WHat was the BEST thing you ever said to a patient?

mycrofft

mycrofft

Still crazy but elsewhere
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We have a thread for the dumbest. Ever give some sagely advice, or cheered up their day, or saved them from a crazed zombie lurking behind them?…
OR how about if your co-workers or partners did?
 
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"I am going to give you some ketamine now."
 
"Come with me if you want to live."
 
Watch out there's a crazed zombie lurking behind you....oh wait
 
First on scene with an anguished Alzheimer's disease PT. She's angry, yelling at everyone, yelling at me to get out of her house, screaming that nobody listens to her. I went up to her and kneeled on the floor where she had thrown herself and told her in a calm voice that I understood that nobody else knew what has happening inside her mind, that they didn't seem to take her seriously, and that I knew she was extremely frustrated by that. She stopped, looked at me, and calmly thanked me.

It was no great insight on my part. It was the truth as I've learned from my mom who is presently going through that same thing, although thankfully without the tantrums.
 
Bad rollover MVA with ejection of unrestrained female driver. As I assessed her, she started panicing and getting farther into respiratory distress. She got into the classic "I can't breathe! I can't breathe!" And I calmly responded, "That's okay, that's not a problem. I have my kit right here, and I can breathe for you if you stop breathing."

She calmed right down after that, and we could deal with her other problems. Even if she had passed out from the panic, she would most likely have been okay. But it was still good to be able to say the right thing to calm my Pt down...
 
Picked up a 50 y/o Male from police cells, c/c abdo pain. He had been arrested for impaired driving, his marriage had previously fallen apart due to alcohol, business was failing due to the same, etc etc, life was truly a mess.

I asked, "so do you think you have a problem?"

Me the 20-something brand new, wet-behind-the-ears medic made a grown man break down and cry. At the hospital I got him in contact with the local AA chapter. Who knows if he followed through, but it was one of those rare moments when you think you might have actually made a difference.
 
"we are not leaving here with out your thumb, line everyone up and lets look for it in the sand"
 
Walking into a scene, helping lower the excitement level:

"T'sup?".
:cool:
 
mycrofft said:
Walking into a scene, helping lower the excitement level:

"T'sup?".
:cool:
Click to expand...

So often, though, that's the most important thing. As a brand-new EMT on scene with a BLS crew, a nonchalant medic arriving on scene always calmed me down.
 
That's it?
 
I shattered the glass door of a patient's residence with a Stryker Cot going in. It was a possible CO poisoning, so the FD was on scene. Pt was aox3, talking just fine. As we were packing her up and headed out of the expensive door I just destroyed I said, "Boy, it's a shame what the fire fighters did to your door."

This is anonymous, right?
 
:rofl:
 
The best advice I've given a patient was while transporting a patient after the patient sliced off part of a thumb on a mandoline slicer. The patient had just bought it and was trying it out, and didn't like the way the hand guard didn't grip the food well, so was using it with just a hand. I told the patient I didn't like those cheap plastic guards either, so I use a kevlar kitchen glove to keep from cutting myself.
 
An Alzheimers Patient complaining about the progression of her disease. I said well look on the bright side. You get to meet new people everyday and start everyday as day 1.

On a serious note. A girl I met at a domestic dispute freshly 18 and new everything got her arse Whooped by her significant other. ended up with stitches and bloody, her clothing all ripped. I got her in my truck gave her a cover to keep her body covered that was exposed from him tearing up her clothes.

On the way down I got her to realize what she was doing with her life, the drugs, the dofus boyfriend and how she was going to end up on the wrong end of the stick too many times, Or dead. I told her my experiences and the rutkus I caused as a young teenager. It was enough for her to finish school and enrolled in college last fall. I see her from time to time and I always get a big hug and a thank you, She said you had enough courage to tell me that what I was doing was wrong and it felt like no one gave a crap and a perfect stranger gave enough to prove to me that my life was worth living and to improve upon it.
 
Came across a vessel off the coast of Africa suspected of piracy. Our bridge hailed the vessel, and they allowed us to come aboard (rare for pirates, so we started believing they were not committing piracy).

Boarded the vessel and the "crew" were welcoming and polite, offering water and snacks. The translator stated that they seemed "overly excited". This gave our team leader suspicion to believe they might be hiding something (which, in those waters, usually means drugs or weaponry).

Americans were with us, so they detained the crew members on the foc'sle, as we (Canadians) did a sweep of the ship. We found no drugs, no weapons, no bombs, no bomb making materials.... but we did find a hold that was locked with a pad lock. Team leader zipped it off, opened it up, and the sight was one of pure terror and fear, a sight that makes you believe in Hell and Pure Evil.

Half a dozen women ranging from 10 years to mid 20's. Being transported for slavery and prostitution to a European country.

We all started helping them out, and when I extended my hand the frightened woman in her late teens grabbed it and I said, "Hello, my name is Rob. Don't worry. You're safe now". Of course, she couldn't understand what I was saying, but a look came over her face like she knew exactly what I meant.

We took them back to our ship, provided O2 and Water, and after the PA saw them, we figured out a meal schedule for them.

But, those words; "Don't worry. You're safe now" are the best words I have ever muttered to a PT ever. That was the single greatest moment of my Naval career.

Rob
 
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