Paradox
As if being on call wasn't bad enough, I developed a raging headache just 45 minutes into my 14 hour call night. It started with me not being able to eat anything until 3pm, followed by a meal of very salty chicken parmesean which tasted like crap, then passing out from exhaustion in the overly air-conditioned hospital library, and finally shivering myself awake.
A search for Advil in my overnight bag was fruitless. As I was asking an ICU nurse if she had anything for headaches, her patient suddenly developed cardiac tamponade and started to crash.
After emergently opening his chest, evacuating the hematoma, and resuscitating him, I realized that almost two hours had passed and my headache was still there. Worse actually.
I resumed asking the nurse if she had any Advil. No.
I asked another nurse. No.
I left the ICU, went to the surgical floor, and asked if any of the nurses there had any Advil. No. Motrin? No.
I went to the ER and searched through the pediatric department until I ran across samples of Children's Tylenol. Orange flavored.
I had to drink 12 bottles to have the equivalent effect of 2 extra strength tablets.
It boggles my mind that I work in a hospital, yet finding some Advil for my headache was my equivalent of seeking the Holy Grail. Since all medications are now only delivered securely through Pixis machines that scan each pill to insure that the correct medication gets to the correct patient, the days of going around and sneaking out a handful of medicines to self medicate oneself are over.
A search for Advil in my overnight bag was fruitless. As I was asking an ICU nurse if she had anything for headaches, her patient suddenly developed cardiac tamponade and started to crash.
After emergently opening his chest, evacuating the hematoma, and resuscitating him, I realized that almost two hours had passed and my headache was still there. Worse actually.
I resumed asking the nurse if she had any Advil. No.
I asked another nurse. No.
I left the ICU, went to the surgical floor, and asked if any of the nurses there had any Advil. No. Motrin? No.
I went to the ER and searched through the pediatric department until I ran across samples of Children's Tylenol. Orange flavored.
I had to drink 12 bottles to have the equivalent effect of 2 extra strength tablets.
It boggles my mind that I work in a hospital, yet finding some Advil for my headache was my equivalent of seeking the Holy Grail. Since all medications are now only delivered securely through Pixis machines that scan each pill to insure that the correct medication gets to the correct patient, the days of going around and sneaking out a handful of medicines to self medicate oneself are over.
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