* * Anonymous Doc

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

"I'm leaving the hospital."

"Sir, you have pneumonia. You need treatment."

"Well, I'm not getting it here. You had me waiting in that room for hours."

"That's your hospital room. That's where you're staying to get treated. It's not a waiting room, you're not waiting for anything."

"You just left me in there to die."

"We left you in there to sleep. You pulled out your IV, which we were using to give you medicine-- I don't know what you want us to do."

"I certainly don't want to be locked in some room like a prisoner."

"You're not a prisoner. We're just trying to treat your pneumonia."

"My family doesn't even know where I am--"

"I spoke to your daughter. She knows where you are."

"Well, they didn't come visit. So they don't know where I am."

"They know where you are. I'm sorry they didn't come visit. Maybe they're on their way."

"Well, it's too late. They're not going to find me. Because I'm leaving."

"It's not a good idea to be walking around with pneumonia. You'll make yourself sicker."

"Or I'll go somewhere else. I don't want to give you my hard-earned money."

"Sir, you're on Medicaid, it's not your money."

"I don't even want to give you the government's money."

"Okay, well, if you want to leave against medical advice, there are some forms you have to fill out."

"I'm not filling out any forms."

"If you want to leave, you need to sign some forms."

"I'm not even going to tell you my name."

"We know your name."

"Like I'm a prisoner."

"No, like you're a hospital patient, with pneumonia that needs to be treated."

"Then treat me."

"That's what we were trying to do."

"No one even gave me dinner."

"They're on their way down the hall right now."

"Is it good?"

"I don't know. I don't eat the food."

"I'll stay for dinner. But then I'm leaving."

"Okay, sir. If you could please go back to your room, there are other patients I need to see."

"The dinner better be good."

"Okay, sir."

2 comments:

  1. That is the sound of someone with the desperate desire to have control over anything. I cannot imagine how difficult it is to work with patients who seem bent on self harm.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Delirium? Very frustrating. Especially for the nurses taking care of the patient.

    ReplyDelete