After 7 long nights, 84 nerve wrecking hours...my ER rotation is finally over and I must admit with the exception of a few eventful incidents...it really wasn't that bad. Even more uplifting for me was the last patient we saw this morning.It was an ambulance call. We were informed that they were en route with a 99 year old female with a fever. Well if you're familiar with the ER at all, you'll know that nursing homes are the world's worst dumpers. Little old people that the nurses have grown tired of dealing with get sent to the Emergency Room for all kinds of bogus complaints.
So our first question was..."What nursing home is she from?" The answer left us all at a loss for words. She wasn't from a nursing home at all. She was being transported from home and the ambulance driver had a difficult time finding her house because SHE LIVED ALONE!!! Yep, that's right. She lived alone.
On arrival she was alert, oriented and absolutely BEAUTIFUL. She insisted that they take her off the stretcher so she could walk to her room.
There she sat in her cute little night gown, robe and matching slippers.
Her test results revealed she had a minor urinary tract infection. The doctor told her that he wanted to admit her to make sure everything was okay by later this morning. She smiled and gazed up at the doctor and said "Oh, that just won't due. I've got a birthday coming up and I have plans." With that being said the doctor ordered a dose of antibiotics for our lovely centenarian, wrote her a prescription and sent her home.
She only had one more request of us before she left. We had to find her a comb so she could fix her hair before her ride got there!!!
Happy Birthday to the first centenarian I've ever met!
