused, was he neurologically sound? Uh huh.
Okey dokie! No more emergency. Patient discharged.
Case closed.
It may be your blog, but it was insensitive and unkind of you to make the stereotype generalization that you did. SO, now there is a class of us, huh? Methadonians. Thats nice. I guess anyone who nods out, and goes to the ER begging for a dose (that by the way isnt going to make us high as everyone assumes) can be termed a methadonian. As the others said, I hope you arent charged with my care. And was it an emergency? Yeah, you walk a day in our shoes without a dise and then tell me it wasnt an emergency. It is very much an emergent situation when we arent able to get our prescribed dose. Where do you go for that? Oh YEAH...AN EMERGENCY ROOM!! -Enylear-
TYPO NEAR THE END...dose...not dise. -Enylear-
Hoo boy. I'm starting to feel like Nurse K.
I wonder what Dr. Bob and all the rest of you holier than thou and looking to be offended (not to mention over analyzing and picking apart every word) types will object to when you or one of your loved ones is having a heart attack, or asthma attack, or worse like a car accident or gun shot wound, and a bed and a nurse are busy with an otherwise healthy thief?
When do you begin to understand the conversational tone and humor of this blog? Do you really think she was REALLY standing around chuckling at this shmo as opposed to not doing her work?
Sometimes you have to call at 'em as you seem 'em. In fact, you should do that most times. Contrary to those of you who troll herein, the ED is not a place to solve the world's problems.
BTW "inner city" is a dead give away to your experience and attitude.
Dude, you sure do attract trolls in your blog, dumb trolls if that!
EE~ then what are you???? Trolling here too?
I am a charge nurse and also work in the ER, as I have for the last 25 years. I have seen my share of drug dependent people come and go. And yes, we treat and street. But, for you to catagorize this person as a "methadonian" is highly unprofessional of you. If you were working under me, as I have quite a few who do, you would be reprimanded for your nasty little comments about someone you know very little about. We don't judge these people, we help them. All you had to do was make a simple phone call to the clinic and ask them a few questions. All methadone clinics tell their clients to go to the ER if needed. And you feel as if you are above this person? Just the catagorization shows me he was the bigger person, not you. There is no need to treat people other than they are~ an equal. He is no better or worse than you. The stigma that follows people on methadone maintainance needs to be squashed, but with the ignorance and bullying from people like you, we will never reach that. I certainly hope you don't ever work in my ER, because I do not tolerate such behavior. Shame on you. An associates degree does not make a nurse, it's the human touch and compassion of each individual who comes through the doors seeking help, and obviously that is something you need to work on.
Hey charge nurse person:
Point out to where in my story I called him a "methadonian" to his face. Go ahead, do it.
Point to where I treated him poorly.
You can't. I treated him like I treat every patient: With courtesy and professionalism. I gently reprimanded him for taking things that did not belong to him. And then, when he was medically cleared by the MD, he was discharged.
This blog is where I get to VENT about things I see. And also vent about people like you, "ER Charge Nurse."
Go pull your head out of your ass, please.
*giggle*
It's the Methadonian version of the Fibromyalgeur Network! All that's missing is the Migraineurs!
Yay trolls!
tjkwhatever:
You're a dumbass, get the stick out of your ass.
Here's a clipboard.
Is there a good resource that gives guidance on when to head to the ED and when to suck-it-up and wait for "normal business hours"?
I've had two *scary* migraines. The last one, the left side of my face was numb and a little droopy. Started Saturday morning at 9am -- 2 hours after waking. Unbelievably painful!!! I didn't want to bother my PCP, so I went to the neighborhood UrgentCare clinic. BP 169/127 (normal is 123/78). They sent me to the ER, where it was diagnosed as a complex migraine. What's the deal with migraineurs? Should I have *not* gone to the ER for my migraine?
If you feel like you need to be in the ER, it's ok to go there. The only problem is that you might wait a long time to be seen, since chronic pain is not considered "hop on it right now" emergency. The people who are going to die RIGHT NOW get seen first, followed by the people who are likely to die within the next twenty minutes, followed by the people whose limbs are falling off, followed by everyone else.
The droopy face would have made me nervous too, and I probably would have had a doc take a look at you. And eventually you would get some pain medication, but it would take a while. If you have pain meds at home, and some kind of migraine protocol agreed upon by your doctor, you should do that first, rather than come in.
This is to anonymous with the "scary" migraine...yes you should have gone to the ER with those symptoms. The "migrainers" that we ER nurses complain about are those that show up when their PCP office is closed, usually haven't done anything for themselves at home and then give a bunch of "tude" to the nursing staff. Like demanding that they be treated before the heart attacks, kidney stones, etc.
Yes unbelievable as it may sound...there are people that go to the Er and are nasty to the staff.
The thing that you have to keep in mind when you read these ER nursing blogs....the workers are tired of dealing with our free-loading society. Our society has been trained to expect things to be done FOR them. They are not willing to DO any thing for themselves. We also have been trained to be indignant about ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. Thus the angry reactions of some of the commentators. It seems as if some people project themselves on to anything that is written. When in fact they have no right to even comment; because they have NO idea what it is like to work with this segment of society.
Hm, or maybe they DO know and they feel guilty. Hm, kind of like if they really are that angry then they must see themselves in the writings....
Steve
GG: Thanks, that makes total sense. Triage/order of urgency.
I didn't have any pain meds, or migraine protocol, since this was sort-of a first-time deal. I had taken two Advil w/ no diminishment in the pain. The doctor at the Urgent care center said that with the droopy face and high BP, he wanted me seen in the ER where they could do imaging. He wrote a note and sent me to the ER. They did do a CT (found nothing)... but brought the BP down and gave me an injection of pain med of some kind. I followed up with my family doc, and now have a couple of Imitrex just in case it happens again (G-d, I HOPE NOT!).
I guess what I'm wondering is if it happened at say, 1am rather than 9am... and the Imitrex didn't work... and my face was droopy and my head was exploding... would the people at the ER think I was imposing, if I went there instead waiting until 8am when I could get into see a doc at the urgent care? (or my family practice doc, if it was a weekday).
When this happened, the UrgentCare doc said I should have just gone straight to the ER... but... hmmm... reading the comments, I'm thinking that I did the right thing.
"... would the people at the ER think I was imposing, if I went there instead waiting until 8am when I could get into see a doc at the urgent care? (or my family practice doc, if it was a weekday)."
Your symptoms resemble a stroke all too closely, and if you came in with those kind of symptoms, virtually any competent ER nurse, doctor or medic - including those of us who bitch about fibromyalgeurs, migraineurs and Methadonians - I know would triage you as a priority patient and you'd get prompt medical care - provided a bed was available. If there are people already in beds who aren't as sick, they might get booted to the waiting room, in fact. We take that kind of presentation very seriously indeed.
I'm starting to feel like Nurse K.
*Sigh*
Well like mostly everyone up there who is making sense has said:
#1, this is a personal blog where the poor writer is expressing her frustration with what is a very common act.
#2, I cannot count the number of times I see "repeat offenders" in our ER with the same vague, sometimes it's here, but other times it's here and tonight it's here, it has been going on for 6 or 7 months but OMG it is SO MUCH WORSE TONIGHT AT 3AM, undiagnosable problems that can only be solved by repeated doses of Dilaudid or Methadone because they are allergic to every other pain killer under the sun. Usually these cases are also accompanied by the note "ran out of pain meds 2 days ago and have not been to the pharmacy" - whether this is a financial issue, no one knows, but my gosh if I had a pain control problem that required absolutely regular and specific doses of pain meds, I sure wouldn't let them run out for 2 days. I'd be on it like stink on shit - especially since most of the repeat offenders we see are on social assistance and have their meds paid for - by US.
#3, Invariably, these same out of control pain patients, or in some cases completely snowed patients that then get admitted and spend 3-4 weeks eating us out of house and home because they can, are also the ones who couldn't afford their pills, but have the new cell phone, a portable DVD player, and designer clothes on when they show up in the ER with their little problem. Way to prioritize there, Bub.
Anyone who has been involved in the profession for a while goes through burnout or bad days. And for the holier than thou trolls to wander into a personal vent and proclaim us BAD NURSES, BAD BAD NURSES - I HOPE YOU NEVER TAKE CARE OF MY MOM/DAD/SISTER/PSYCHO EX BROTHER IN LAW/THE DINGO ATE MY BAAAAAYBEEEEE - Gah. It just sticks in my craw.
Take a walk in my shoes while I get called a fucking whore bitch because the cold you brought your drunk ass in to me at 3:30am? Is not being treated before the car accident, or the woman having a stroke, or the medivac that we are trying to schedule, that will ultimately open up a bed for YOU. Jackass.
I see a trend here:
Addict = chronic pain patient = persecution complex = senseofhumorectomy.
Got it.
For the record, not everybody on Methadone is in a "program." We don't even have Methadone programs around here but we have a LOT of people taking the stuff like candy because they've graduated from Lorcet.
Hint? If Lorcet doesn't touch your pain...you're an addict. (tolerance/addiction cycle - look it up.)
PS people? US of A - 1st Amendment. Guitargirlrn has the right to express her opinion here. You calling her rude in such a manner, without bothering to consider HER point of view, is like the pot calling the (copper) kettle black.
Dude, I thought it was pretty funny.
In life you have too choices: laugh or cry. I say laugh. What is the point otherwise???
Karen
I'm just going to chime in to say, wow, if I was ever in the ER, you sound like a fine nurse. Here was a guy obviously stealing things, and you you professionally diffused the situation by taking a calm and semi-casual tone without being harsh. You take your job seriously without getting bent out of shape, and also while keeping reality in sights. Sounds like a good nurse to me.
The fact is, there are junkies. They do abuse the ER. ER nurses see an awful lot of them. Watching people blatantly abuse a system meant to help and protect them is extremely frustrating. Blogging helps relieve that frustration. I'm glad to find so many folks in the ER who can tell the difference between a junkie and a sincere problem, and still find it in their hearts and habits to treat the junkie with dignity- even while they are trying to rob you blind.
Oh, and I'm not a nurse of any kind. I'm just a member of the public. Thank you.
I was a nurse on an orthopedic floor. Although most of the patients we had were the usual variety of sports injuries and accident victims, we also got patients who had managed to almost lose a limb shooting up in an artery, or whose injection induced abscesses had begun to fester and rot and required complicated dressing changes. There patients could be unpleasant and troublesome to deal with. This was long before I myself developed a drug problem--I had never abused drugs or alcohol at that time in my life. Yet, even when these folks were on that call bell for the Demerol every 2 hours, or were behaving in a societally disapproved manner, or called me names, I knew that they were ill and it was not my place to take it personally or to let my frustration with their antics treat them any differently. The nurses on my floor must have been incredibly kind or unusually compassionate, I guess, because I never heard a single one of them speak badly of these people, call them names in the guise of relieving stress, or make judgments about them. In fact, as a young, new nurse, I saw then treat these patients with love and compassion, offering them pain relief that they truly needed, standing up for them to derisive, judgmental physicians, and looking for ways to ease their suffering as well as offering them some hope for a better life on discharge. Once, a homeless drug addict spent all day drawing a beautiful picture of an angel, and told me that it was for all the staff that had been so kind to him when he felt so repulsive and was so ashamed of his sickness and his need.
Many years later, when struggling with an addiction myself, I was able to see the issue from both sides. Yes, I do know how it is to deal with difficult people, and that stress can and does build up, especially in this profession. I chose a bad way to deal with it. Maybe yours is better--but it just doesn't feel that way to me.
I read a quote the other day that said
"the most important thing you can do in life is to be kind.....the second is to be kind......and the third is to be kind".
I think this should also include what we think and feel, as well as what we actually say.
Now you can go ahead and call me a troll if you like.
Dear trolls:
Shut the fuck up and get a life....
Oh, wait!
Is now when *I* get to whine and cry and complain?
...you're not being NICE TO ME...waaaaaaaa..... no one UNDERSTANDS me.... I just try to *snerk* write funny stories on my BLO-HO-HOOOG and all these PEOPLE are calling me MEEEEEEAAAAAAN .... *blows nose*
Listen up, ignorant peeps. I'm nice. And compassionate. And kind. And alla that crap.
WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH... all these PEOPLE are thinking they KNOW SOMETHING about meeeeeeee..... just cuz I WROTE about something on the I-I-INTERNET...*hic, snort, honk*
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!
shit, I'm out of Kleenex.
Oh, and Anon 8:01--
Wow. I have REALLY SEEN THE LIGHT now.
Could you send me a picture of that angel cause MAN was that story INSPIRING!
You are OBVIOUSLY a better person (AND NURSE) than me.
Whew. I suck.
Anonymous wrote:
"Now you can go ahead and call me a troll if you like."
I feel like I'm hijacking a thread on someone else's blog by responding to this, but no, I wouldn't call you a troll.
But Guitar Girl already pointed out that this blog is her space to vent. Hers.
Your comment was thoughtful, articulate and compassionate. I agreed with all of it, except this part:
"The nurses on my floor must have been incredibly kind or unusually compassionate, I guess, because I never heard a single one of them speak badly of these people, call them names in the guise of relieving stress, or make judgments about them."
Like it or not, Anonymous, we can make judgments about whoever we like, and we can call them all the vile things we care to, as long as we still treat the patient professionally.
As far as I can tell from her post, Guitar Girl's personal interaction with the patient was thoroughly professional. What she thinks privately, or vents in this blog, is her business. Expressing her frustration in this venue is neither uncompassionate nor unprofessional.
You see, it doesn't matter what what she says here, it matters how she conducts herself at work.
Unless of course, you presume to judge a nurse not by how she acts, but by how she thinks.
If that is your intention, then yes...you're a troll.
If that shoe fits, go find a bridge to live under.
You go girl! Blog to your heart's content on YOUR OWN BLOG. (imagine that).
Perhaps someone missed this part: Names and details have been changed. Some are made up completely.
I love that comment moderation feature, 'cause if I don't appreciate your comment, I don't publish it on MY BLOG...bwhahahaha!
Don't let the trolls get you down!
Hey, 801
I'm married to a nurse. Works in the big bad city. Loves the job, is great at it, etc. - which includes being kind, therapeutic, "teaching how to fish" etc.
But it's an ER in the big bad city. Lotsa junkies, dolts, privileged attitudes. Not everyone that visits is smart, educated, middle class, insured, actually sick.
One more time: GGRN is writing, venting, theorizing, communicating...yes, to the internet at large, but certainly to other health care pros down in the trenches.
So you were an Ortho nurse. Hurrah. And a junkie too. Not the first time it's happened. Maybe, you have an interesting or unique viewpoint. I got an idea! Why not start your own blog! Then maybe you'll discover some trolls of your own. And we'll come to your virtual McDonalds and tell you how to flip your burgers.
I'm sure somebody will have a problem with the graven image you received as a gift. Angel portraits make Jesus cry!
OH my lord! to the person with the migraine that had a "sagging face". DO NOT NOT NOT HESITATE to go to the ER! I cannot believe a nurse just told you otherwise. UNLESS a sagging face is a "normal" symptom of migraine for you....it could very well by a sign of stroke...along with the head pain!
Oh...but at the same time...remember "that you might have to wait awhile". Going to the ER is EXACTLY the right thing to do, my friend...a stroke caught quickly does a whole lot less damage!
Hey Anonymous 12:12--
What nurse told the droopy-faced migraineur not to go to the ED? No one (INCLUDING ME) who responded to that person on this blog told them that going to the ER was the wrong thing to do!
Holy CRAP, do you morons actually READ ANYTHING?!?
I said that the "droopy face would have made me nervous and I would have had a doc look at you" if that person had presented with those symptoms in my ER.
Anonymous Steve said "yes you should have gone to the ER with those symptoms."
Ambulance Driver said "...your symptoms resemble a stroke all too closely...any competent ER nurse...would triage you as a priority patient..."
Holy freaking crap.
I think the Speaker is back.
Great blog, great post, you know who you are and you don't have to defend yourself to pompous, self-rightous, holier-than-thou individuals.
I used to run a tiny not for profit thrift shop and junkies would come in tweaking one day and rip me off and the very next day they would come in with a voucher for clothing from the "behavioral health clinic"
(read methadone and rehab clinic) and try to get radios, tvs and other pawnables with said vouchers instead of the emergency clothing that the vouchers were for.
I also had quite a few that would pop valium (sp?) right there in the shop on top of their methadone and get HIGH!! How did I know they were doing this? They would brag about it. They would offer drugs to my employees in trade for merchandise. They would get completely abusive with me and my staff when they were called on their shit.
And this was a thrift shop, a tiny little thrift shop trying to help those less fortunate.
Fuck the Methadonians. That is the most flawed program there is. Lets take one addiction and trade it for another one that is funded by the tax paying public.
I have issues with FibroFakers too. Migraineurs, yep. I have migraines. Had em for years. I have to take pills every day to try to control them. I keep imatrex shots on hand and use them regularly. I have vicodin at home for emergencies and compazine. Sometimes I get that scary one that makes my eye droop like the above Anon posted about. They make me vomit and none of my self care measures help. I have had to go to the ER with the ice pick pain and the droopy eye and a serious wish to die. It isn't fun. I don't like the general public, I hate junkies and tend to be a bit of a germ -o-phobe. I take a pillow and an ice pace and some sunglasses and prepare to wait. It IS an ER. Usually I am treated with the utmost courtesy. Occasionally, not so much. It is usually resolved pretty quickly when my record is checked so I don't sweat it.
Anyhow. That is my 2 cents and I LOVE the label Methadonians. I will use it.
THIS ARE FUN!!!!
Let's see, the "bad penny" is a "Migraineur" and that's okaaaay, but people with fibromyalgia are "fibrofakers" and people on methadone treatment are "methadonian's"!
HAhahahaha....I don't think I've had such fun since Archie Bunker was on the air!
Hey, why does the head nurse have dirty knees????
Omigod, these people. Why is it that people feel the need to read into everything? If you write a blog about taking a piss and forget to write in that you wiped with exactly 15 sheets of TP, are you going to get this response? FUCK. Sometimes when writing a blog, we don't feel like going into every fucking detail of every fucking look we gave a person or every word we said. You get the general gist of what fucking happened. Don't read into shit so much people. Thinking=head hurt=ER trip. These nurses GET that people go to the ER for REAL reasons and not just to be fucktards. Those people aren't real fucking interesting now are they? They don't stick out in your brain at the end of the day so they write about the dipshit junkie that DID stick out in their brain. GEEEZUS fucking Christ, worry about shit in your own backyard instead of what's on someone's blog. Sorry GuitarGirl but I'm sick of people flipping the fuck out over something that was written on a blog, it's ridiculous.
The lesson here?
Junkies (current and former) have no fucking sense of humor, and overdeveloped senses of entitlement and indignation.
Incredible. I never knew that Atypical Dis-humor-osis was such a widespread condition.
Further, where do all of these "compassion and human touch" people come from? Have they ever actually worked in a clinical environment? Because spending all of your time hanging off the bedrails of your patients going waaah! waaah! he's sick, the poor baby! doesn't really accomplish much. Humor is part of medicine. Further, being able to rapidly sort your patients into the "really sick" and "just an ass" categories is the mark of a truly skilled ER practitioner.
Good luck out there, GuitarGirl.
I just started a blog. The first post is linked to this post. I wrote too much to include in a comment. Your post is excellent.
In nurse's training, we had a man come into the ER who had drunk half of his Methadone at the Clinic and then stuck the other half in his cheek and waved goodbye. He went outside and spit it into a grape pop bottle and put it in the fridge at home for use later that night. Unfortunately his four year old daughter drank it and almost died in our ER. I wish the trolls in here would let you alone to zing whatever you feel like zinging, Guitar Girl.
I'm not an ER nurse. I don't even play one on TV. I adore your term Methadonians, and understand it's humor and spirt. I see many of the folks who popluate local ERs when they are seeking social services of some flavor. I'm not a LSW - just a church rectory worker in the downtown of a rustbelt city with a large population of homeless, luckless, and the folks who feel entitled to charity. We call them the "little ones" - a term the pastor uses. A huge shock to my suburban self in dealing with this population was that they could be needy, desperate, have nothing, and STILL be trying to scam us for whatever they could get.
A social worker we consult in trying to determine actual need (because we do indeed give a good bit of charity out) has a phrase that rings true to both yer Methadonian and the Indignant Anonymouses above: "Sometimes they just wear out your nice" Humor is fuel for the spirit. Blog on, and may yer guitar strings never break.
- the Anon. Churchlady
It's pretty awesome that y'all can criticize this blog anonymously. So brave.
Let the woman vent or find humor in her work so that she may continue to care for pts without losing her mind! Geez.
The guy was obviously stealing. Why are you defending him? And no it's not like he needed a non-rebreather to take with him.
Healthcare workers are continually abused by our patients, etc. while at work. Give us a break at least at home.
I came over from AD's and found some of the comments disturbing. I doubt anything I say here will change a troll's mind, plus I'll be preaching to the choir for those who agree, but here goes:
This is not a public forum. First amendment rights do not apply here. This blog belongs to GuitarGirl. This is just the same as if we were invited into her home, and we should comport ourselves in the manner of a proper visitor.
While I am not in the health care field, I do know GG didn't tell us the complete story as far as how she came to feel the way she did about this particular patient. Things like medical records, past history of this patient, plus the cues of experience. She framed the story to show her feelings about the subject. Try to keep that in mind.
I have had several jobs dealing with the general public. What I and my coworkers said in the break room was far different than what was said to the customers. This is GG's break room.
Back in the day, I was in on the other side of the drug problem. My personal experiences led me to the conclusion that junkies are liars and thieves, and trusting one just proved you were foolish. I've still got some ex friends who would lie to me if the truth would save their lives. It is tragic, but they are responsible for their actions. They are generally so wrapped up in continuing their escapades that to continue getting high, anything can and will be sacrificed. They have all had plenty of opportunities to improve their lives and have refused to do so. I've washed my hands of them, and have no desire for more of my tax dollars supporting their selfishness. When I meet the Mother Teresa of junkies, whose honesty and self sacrifice while staying stoned amazes everyone, I may revise my opinion.
Y'all can treat me anytime. I would hope I could be a good patient for you. When I put my life in your hands, I'll listen to what you say. After all, my life depends on it.
GG: You freakin' ROCK OUT. Just so you know, I used to work for a major market newspaper and wrote opinion columns, and the very first thing I ever learned was: "IF SOMEONE CAN MISINTERPRET, MISUNDERSTAND OR GET THEIR MISBEGOTTEN UNDERPANTS IN WAD, THEY ABSOLUTELY WILL." Sorry you're getting bashed by the bleedin' hearts. Rock on.
Methadonian? Methadonian? Does this mean that the clinics can be called Methadonia?
The problem with Methadone is that it's not a cure, but supposedly a substitute.
Which in my book makes it "Heroin Helper". Just something to stretch the high until the real stuff comes along.
Which strikes me as rather silly. Personally, I'd legalize Heroin but outlaw Narcan. That's just me though.
As to Guitar Girl RN, my thought after almost 30 years in the health care business is that if I were really sick, I'd want her or her clone in there taking care of me.
Chava et al, well it's a question of mind over matter. We don't mind and you don't matter.
methadonian? People are upset about this name?
My son was the victim of a burglary and when the police went to the home of one the supsected theives, his daddy flushed a large quantity of meth. To teach my son a lesson his outbuilding was burned and the boy who actually broke into the place to get money to buy his meth is getting death threats from this guy. And this has me making sure I am carrying a gun at all times.
I suspect some probably would like some of the terms I use even less than "methadonian".
keep on writing guitar girl. between you and ambulance driver, it keeps me doing what we do. i guess some people are just more professional than we, at least on someone elses blog. i say its your blog, write what you feel and i will keep reading.
Hey "florence" I never said I was a MIGRAINEUR. I did say I had migraines, diagnosed by a neurologist and treated with appropriate medications. MIGRAINEURS, FIBROFAKERS and METHADONIANS tend to be drug seekers, which I am not. (I don't even drink coffee.) There are exceptions to generalizations and I, as a person with migraines, understand this and take no offense at the rants against drug seeking a-holes clogging up ERs across the country.
Just thought you'd like to know.
Sweet tapdancing Jesus, am I glad I only drive the ambulance.
Guitargirl- I came by way of AD's blog and love your blog. Ignore the jerks who want to make excuses for the poor, pitiful druggies. Too bad we can't send them along with their crusaders to a nice island where they could council and cancel each other out. ;-)
GG, linked over from AD's, but with all my experience with addicts, 3 years with the VFD driving an ambulance, and 10 years working security in the housing projects of north St. Louis, all I can say is you were much kinder to him than I would have been. The junkie who smashed up the drug cabinent in my rig looking for narcotics, which as a BLS rig we didn't have, but destroyed my AED and main O2 regulator in the process, was very very lucky that my partner got to him first, all he got was tossed out of the rig. I wanted to KILL him as we were leaving for a pediatric case and a rig from the next county had to be dispatched, another 37 minutes away. the little girl made it ok, but if I had caught that guy, the other rig would have been for him. In all my years of working security in the projects though I saw the toll that drugs took not just on the addicts but thier friends and families. I also saw all the assistance these people were given in many forms. Yet they couldn't be bothered with actually caring enough to really, really get off the stuff. Keep on as you are, and kick 'em to the curb if they can't understand your need to release the stress without taking a weapon and going postal. ;) (not that I think you'd do that, seriously)
Oh man. I get a twitch in my eye when ex-addicts go on about how they have bravely overcome addiction. Brava and all, but geez.
I'm an addict but won't pretend for a minute that I'm not anymore. I make choices on how to live my life, but I still think like an addict. I don't take offense at what others say about what addicts do. I read them and think "there but for the grace of God....."
I don't think for a minute that I'm any better than the junkie on the street. I know that I can go back to using in a minute, and for all I know I might go down to my local ER and start looking for unattended equipment that I might sell. I don't do it today because I've made a better life for myself, but that's not to say that tomorrow I might make a different choice. I've been sober going on 19 years but I still can't help thinking "hmmm, it would be so easy to put that in my pocket." If I'm in someone's house and I see a bottle of Vicodin sitting around, even though I wouldn't do it, I think about how I would go about scoring some of that for myself.
I'm no hero. I'm an addict. It's always there. The things I learned to get high are lessons I'll never forget. I'm not miraculously freed of those thoughts. My experiences and knowledge are not erased. It's sort of like riding a bicycle - you never forgot. I'm not the junkie in the ER today, but I can relate. Maybe not every addict would steal or take advantage of a situation, but this addict would if I made the choice to. It it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, well......
Fortunately I stopped going to 12-step programs,my humor grew back and the stick up my ass fell out.
Keep 'em coming, GuitarGirl. Your stories are fun and amusing.
Linking in via Ambo Driver,
"Methadonians" - that sounds like somthing out of the Bible! Methadonians, Chapter 12 Verse 15. *snigger*
Awwwww....da po wittle nursies have their panties all in a wad by the mean, evil junkies! They have to be nice to mean junkies at work so they play with each other off of work and call the junkies names.
waaaaaa.....poor wittle nursies, so frustrated and abused. Shame on the mean junkies!
To the Anon who posted about the mean little junkies:
You are obviously disturbed and have no concept of what we do...
Typical Saturday night in my ER...the cops haul them in, one after the other, the drunks, the high's, the addicted's, the belligerent...and we walk in their rooms and we take care of them. I have been kicked, punched, bit...I have been called names and I have had them wait for me in the parking lot. I have had "frequent fliers" threaten my family, threaten my children, threaten me. I have had my crotch grabbed, my hair pulled, my face spit in, over and over..and I can promise you Anon, from one anon to the other, I don't stay for the money, I have bills that I can't pay. I stay because that is the shit I have to wade through in order to get to the 70 year old couple that the husband is having the stroke and we are all they have, that is what I have to put up with to save the two year old from the abuse of the clothes dryer at the hands of the mother's boyfriend. We put up with the abuse to save the few who actually want our help. And if we get jaded in the process, well, that is the price we pay. I don't feel sorry for the addicts, they made their choices. I feel sorry for the people there that need us, and we can't get to their bedside because five nurses and medics and techs are holding down the screaming addict that wants his dilaudid, or methadone, or morphine, so he does not pull out his IV and run screaming, bleeding and naked all over the ER. I don't know who you are or what you do, Anon, but you have no right to criticize nurses unless you do what we do, night after night.
This is a blog, I read it to relate and connect to people who do what I do, if you don't like it, don't read it, I'm sure you're so ignorant it took you 30 minutes to read it anyway, you could have used that time to straighten the wheels under your trailor, I think they are crooked.
To the Anon who posted about the mean little junkies:
You are obviously disturbed and have no concept of what we do...
Typical Saturday night in my ER...the cops haul them in, one after the other, the drunks, the high's, the addicted's, the belligerent...and we walk in their rooms and we take care of them. I have been kicked, punched, bit...I have been called names and I have had them wait for me in the parking lot. I have had "frequent fliers" threaten my family, threaten my children, threaten me. I have had my crotch grabbed, my hair pulled, my face spit in, over and over..and I can promise you Anon, from one anon to the other, I don't stay for the money, I have bills that I can't pay. I stay because that is the shit I have to wade through in order to get to the 70 year old couple that the husband is having the stroke and we are all they have, that is what I have to put up with to save the two year old from the abuse of the clothes dryer at the hands of the mother's boyfriend. We put up with the abuse to save the few who actually want our help. And if we get jaded in the process, well, that is the price we pay. I don't feel sorry for the addicts, they made their choices. I feel sorry for the people there that need us, and we can't get to their bedside because five nurses and medics and techs are holding down the screaming addict that wants his dilaudid, or methadone, or morphine, so he does not pull out his IV and run screaming, bleeding and naked all over the ER. I don't know who you are or what you do, Anon, but you have no right to criticize nurses unless you do what we do, night after night.
This is a blog, I read it to relate and connect to people who do what I do, if you don't like it, don't read it, I'm sure you're so ignorant it took you 30 minutes to read it anyway, you could have used that time to straighten the wheels under your trailer, I think they are crooked.
Hi GG,
Methadonian is inspired, I laughed my cock off when I read it.
Chava - read this: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=chav&r=f.
Methadonian a little close to home is it?
Those pious trolls among you who lambast GG should spend a day in the shoes of those of us who have to deal with the snorting ,toking skin-popping or chasing underclasses. I can guarante you'll get a new perspective on these 'victims'. Particularly when they've tried to assault you, spat at you, stolen your wallet from the staff room, or threatened to rape your or kill your kids when denied a fix.
I have a message for you liberal, pinko trolls - If you don't like the blog - fuck off and don't read it. Just like I don't read the Daily Mail or the News of the World.
Keep up the blogging GG, you've got a sympathetic ear in my corner of the ED.
It is easy to feel compassion for an elderly stroke victim or a pediatric abuse case--almost anyone can and would. It is, however, more difficult to love the unlovable--the dirty, the unpleasant, the mentally ill, the addicted, the obnoxious. However, that is the higher good. Addiction very often involved co-occuring mental disorders. Not all addicts scream, hit, spit and steal--those that do are likely suffering from other disorders as well and should be viewed in that fashion. I have, in fact, been kicked in the stomach with both feet by a mentally ill addicted person, threatened with a knife, bled on and spat on by the deluded and frightened. No one is saying that you should not write about your experiences to relieve stress--but the way in which you choose to refer to them and the derision you display says a lot about what you feel inside, and that is troubing.
Addiction touches almost all families. These people whom you so causually malign and laugh at are someone's son, someone's daughter. Maybe that abused toddler you want to get to and help (and rightly so) may some day turn out to be one of the addicted or mentally ill. Would you honestly want those caring for your own adult child to think of them as a nasty, theiving junkie and laugh at them behind their back--those who are pledged to help and assist those in need?
It is what we do in private, when no one is looking--when no one is going to fire us for unprofessional behavior--that is at the heart of the matter. No one is perfect--not the blogging nurse, and not the addicted person needing help. The chance to display kindness and love when it is hardest is what nursing is all about. Addicts are human beings too--confused, desperate, often deeply ashamed of their need. Tey are not some human trash to be thrown away.
Above posted by Fat Lazy Male Nurse. Apologies for the typo, but not the sentiments!
"Would you honestly want those caring for your own adult child to think of them as a nasty, theiving junkie "
If they are nasty thieving junkies, then so be it. I have worthless relatives, they're not allowed into my life, why should have to do more than be professional while dealing with them? I have a cousin in prison for murder- should I be upset because the prison doc thinks of him as a murderer? HE IS ONE. I would draw the line where it affects the quality of care, and nowhere else.
"Would you honestly want those caring for your own adult child to think of them as a nasty, theiving junkie "
If they are nasty thieving junkies, then so be it. I have worthless relatives, they're not allowed into my life, why should have to do more than be professional while dealing with them? I have a cousin in prison for murder- should I be upset because the prison doc thinks of him as a murderer? HE IS ONE. I would draw the line where it affects the quality of care, and nowhere else.
Increasinly in the UK, "I'm Mentally Ill!" is used as a bonnet to excuse frakkin' hideous behaviour. You hurl abuse at a complete stranger? Sorry! I'm mentally ill!
If you thump the person, as they so desperately may deserve for their comments - well, man, you've thumped a Patient. Doesn't matter! You're a BAD EVIL MAN and they couldn't help themselves - they're mentally ill.
What's that old saw about the lunatics running the asylum? Seems appropos to me. If you're mentally ill - GO GET HELP. Do not expect sane people to put up with your behaviour. Otherwise we might get a little crazy too, 'cause we all have bad days.
GAH.
Sorry, done now.
March 8, 10:44 am -
Once again, once again, sigh, once again... Where in this friggin' BLOG (pleez, pleez note: NOT A POLICE REPORT OR LAWSUIT AFADAVIT) did GG profess to having not treated the patient with kindness, and gak, "love"? The salient fact, conveniently not remembered is that the motherfucker was stealing hospital gear. Is that the moment we say "aww, paw wittow junkie?" You know what, 8:38am? Start your own Maligned Junkies blog. Then you'll enjoy free reign and bandwidth with which to rail on about how the world is prejudiced against thieves.
Seriously...SERIOUSLY? This over 70 comment eruption was caused by a bunch of thin-skinned (not literally, ha) bible thumping, positive thinkers who shit on their friends and family and now think a single, simple word utilizing using the suffix -ian, is tantamount to a racial epithet. At what point do you stop blaming everyone else?
One more time: Did GG go to McDonalds and laugh at YOUR recovery group?
Get a grip. ER Nurse not congruent to Mommy.
Hey guys,
You know what's REALLY amusing the hell out of me out of all of this?
This guy was actually kind of funny in a sweet way. He didn't get violent or anything, just shrugged when I told him it wasn't okay to take things from the hospital. When he left, he thanked me for being nice to him. He was DEFINITELY not one of the "spit on you then puke on you then try to punch you" guys.
When I decided to post it, it was just an amusing story with a cute punchline.
And I'm totally amazed at how it's gotten people all riled up.
Thanks to everyone who has leaped to my defense! I truly appreciate the support.
And to those of you (mostly anonymous) people who don't agree with me, that's OK too! (Note I haven't deleted any of your posts, no matter how misspelled they are.)
xoxoxo
GuitarGirlRN
I'll put it bluntly - keep on rocking, GG, and fuck all these people.
Came here by way of AD and I think this was hilarious. Let them bitch if they want to bitch, dont stop doing what you're doing.
-MM
ps - I play a fender bass :)
Late to the party, so I'll just relay some wisdom my granpop gave me once (he was a bomber pilot in WWII):
'You know you're close to the target when you start catching flak."
Don't let the bastards get ya down, GG. I've got yer back.
If not for places like your blog GG the rest of us would have burnt out and given up a long time ago...and I'm still just an SN (working as a nurse intern for almost a year now.)
You know that every single person who has bitched about your post here, has at some point, bitched about their own job.
It all comes back to the "Nurses are expected to be angels of Mercy" crap.
With nowhere to vent, the ER's of this country would be devoid of nurses and if the drug seekers think that the docs are gonna go draw up some dilaudid for them.....they've got another thing coming. IF the Dr's even remained once the nurses left, which I highly doubt.
Keep venting and hopefully that will give you the release you need to keep going back to the ER WILLINGLY to take care of these people. Thanks for what you do and vent away.
Dawn
Is there part of this blog post missing? Did I miss something or do ya'll have really active delusions. Entertaining, but please don't make up tales about a blog entry.
Dr. Bob, shame on you, I bet you are just as snappy at nurses in real life too...Trying to intimidate...Bully!
you wrote to amuse, and amuse you did!
Thank you for the fine read, I enjoyed it. I love the fact that your story angered so many people. AWESOME!! Keep it up. And don't back down.
you go girl!
You live "the world of GG". I don't see any of these naysayers offering to pick up one or two of your shifts so they can be "compassionate" to all those poor suffering methadonians.
Sometimes keeping your sanity means calling it as you see it. I see it too in my ED---and a sense of humor goes a long way in an atmosphere where the potential for violence upon the caregiver is a daily reality.
Don't insult our intelligence, trollers.....if we haven't heard it, it doesn't exist. It's not compassion fatigue, its a reality check. These are the "downtrodden masses" that think nothing of assaulting you, running down your kids at the bus stop while driving intoxicated, and causing a bloodbath while robbing the local convenience store.
GG you're a hoot. I'll keep tuning in.
Wow...it never even occurred to me that people would so strongly berate someone for something they said in their very own blog...I always kind of thought that my blog was my place to say whatever the heck I wanted to whether anyone else agreed with me or not. Screw em GuitarGirlRN...they clearly are too narrow sighted to accept that their way is not the only way...I enjoyed your story.
I haven't worked in an ER in over 22 years. That's a good thing as I would curl into a ball and cry. So forgive me if I don't want to walk a mile in her shoes. Even so I can see and appreciate GG's point of veiw.
I do work in school clinics where one tends to see those who don't want to be in class. It's like a game: I know the student lie; the student knows I know he lies so let the games begin. of course, I can't explain to the parent that little Joey is lying through his teeth.
wow! what a way to pass the night instead of studying! fun reading instead of memorizing http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disorders/o-cpd.htm
Guitar Girl, just remember the old Latin saw "Illegitimati non carborundum est" {offhand, I don't recall the Latin for "bitch"} - "Don't let the bastards wear you down" - you may be too young to realize that there will ALWAYS be people who tell you it a) can't be done or b) 'shouldn't' be done - the old biddies/buzzards are too wrapped up in their views of themselves and their pontifications to remember what the medical profession is like in the trenches ...................... keep smilin' and keep your chin up! ;-)
Semper Fi'
DM
GG, you're awesome. I've bookmarked you.
To the rest of you 'holier than thou' ignoramuses: how does it feel to be perfect? Do you take that halo off when you go to bed, or do you wear it all the time?
Whether you like it or not, not every person with an addiction is nobly trying to deal with their issues. Most of them are looking for a free fix and don't care who they have to lie to to get it. I've been cussed out, swung at and pissed on by junkies who were incredibly upset that my partner gave them Narcan and saved their lives - because in doing so, she ruined their $50 high.
But according to you, they were just trying to avoid withdrawl, right?
Uh huh. Suuuuurre they were.
Hi, this is my first time here, and I really enjoy reading your blogs. I have read most of the comments and see that you have pissed some people off. I am a recovering addict, 11 years on pain meds. I am not a "holier then thou" person or have that type attitude, but I totally understand the labeling that people are talking about. because that was my label, I was admittedly a "frequent flyer". It was always something that needed pain meds a few times it was real, but by that time no one believed me. I got those "she's back" looks. I have now been clean 2 years and hate ER's I hate the wait, but I have been back twice, and I still have that label, and those looks. Not everything is as it seems. I was extremely fortunate to get the same doctor who admitted me for my detox. She actually did a pee test on me before she allowed meds. I have chronic migraines, with a severe flairup. The next and last time I wasn't so lucky, I was treated like crap. Even if you think we don't see the expressions, or hear the whispers, we do.
Well I am WAY late to this party but I just read this post. I'll forgo with all the over-detailed and/or over-explained LONG post and settle for simply saying that I agree with both sides. Of course GG should have treated the patient with the same compassion and care in which she would treat, say, a heart attack patient. And of course there is NOTHING wrong with GG venting on her blog about this patient or any other patient or stressful event or happening in her life. Venting is good and everyone should have outlet in which to do so. Obviously, to everyone who doesn't get the obvious - obviously she funny-ed up her story for her blog in order to make it entertaining as she vented. Those who can't see that are just way to sensitive. The only part I would disagree with is that GG SHOULD HAVE called the clinic to verify the patients story. I would much rather have given him a prescription for the weekend - even if it was because he was out of meds due to abuse - over not giving him a prescription and his story being true but wasn't verified and have him then suffer from withdrawals all weekend. The maybe 5 minutes it would take me to verify his story (a small price to pay, and falls under compassion and caring) might save him from an entire weekend of withdrawals that he would not deserve if his story verified. Yes, he may have overslept but who has never done that and he doesn't deserve to go w/o his med for it. Then if his story didn't check - then you can discharge him w/o his meds knowing that you truly DID do the best you could to help another person avoid unnecessary suffering but that person put himself in a position that made it to where you could NOT help. Still - you could go home that night knowing you did the best you could and that his suffering this weekend was either avoided by your compassion in verifying the story or deserved because he did, in fact, abuse his meds and hope that the experience of withdrawing all weekend will teach him a valuable lesson and discourage him from doing that again.
So go ahead and vent! That's what your blog is for and continue to funny-up your stories but next time maybe take a few minutes and call the clinic - especially if they sent him over. Assuming he DID oversleep and didn't abuse his meds - could you even imagine knowing that you were looking forward to 2 days of pain/hell and that there was a person, right there, who could stop it with one phone call but they wouldn't help? I think I'd probably curl up into a ball and cry if that happened to me.
But that is assuming that he was being truthful. Either way - it would only take me a few minutes to check. Anyway - like I said - I'm very late to this party & its full of a whole shitload of opinions so just throw mine into the bowl too! Just remember this is YOUR blog so go ahead and KEEP VENTING and entertaining!!
I guess I didn't end up "forgoing" my long, detailed post did I? Whoops! I just got started and couldn't stop! lol!
DAMN! And I meant to say - yes, of course he was completely in the wrong for stealing but his stealing, while wrong, should have no effect on the quality of care he is given. That said - I think you handled it very well.
Post a Comment