Bad crash

[Arizonaffcep]

So this mom and her son are in a horrible car crash, both are brought to the local trauma center. The Chaplain there calls the husband who comes rushing from work to be by their sides. When he gets there, the Doctor greets him and says, "Sir, I have some good news, and some bad news." The husband's eyes start to well up, and asks "What's the good news?" The Doctor says, "Well, you son has been hurt bad, we've had to remove his spleen, but he will be ok." The husband starts to cry and asks how his wife is. The Doctor says "Your wife, on the other hand has suffered a severe traumatic injury, which has left her paralyzed. She will never be able to walk again, you will have to bathe her, feed her, change her diapers for the rest of her life." The husband is totally inconsolable at this point. The Doctor now starts to laugh, and slaps the husband on the shoulder and says "I'm just f*ing with ya! She's dead!"

[VentMedic]

I know you meant this to be funny. But, I have a patient who suffered a TBI that we just trached and weaned off the ventilator so he can easily be placed in a LTC facility. The family has some medical knowledge and the doctors have been very truthful about his chances for any resemblance of a normal life. Thus, the family has spent the last two weeks at his bedside praying for him to die. This has made his care particularly challenging especially when the family saw him breathing on his own when I removed the ventilator. It was a look of pure anguish and my heart does go out to them because breathing may be the only function he can do on his own for the next several years of his existence. The medical staff all knew he would breathe on his own but the family was still hoping for one last miracle that their son would die and not have to go through the next several years in that shape.

This family is not unique. We have had many faimilies with the same feelings. Many, especially the fathers, will try to avoid seeing their family member in that shape and just refuse to visit. The mothers are often left alone crying at bedside.

It is an ethical dilemma. Some patients that have what should be unsurvivable injuries pull through with few deficits. And, many patients go on to be warehoused in LTC facilities to become those hated BS calls for sepsis from apiration or a foley catheter at 0300.

What you intended as a joke would be a great discussion about what people would prefer for their own family members or themselves if such a tragic event was to occur in their lives.

[Arizonaffcep]

](*,)

[EMT City Administrator]

The ethical part can be discussed in the non Funny Stuff area. Since this is the Funny Stuff area, and has a warning attached to this area, the OP is OK posting it here. Not all humor is for everyone.

[sirduke]

Why does Admin have the "Ant Races" as his Avatar?

[Arizonaffcep]

Why does Admin have the "Ant Races" as his Avatar?

He must be a big Dave Mathew's Band fan.

[Richard B the EMT]

Why does Admin have the "Ant Races" as his Avatar?

Why not? When he (she?) activates the web cam, all it shows is a beer can.