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Sebastian
The ER is overflowingthis morning with patients, I hadn’t been able to sit down in over twelve hours. Many came in experiencing flu symptoms, but tested negative, which means we could have a new strain on our hands.
“Doctor, room 56. Patient is experiencing asthmatic symptoms.O2 level is 92%. Bp 180 over 98.
More doctors were being called in to help since we still have over thirty unseen patients.
I knocked before entering the room, skimming through her chart, “good morning young lady.” Only I didn’t get a response. The girl was only eight-years-old, and had severe breathing issues. I glanced at her worried parents, “May I talk to you for a minute?”
We stepped out into the hallway, no need to scare her.
“What’s wrong? Please tell me she’s going to be okay?” The mother clung onto the father's arm.
Could it be allergies or anaphylactic shock? I checked her body for hives anywhere. None that were visible.
“Well, nothing about asthma in her chart. Has she ever experienced anything like this before?” Usually, asthma is diagnosed at an early age.
“No, sir. Never anything like this before. It was sudden. What can be done?”
“We can have her tested. She will need to breathe into the spirometer and it will tell us her pulmonary functionality.”
“Sorry, what does that mean?”
“Oh sorry, it’ll tell us how well her lungs are working.”
Her parents exchanged glances and their hands were joined together. “It’ll be quick. You can hold her hand while we do it.”
The parents walked back into the room, and stood next to their daughter. “Honey, the doctor is going to have you take a deep breath and blow into this meter. It will help him find out how to help you, okay?”
A single tear fell from her eyes and her voice rose, “I just want the pain to go away.”
The nurse came in with the spirometer, and I asked Lacey to take a deep breath and forcefully breathe out. “You did great. I’m going to have you use this inhaler. We’ll be back in here to test you again after about fifteen minutes to see if it improves. Remember to stay sitting upright, and take long, deep breaths. It will help your breathing.”
As I walked out of her room, it was interesting how cooperative the child was being, especially in a situation like this one. She’s had to be scared out of her mind.
“Doctor, the others are here finally. You can go home and get some rest before you have to be back.”
“This will be my last patient for my shift, but I’d like to finish up with her, if you don’t mind. My bed is calling my name though,” I replied, walking down the hallway to finish paperwork. I’d seen a total of fifty-two patients within fourteen hours. A new record for me. After all the paperwork is signed, it’s time to test her again.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Alright sweetie, think you can do it one more time?” I asked, already noticing she wasn’t freaking out as bad as before. It must be helping. She took a deep breath and then exhaled, and it was significantly better which confirmed to me the girl has asthma. “The results are conclusive. You, my dear, have asthma. I’ll get you a prescription for Bronchodilator. It will help open your airways when you begin having symptoms.”
“Thank you, doctor. I really appreciate it. We were worried sick about our little girl.” The dad said.
“I can’t even begin to imagine how scared you must have felt. You take good care of her. The nurse will be back in with the prescription and discharge paperwork shortly.” I said, closing the door behind me.
I could finally go home and take a nap before being back here again in eight hours for my next shift. Hell, if it’s anything like today, I need to find better shoes to help with the pain in my feet.
“Alright, Linda. I’m leaving. Here’s the discharge paperwork and prescription for my patient in Room 56. Call me if you guys need me before my shift.” I smiled at her, and walked away as fast as I could before another wave of patients showed up. My cold, empty bed was calling my name.
***
TONIGHT WAS OUR FIRSTofficial date, and I’ve been looking forward to it all day. Nothing’s better than after a long shift, getting to see her smiling face. I sent her a text.
Me: Can’t wait for tonight. Still on for 6, right?
I was surprised not to hear from her all day. Those good mornings or have a good day texts were welcomed and appreciated. It let me know she was thinking about me. Always brought a smile to my face.
