Ready To Blow

I overheard the doctor talking to another doctor on the phone. She was describing the patient as looking like the Michelin man and might blow any minute. Air was leaking from somewhere and accumulating under the skin. She was a giant human balloon and with every breath continued to inflate. Would she go boom?

The patient had a colon resection a couple of days earlier and had a central line removed earlier that day. The doctor wanted the other doctor's opinion whether the air was leaking from the colon or if the central line had done some damage to the respiratory system. The doctor also vented over the phone about how she was not pleased with the surgeon who had brushed her off when she had called him for advice. It was his patient and he had told her it was her problem.

I couldn't hear both sides of the conversation, so I don't know what was decided, other than that they had to find the source of the leak.

I found it mildly amusing that the doctor came to our unit to have this phone discussion. There was no reason for her to visit us, other than to use the phone. The unit with the balloon patient also had a phone, but I'm guessing that she didn't want the nurses there to hear that she had no idea what to do. I felt a little sorry for her and pretended that I hadn't heard the conversation.

Later, it was decided to pop the balloon. The doctors were looking for a big needle to poke the lady with. I didn't hear a big bang when she got jabbed. I also heard that it didn't particularly help. The lady is still inflating and looks ready to blow. I don't know how this is going to end.