During the first few weeks of my new ED experience, I can tell you that the community of this new hospital has a larger drug problem than the last. At least a third of my patients have been on Meth or Tranq. Every patient that I have ordered a tox screen for has been positive for one or more of the following: opioids, Benzodiazepines, cannabis, or methamphetamines- in one case, even an 80 year old woman who came in unresponsive and wound up dying- she tested positive for benzodiazepines and cannabis.
In one day alone, I had four different patients come in that were combative because they were on Meth. One of them required 4 nurses, 2 paramedics, and 8 security guards to hold down. We wrestled with him for almost 45 minutes and had to give him 6mg of Ativan, 50 mg of Benadryl, and 10mg of Haldol before he took a nap.
26 Comments
Wayfarer · July 11, 2023 at 3:30 am
Mixing is always dangerous and once knew a guy who had a mangled back from a botched spinal tap that took 18 Vicodin a day.
Most people would have a seized up liver and the doctor would tell him, it is our fault that you are this way so I will make sure you have a steady supply.
A little Coors Light and a puff or toke every now and then should be enough but not three sheets to the wind every day.
Local gas stations still have those meth aliens pictures before and after which are pretty sad.
EN2 SS · July 11, 2023 at 5:56 am
Put them in a rubber room with a five gallon bucket of their choice of dope and let nature take its course.
D · July 11, 2023 at 8:41 am
> Put them in a rubber room with a five gallon bucket of their choice of dope and let nature take its course.
Think bigger. Drug vending machines in every city. Require valid government ID for purchase to make sure that anyone under 18 probably won’t get it…but don’t stress it too hard.
Flip the switch to make all the vending machines go live on Friday at 7 PM local time across the US.
All us “normies” can hunker down in our homes with our Bibles and guns.
When we go to work Monday morning, there will probably be mountains of bodies to drive past/over, but by Friday we’ll be able to cut taxes significantly because we will have almost entirely eliminated welfare, the homeless problem, unemployment, a decent amount of the low-level crime, etc…
I know DM loves to hate on Libertarians (*poke* *prod*) and simplifies it to “we want free drugs”…but that’s not exactly correct. I’ve never done drugs…but I want free drugs to help eliminate the problems in our society.
Divemedic · July 11, 2023 at 3:29 pm
I used to count myself amongst Libertarians, but the largest problem that I have with them is that they never really accomplish anything except argue amongst themselves about what beliefs make someone a “real” Libertarian.
D · July 11, 2023 at 4:01 pm
You say that like Republicans never came up with the term ‘RINO’ or the Tea Party movement.
😉
Divemedic · July 11, 2023 at 4:22 pm
You see me go after Republicans on this site as well. I believe the exact quote, often used here is “Just because Democrats are your enemy doesn’t mean that Republicans are your friend.”
I would also point out that both the Republicans and the Democrats occasionally accomplish something. Name the three most recent things that have been accomplished by the Libertarian party:
D · July 11, 2023 at 6:40 pm
“Name one thing you’ve done when you were elected to Congress under the Divemedic party.”
“I’ve never been elected to Congress under the Divemedic party.”
“I’m not voting for you. You never accomplish anything.”
“I won’t be able to accomplish anything unless I get elected.”
Seems a bit circular…then again, Biden hasn’t accomplished shit and he got elected.
…and I guess Ron Paul got elected by switching the ‘L’ to an ‘R’ next to his name.
Divemedic · July 11, 2023 at 7:26 pm
Excuses. That’s part of the (L) brand. Still, I just don’t think that the party will or can accomplish anything. Until they do, the entire Libertarian party platform is pure conjecture and speculation. Much of what they advocate is good, some of it is just stupid.
The only thing they ever campaign on is drugs and hookers. Why? The rest of the platform doesn’t get them many votes. It just isn’t happening.
D · July 12, 2023 at 9:01 am
I’m not trying to convince you to vote Libertarian. Or vote at all. I just take issue with the logic of the argument.
You’re repeating the same stuff again. “until they do”….well…they won’t if they don’t get into office. They won’t get into office unless you vote for them.
> The only thing they ever campaign on is drugs and hookers. Why?
Yeah, the party attracts lots of morons too. I mean…the Democrats attract the mentally unstable, but the LP attracts people that want to be able to do something the government currently forbids.
If the LP was elected into power tomorrow and they axed 99% of government, what’s the first thing you would do that you can’t currently because it’s illegal or horribly regulated?
I’d pick up a few guns with a fun switch because I’ve never shot anything full-auto and want to try it. After that, I would probably build a second house on my property because the government says I can only have one.
If you extended my list out to 10 or 100 items, none of them would be “do drugs and bang hookers”.
But some people out there are dumb. They aren’t mentally unstable enough to chop off their junk and join the Democrats, but they’re dumb enough to want to get high all the time. Meh. Doesn’t hurt me if government isn’t forcing me to pay for their healthcare and I can defend my property from the mythical hoards of drugged up gangs that will be kicking in my door looking for drugs.
Lastly, I disagree that all they do is campaign on drugs and hookers. They campaign on individual rights and the freedom to do what you want without government interference as long as you aren’t harming others. The fact that the government spends billions of dollars on the “war on drugs” and that same war is responsible for horrible abuses of rights like no-knock raids, vehicle searches, and getting 51% of your socialism-loving neighbors to vote to force you to buy the police department a tank is a huge issue.
Democrats try to deal with it by trying to defund the police. That’s pretty stupid because it interferes with the ability to deal with “real” crimes too. Libertarians appear to want to legalize everything so the cops don’t have a leg to stand on unless someone gets coked up and plows their car into someone else. And I know…the argument is that that’ll happen more if drugs are legalized…but I’ve responded to my fair share of legal alcohol-drinkers who harmed or killed other people.
I think the other big issue they campaign on are stopping all the dumb wars and military spending. (What is Aleppo?) Our government spends an insane amount of money to have bases and troops all over the world. Bring them home, secure the homeland, stop policing the world.
Democrats don’t do shit about it. They have started most of the wars. Republicans don’t do shit about it. They shout “we love our troops”, then support feeding our young men into the meat grinder because patriotism is more important than someone else’s child.
Anyways, this is getting long-winded.
I just don’t understand when people say they support freedom, then vote for the slightly-less-evil party and come up with a litany of excuses to justify abuses of rights, more taxation, bigger government, and more police powers.
Joe Blow · July 11, 2023 at 6:34 am
I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir, but at what point do you personally say “I’m out!”?
I recall your stories of other issues with patients… as a medical practitioner (not building maint and security) employee, are you able step back and tell DeShaun from Security they’re his patient now?
I get you love what you do, but I’m not working in the trades anymore because of self-preservation (despite the lower paycheck). I just can’t fathom dealing with these types of problems in day to day life, mevermind earning my paycheck. Guess I belong out here in the hinterboonies.
Grumpy51 · July 11, 2023 at 6:50 am
The older generation looks at me when I ask them (Social History) about recreational drugs (marijuana, cocaine, heroin, meth, K2, Delta 8 – had to add the last 2 when I moved to inner-city hospital) like I have 3 heads. I re-assure them that if they said yes, they wouldn’t be my oldest – an 81 y/o male who was actively using cocaine….and had been for 40+ years……
E MJohnson · July 11, 2023 at 6:56 am
the drastic rise in drug and mental issues smells like the multi level warfare the CCP has aimed at its competition
Joe Blow · July 11, 2023 at 10:19 am
Retribution for all the opium we shipped in there in the 1800s!
Brutus · July 11, 2023 at 3:15 pm
The Communist involvement in drug pushing was well documented in Red Cocaine.
https://archive.org/details/joseph-douglass-red-cocaine-the-drugging-of-america-and-the-west_202301
C · July 11, 2023 at 8:20 am
The only thing I enjoy as a sitter is watching new bleeding heart sitters and nurses get all the compassion for junkies/vagrants wrung out of them.
Week 1: They’re poor misunderstood people who need help.
Week 6: They’re useless piles of human garbage who need the wood chipper treatment.
The first treatment for meth psychosis should be a well made slapjack.
GuardDuck · July 11, 2023 at 9:20 am
After 20 years in the ED, the wife has been working hospice lately. She’s much more relaxed to be around now……
Coincidence?
Red · July 11, 2023 at 10:52 am
I watched an Engineer for the Space Station go from healthy to wasted away to skin and bones after starting Meth. He was found dead in a freeway culvert.
Aesop · July 11, 2023 at 11:12 am
Welcome to my world.
Every shift, every hospital, for 22 years.
Many nights, multiple patients per shift.
Boneman · July 11, 2023 at 12:23 pm
I’m reading this the day I celebrate 38 years substance free. I _could_ be one of your incoming at the age of 63 years. And from what I’m reading… I would be a “youngster” according to the stats. It’s a damn shame but having an “inside track” as to the affliction I can understan the overwhelming control it can have over an individual. It’s a stark reminder. There but for the grace of God for sure. They may not be capable… So I’ll say it for them. Thanks for what you’re doing. You may not see the end result… but maybe… eventually, one or two might actually survive and move beyond their current status. Kudos from Lee County.
Divemedic · July 11, 2023 at 3:47 pm
Congrats on winning your battle. Keep up the fight- I mean that. It’s a rare thing to see someone win that fight.
Boneman · July 12, 2023 at 8:21 pm
Thanks man. Many are called. Few are chosen. I’m forever grateful and humbled that I made it. Nothing short of Divine Intervention, I assure you.
Nate · July 11, 2023 at 12:54 pm
The hospital I’m currently at routinely prescribes narcan. First place I’ve seen do that. And I’m having a similar experience to yours at a large midwestern hospital.
On a side note, did you see that Narcan cured Madonna of sepsis? Apparently I missed an inservice somewhere.
Divemedic · July 11, 2023 at 3:50 pm
Yeah. We routinely send people home with 4 or 5 doses of nasal narcan. The cops around here go nuts giving it to nearly everyone. I am suspecting that they will are going to start aerial spraying of it soon.
Red · July 11, 2023 at 8:47 pm
My Daughter works as a Med Tech/Blood Draw/ CNA at an Assisted Living with Hospice and Memory Care. One of the steps she takes after she noticed strange doings with some family members that was some of the new residents were not quite focused. She watched and asked the Doctor to run a full blood panel of to see what was what. Over Half were on Meds there was no record of being proscribed. Hmm. There was also some “Inheritance Powder” phrama going on.
Anonymous · July 12, 2023 at 2:14 am
Lions organize politically in prides, and wolves in packs. Human instinctual firmware organizes into the monkey troop, which is communism. That’s why nobody anywhere will get any large human group to agree to libertarianism.
But libertarianism is about not submitting to any other group. Only self-defense will produce this result, called liberty. Due to diminishing returns, technological progress advantages the small group more than the large. You can imagine how cheap drones might give former human prey a way to fight former human predators.
“Why do you need more than 10 rounds?” – Gun Free Zone · July 11, 2023 at 6:46 am
[…] Drugs – Area Ocho […]
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