Friday, September 14, 2007

Littlest Things

I was rummaging through some of my stuffs and came upon these short interesting anecdotes about some ex-patients. Between the existential me and the phenomenological you, there’s a little lesson that we can extract in these chronicles though, and I hope you’ll find them useful whenever you eat a certain fruit, deal with pesky insects, or have your private, sexy times. Ready? Read on.



The Seed
Grandpa’s Fetish Goes Awry


An 86-year-old male consulted the ER because of gastrointestinal distress. He had several episodes of vomiting fecaloid material accompanied by lower abdominal pains. An admitting diagnosis of non-specific gastroenterocolitis (inflammation of stomach and intestines) was made and he was suspected to have intestinal obstruction.

Upon further history taking, the client admitted of having the fondness of ingesting seeds (particularly santol seeds), upon which his relatives suspect for the client’s inability to pass stools. Colonoscopy was done and showed intestinal obstruction with necrosis (death) of intestinal mucosa. Results also show a characteristic metaplasia of the mucosa, confirmatory of a Colon Cancer.


The Mosquito

Bite Me


A 17-year-old female comes from a family of beauty queens. She joined Miss Puerto Princesa 2006 and was the incumbent titleholder. The day after the pageant, she experienced febrile convulsions, passage of black urine, and uncontrollable chills.

She was admitted at a local hospital but her condition worsened. She became unresponsive, comatose, and was hooked to mechanical ventilator. She was then transferred to our institution for further management and evaluation.

She was confined in the ICU with a diagnosis of Cerebral Malaria vs. Viral Encephalopathy, Status Epilepticus (uncontrolled seizures), Atypical Complicated Pneumonia, Kidney Failure and Fulminant Sepsis (widespread blood infection). She was on ventilator for 6 months… and counting.

The Prince Albert
In or Out, Is It In or Out?


A 28-year-old married female consulted the ER because of vaginal spotting, accompanied by local swelling, tenderness and discharge at the pelvic region.

Further history taking revealed that her partner used to have a “Prince Albert” (Link NSFW) type of penile piercing, which was later found to be missing after sexual intercourse.

*

Case#1 fought like hell to combat cancer but succumbed a few years later. Case#2 was transferred to another institution as their bill reached almost PhP 6 Million ($130,000). Case#3 was discharged in good condition, and has learned her lessons the hard way.

The hospital will definitely sue me once the admin gets to read this entry. If that case happens, I would like to take this opportunity to thank each of you for relentlessly supporting Unbearable Lightness.

39 comments:

philippe said...

Case #3: ouch! the image was really disturbing! i never liked piercings..specially down there. hay..

Anonymous said...

hmmm. wow. if ever i get to be a writer for Grey's Anatomy, I'd really include these. hahaha

santol, now im salivating.

mosquitoes, i'm immune to dengue right now. but that malaria thing scared me all of a sudden.

piercings. never liked them, either.

kalansaycollector said...

grabe naman ang mga case na yan. well ako actually takot magpacheck pa minsan dahil ayokong marinig ang mga sagot...

kalansaycollector said...

...at hindi ba nakakatakot kapag natext kita kahit hindi ko alam ang number mo! haha! isa na akong ultimate manghuhula nun pag nagkataon. hehe. unless magshare ka ng number sa taong hindi mo kilala. haha

pero infairness ang galing nung thought na baka nagkasalubong na pala tayo nung araw na iyon sa hospital.. hindi lang natin alam. ;p

[chocoley] said...

hmm. i guess that was pretty busy nga! i even had those tough days like yew esp now.. i'm havin' difficulites wit my 3d anim proj, remember on my post.

it wuz really crucial but i appreaciate my work, though it wasn't really that good,
in fact it's my first.

3d anim is nut my forte.

anyways back to yer entry, this time... i kno yew ould get used to, i'm happy fer yew :)

you are now havin' work, hehe.. i'm pretty excited afetr college.

[chocoley] said...

haha, i wuz abt this comment it should be on the posted below this entry, :)

[chocoley] said...

i hate stories like this, that's why i didn't intend to match any medical course, i always have a gossebumps with with this cases.

i do not go to hospitals either.. little clinics is nuf fer me.

gorjess said...

hay katakot nmn yung about sa santol seeds i love santol so much pa nmn at di ako kontento kung di ko lulunukin ang buto.

Anonymous said...

tnx for sharing these cases, and gud luck to ur hunting for a new hospital, hehehe! ;)

Anonymous said...

was this vaginal bleeder blonde by any chance?

KC said...

kaloka ang case # 1. i have also encountered cases as worse as that. yung patient ko kasi gabe na ang amoebiasis niya so he had lower GI bleeding. it was so severe kaya when he passes out stools cum fresh blood, kasama na ang colonic tissues.

pabibo effect naman ako so kahit vs q4 ang pt, ginawa kong q30 minutes. shempre active bleeding na yun at di na siya coherent. nag-madam auring ako at na-feel ko na within my shift magco-code si kuya. nag-code nga..kaso tinawanan lang ako nung nireport ko. hmpf!

i don't think they'd sue you. hindi mo naman ni-reveal ang identity ng patients. and to think maraming 86 y/o male, 17 y/o female at 28 y/o female na naaadmit sa ER ng iba't ibang hospitals na ganyan ang case.

keep on writing, ruff! :)

Anonymous said...

nosebleed mga nurse terms ha. dhang! hehehe ;)

kmsta naman ang penile piercing? hehe

engz said...

haha..OA naman 'to.

wawa naman si ms. puerto princesa..ako madalas din ako magka malaria pero minamani mani ko lang. di nga ako nahohospital. chloroquine/primaquine nilalaklak ko yan nung bata pa ako.hihi..

well, according to dr.alan baltazar,dati kong prof at graduate ng uste, 5 % lang daw ng cases ng malaria ang nagkakadevelop ng cerebral type. wawa naman yung gurl. alam ko yan din yunf tumama sa anak ni rey langit ba yun..

about the piercing piercing parang gusto ko magpalagay..hihi.kasi mga barkada ko meron.hihi..

yun lang. igsi noh?

Coldman said...

nurse na nurse tayo ah, informative!

mrs.j said...

hey ruff... weird mn i find it very kinky d idea ng prince albert... haha un tungkl lng sa piercing k dun un lng ha nt pa kun my virus or wat or sakit o kung anung spotting pa yn...

p.s tnx di m alm kun gnu m pnagaan damdmin ko..

chase / chubz said...

i've always wanted to get something pierced.
i just don't know which part of my body. hehehe
i'm thinking of down there. hehehehe.
wala lang.. parang gustong gusto ko.
every since HS pa lng ako.

6million pesos ang bill?
hala oi. ang mahal. magpa DNR na lng ako nyan..
hahahahaha..
may nalaman din ako sa Grey's anatomy. hehehh
but i'm not sure i used it correctly. hehehe

Misterhubs said...

I will never ever do a guy with penile piercing. Eeeew.

Kiks said...

First thing came to mind: Selma Blair's tonsils swelling from her boyfriend's big albert's albert stuck in between them.

"How do I live without youuuuu?"

Hoy mga bakla, itaguyod ang nars para marami pang unusual cases and stories tayong mababasa.

Anonymous said...

ooooohhhh... i suddenly remembered my college days with your posts. my biology and physiology subjects which bled me to death!!! gosh! i miss those frog/cat slicing days.

about the prince albert, i am totally grossed out by that thing, I saw a porn movie with a guy with that, it creeped my out.

kiks made me remember that lovely movie, i almost bursted my lungs while watching it.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@PHILIPPE: ouch too (in a good way, that is). too bad i didn't see *it attached to *it in the first place. what a sight that might have been! for me, at least. =)

@YOSHKE: actually, there was a similar episode on greys about case#3. on the show, however, a penile piercing got caught in an intrauterine device. it was doubly painful though, but twice as fun.
~re#1, i don't like santol that much, re#2, so i've heard, er read, that you've got the 4 dengue strains already. the virus was said to mutate every 5 years though, so be careful, and re#3, me too.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@KALANSAY COLLECTOR: ako din eh, takot din akong magpa-consult minsan. that's the problem with knowing too much, and too little, for that matter. the last time i did, i was forced into having a surgery. its all good though. =) i'm fine now.
~of course, i do share my number (to strangers) sometimes. besides, you’re not a stranger --- you’re a friend! right?

@DAZEDBLU*: it’s hard *not to notice such stories when i get to spend my entire life dealing with such unusual ones. but yeah i still get goosebumps at times. =) and i think it’s still pretty normal to be stunned sometimes.
~your 3d works are beautiful! at least for me who only uses the computer to type and surf. no wonder your site is aesthetically pleasing. =) you have the making of a good artist dazed. keepitup! and congrats too.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@GORJESS: don’t tell me you just said that!! pero ang dami ring nagsabi sa akin na nilululon nila yung buto ng santol (most of them lolos and lola, no offense meant gorjess, you’re beautiful). take extra care though. what goes in there must get out too, you know. =)

@JOSH: thanks josh. i'm glad to be of service.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@ADAM: unfortunately no, adam. she’s not blonde. are you familiar with such cases adam? there are lots of phallic piercing incidences in the medical literature right? =)

@KC: re your amoebiasis case passing out colonic tissues, eeeew! hehe joke. sipag sipag naman ni KC grabe. hanga ako. =) did he expire after the code? i hope not. sayang naman eh, madali lang namang gamutin ang amoebiasis eh, unlike cancer, that is. napabayaan lang nya siguro. feel ko KC mas maraming interesting cases sa hospital mo eh, sa pgh, i mean, kc diba referral center cya and mas madaming indigenous people yung may mga kakaibang sakit? =)
~lolo #1 got a bowel resection, colostomy and series of chemotherapy. hayun deads pa din. well, may lolo rest in peace. goodluck in your reading kc. =)

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@ATE JACKIE: forget about those terms atejackie, just read the simple translations in the parentheses. hehehe. bakit ate jackie, have you seen one before? the penile piercing i mean. =)

@ENGZ: naalala ko nga engz eh, diba you’re from palawan? =) perhaps you could elucidate us further on stuffs about malaria. i'm not that familiar with the disease kc eh (schizonts, erythrocytic, hepatocytic stage, ek ek), aside from the fact that it has a better prognosis when it is detected early.
~yup engz, cerebral malaria was the cause of death ng anak ni rey langit. it has a poor prognosis when symptoms set in. parang si case#2, too bad she belonged to the poor 5%.
~and the piercing engz, perhaps you could show *it to me when you have it done. =) just kidding. =) i'm still your huge fan though, with or without *it.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@ATE JACKIE: forget about those terms atejackie, just read the simple translations in the parentheses. hehehe. bakit ate jackie, have you seen one before? the penile piercing i mean. =)

@ENGZ: naalala ko nga engz eh, diba you’re from palawan? =) perhaps you could elucidate us further on stuffs about malaria. i'm not that familiar with the disease kc eh (schizonts, erythrocytic, hepatocytic stage, ek ek), aside from the fact that it has a better prognosis when it is detected early.
~yup engz, cerebral malaria was the cause of death ng anak ni rey langit. it has a poor prognosis when symptoms set in. parang si case#2, too bad she belonged to the poor 5%.
~and the piercing engz, perhaps you could show *it to me when you have it done. =) just kidding. =) i'm still your huge fan though, with or without *it.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...
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ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@COLDMAN: konting public service po lamang. hehehe. =) hope you liked the cases coldman.

@MRS. J: don’t worry mrs j, i likewise agree that the idea of having penile piercing is er, naughty and kinky nga but the risks involved in the act, as for my opinion, definitely outweighs the potential benefits. add that to several blood-borne infections transmissible by improper piercing techniques? please, no, thanks.
~you’re always welcome mrs j. hope you can cope up with that loss. =( im always here for you.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@CHASE: kinky naman ni chase. i had a childhood friend who had a penile piercing (it was a stud/barbell type) and when he showed it to me, na-amaze ako sobra. he would show *it to some of our guy classmates dati kc he’s really proud of *it (he was gifted naman kasi eh) but the thought of piercing down there never really occurred to me. =) in fact the idea of piercing never really interests me that much. pero ok lang if my partner has one (basta ba tatanggalin before the sexual act). =)
~yup chase you’ve used the term correctly! the problem with her kc is that ayaw niyang mamatay. it may sound callous but yeah, ayaw niya talagang mamatay. she’s in a persistent vegetative state (gulay) but she just won’t give up. she really has the will to live i guess.

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@MISTERHUBS: in theory, i’d say why not? pero baka pag nangyari na nga ang inaasahan, i’d be the one to completely call it off.
~as in never, misterhubs? =) just kidding.

@KIKS: sings back “i don’t wanna close my eyes… and i don’t wanna miss a thing.” kasi naman eh, bakit hindi tinatanggal, sumasabit tuloy! the idea of having foreign objects stuck in body orifices is definitely mortifying. baka sabihin pa ng mga tao careless at super halay mo pag pumunta ka sa ospital right?
~hahaha. kiks talaga! salamat sa pagtaguyod mo sa akech ha! wuvyah kiks!!!

ruff nurse-du-jour said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@MISTERHUBS: in theory, i’d say why not? pero baka pag nangyari na nga ang inaasahan, i’d be the one to completely call it off.
~as in never, misterhubs? =) just kidding.

@KIKS: sings back “i don’t wanna close my eyes… and i don’t wanna miss a thing.” kasi naman eh, bakit hindi tinatanggal, sumasabit tuloy! the idea of having foreign objects stuck in body orifices is definitely mortifying. baka sabihin pa ng mga tao careless at super halay mo pag pumunta ka sa ospital right?
~hahaha. kiks talaga! salamat sa pagtaguyod mo sa akech ha! wuvyah kiks!!!

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@MIKKOI: i miss frog/cat slicing days too mikkoi! oooh, how i love zoology and anatomy back then. =) those were the times when i started discovering that fact, is indeed, stranger than fiction.
~could you share to me that porn movie of yours? i long, long wanted to see how that *contraption actually works. i’ve seen some images over the net kc eh, gusto ko yung actual. hahaha. an old friend has the barbell/stud type. he told me that the one who do the piercing actually gave the service for free after he agreed to give him fellatio. but i know that he’s just bluffing.
~the sweetest thing is sooo hilarious. i have lost count on how many times ive watched that movie. it never fails to make me laugh. =)

ruff nurse-du-jour said...
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savante said...

Those poor poor patients :P We do hear the weirdest stories.

KC said...

err, di ito sa PGH..sa neighbor ng heart center. intubated na rin yung patient. thankfully, hindi siya nag-expire after the code. gusto pa nila ako ang mag-CPR during the code. pero dahil nagpu-push na ako ng epi, yung buddy nurse ko ang nag-CPR. iniwan ko na ng may dopa-drip. kaso lang na-expire din siya nung 3am the next day. sabi ng asawa ng patient, di nila ma-maintain yung gamot kaya rin daw siguro lumala.

~ compliant naman pala si lolo. pero wala naman tayong magagawa kung talagang kailangan na niyang umalis, right? oh well, may he rest in peace.

~~ true, maraming interesting cases sa PGH. dun ako naka-handle ng patient na may hydrops fetalis.

Anonymous said...

SCARY naman 'yung sobrang daming piercings. I only have two, sa iisang tenga. HeHe.

kalansaycollector said...

aaww.. oo nga naman. we are friends. :) nakakatuwa naman. ang saya-saya. dahil friends tayo you can share your problems to me anytime!

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

@DOC SAVANTE: Only in the Philippines! =(

@KC: Aaah, alam ko na kung saan. =) Sa ICU na dapat i-manage si lolo diba, hemodynamically unstable pa naman cya, pero alam mo naman ang mga ospital dito sa Pinas, medyo hopeless talaga (esp pag public/govt). Well, as for that lolo, and my case#1 lolo, may they both rest in peace.
~Wow! Hydrops fetalis! Ako naman sa public hospital din ako nakahandle ng gastroschisis. Ibang level talaga pag government! =)

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