Cameron Bell - post 5

Last night was for sure the most emotionally draining night so far. Dr. Rose and I started our shift at 6 pm, getting all of the Memorial Day shenanigans. We walked in joking about the firework accidents, grill burns, and drunken falls that we would be mending that night. However, that isn't how the night ended up going.
First came in a man who was experiencing detox after not having enough money to but another 24 pack of beer for the day. He was experiencing severe nausea and abdominal pain when he eventually worked his way into a full blown seizure. He called 911 himself and was admitted into the hospital once we discovered that he had severe pancreatitis - inflammation of the pancreas. The thing about the pancreas is that is it the organ that produces enzymes which digest what you eat, but consequentially, the pancreas is made of what you eat. When pancreatitis occurs, the patient's pancreas begins digesting itself. While a normal lactase level is 0-20, his was at 7500. This number made every doctor and nurse gasp. The only way to treat pancreatitis is lack of food for 24 hours and lots of liquids, so that is what we did.
Next came in two psych patients, each of whom severely bonded to me. The doctors said they "imprinted" on me, making me the person they trusted. One patient was a 40 year old woman who was brought in by the police. I have to keep her story confidential, but it became an issue of domestic violence in which the police got involved. In order to take action, the patient needed to admit certain aspects of the story directly to the police, but she only felt safe telling me when we were alone in the room. It put me in a difficult situation because I couldn't help her understand that the police would help her, not harm.
It was a very emotional and unexpected night, but it was one I will always remember.