Two Big Pains

We're trying to get rid of a patient who just needs custodial care. The problem is that no facility will take him. One facility did express an interest in him until they saw his transfer summary with 21 major diagnoses. Most patients have one or two. Our solution was to re-write the summary and pare it down to a more manageable 5.

I got a good laugh over this, in fact I was bent over double laughing. I wish that I could post both summaries, so that you could compare the difference. Written days apart, it's hard to believe they're describing the same patient. He's gotten so much better so quickly that at this rate, he should be walking out of the hospital fully cured by the end of the week.

Another patient came to the hospital complaining of double vision. In ER, a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) was attempted three times without success. She was admitted and came up to our floor where a doctor stuck a needle in her spine six times without success. Finally admitting defeat, an anesthesiologist was asked to do it. He got it on his first try. Too bad they didn't just ask someone who knows what he's doing to do it the first time.

That happened several days ago and the patient now has excruciating back pain. There was nothing wrong with her back before we got a hold of her. We still have no idea what's wrong with her, but at least we know why her back hurts.