ER

This was a long, pretty awful night. But all in all, it went really smoothly and we were very happy with all the doctors and how good both girls were throughout. Mette was fairly severely dehyrdated, according to the bloodwork, so we stayed until about 2AM getting an IV drip. We were afraid that we'd have to admit her to the hospital and stay for much of the following day as well, but she responded incredibly well and quickly to the fluids and the doctor was comfortable to let her go home. I took Hennie and Mother over to Johnny's house and they got to bed at 11 or so - it was an adventure to Hennie. The other cases in the ER that night, all documented via easy eavesdropping across privacy curtains:

1. a 14 yr. old girl who'd been kicked in the ribs by an intruder in her home while her mother was out (AT THE EMERGENCY ROOM) with her grandmother. Her entire extended family were surrounding her and the doctors were carefully trying to extract as much detailed information from her as if they were detectives. When they took her away for x-rays, there was a big family discussion that immediately agreed that the girl was probably fabricating the entire story. She was a wild child and frequently caught in elaborate lies. After agreeing on this and expressing annoyed concern, they fell into a fantasticlly casual stream of consciousness conversation which went from descriptions of each of their cell phone plans, which dogs in their neighborhoods would attack without provocation, their dream Living Room Furniture Suites, to nostalgic Christmas memories. One held court for quite a while about how Christmas didn't smell as good as it used to when she was a child. She said she missed the smell of wood and apples, which were now totally absent from all their christmas houses. and she recalled the favorite pies her mother used to make:
Chess Pie (also a tradition in our family), Buttermilk Pie, and, incredibly , something she called "Jelly Pie".

2. a teenager who had a gunshot wood to the foot. It had happened previously and he was in because of swelling or some other aggrevating problem. I first assumed it was a hunting accident, but the doctor and he and his mother began discussing the history of the wound in very hushed tones that aroused my suspicisions as to stupidity or foul play. I never found out the details.

3. a stocky redneck guy, shorter than me, with some kind of pro-wrestling t-shirt on walked in and sat on the exam table next to hennie before the doctor slid the curtain closed and asked him why he was there. He was sheepish and said he'd probably been bitten by a spider or something and thought it was time to have "somebody take a look at this". The doctor asked him when, and he said , "I don't know, about 2 days ago. I put a ice-pack on it for 2 nights but i done got up this morning and said I better go on and come in and let somebody look at this thing." So the doctor, who's drawl was actually identical to the patient, said, with a hint of curiousity: "Oh, well, allrightthen, lemme take a looka that then." there was a moment of shuffling and then an immediate exhale: "Daaamn, you ain't kidding. When did you say you think this happened?" "'bout 2 days ago." "and you been draining like this at home?" so obviously, the guy had been bitten by a black widow and had a hole in him that was rapidly growing and 'draining" the doctor hastily went and came with some kind of plumbing assistance, which he 'installed' with a lot of bemused grunting . he said that he thought the 'thing' was drainin' pretty darn good on its own, but he'd go ahead and put in the tube. the patient sat alone for quite a while behind the curtain trying to stay quiet but making constant gasps at pain control and discomfort.