#but what do I know I'm a fucking sonographer lol

[silverspleen]

Oh I got so caught up in Saturday plans I forgot that FINALLY I had a tap (pericardiocentesis) go well at work this month!!

for reference during my three prior taps:

I got so skeezed out by watching the doctor struggle to suck fluid out of the patient with the huge comedy syringe that my ass fainted (it's ok it was at the end of the procedure and I was in training)

The patient was so wiggly that the doctor literally called another higher up doctor and went "do we really need to do this" and they did anyway and I was panicked and sweaty the whole time so when they mega fucked up and punctured the heart with the catheter wire it was like "oh this might as well happen" and the patient had to get rushed to the OR instead OOPS

Got called in not for a tap but for a possible post-tap chest tube readjustment, possibly in the patient's room possibly in the cath lab, and sat around outside for 40 minutes while they frantically gave meds, only to finally get to go in an the end, and when they looked at my ultrasound pics they promptly announced that the patient was dead and they were calling it

This last tap went completely fine, except that the doctor had to stab the patient like four times so it took an hour+, but I didn't have to hold the ultrasound probe so my hand was not near the needle! which helped a lot, I just had to run the machine. Patient was very alert but pleasant, and the worst that happened was that they kept accidentally gently smacking them in the face with the xray arm.

Anyway I didn't realize that they just......... Literally left the drain in with the catheter, which must megasuck.

Patient: I'm uncomfy :(

Doctor: Well you do have a tube literally going into your chest to drain the fluid around your heart into this jar here, and a piece of wire inside the tube that's poking gently at the outside of your heart so, yes, unfortunately you will feel sucky until the fluid is gone :)

Me who has literally never had a tap go normally and therefore never knew this: OvO

This means I'm comfortable enough to be a fully useful member of the lab and not freak out when they (inevitably) send me to go do another tap!!

Now if only I can remember the code for the lead apron storage room!!