Comments on The Perpetual Search for Personal Nirvana: The Death of a Frequent Flyer

A fact that seems to be overlooked time and again ...

2008-02-12T01:11:00.000-05:00

A fact that seems to be overlooked time and again is that most commenters are ASSUMING that MonkeyGirl actually treats her patients poorly.
There is no EVIDENCE that she treats her patients any less than compassionately or professionally.
Ranting is a mechanism by which many healthcare professionals stay SANE. That we rant does not mean that we are non-professional in our jobs. In fact, a nurse who rants is probably more mentally stable than one who is frustrated with no outlet.
Never assume, people.
And no, not everyone is missed when they die. Fact of life. You reap what you sow.

Still waiting for your blog, Dawn, wherever you ar...

2008-02-11T20:44:00.000-05:00

Still waiting for your blog, Dawn, wherever you are. I'm sure Scalpel and I will read it daily...ESPECIALLY if it will make Johnny Weissmuller happy.

Everything I do from now on is to please Johnny Weissmuller.

Sounds like Monkeygirl is in desperate need of a c...

2008-02-09T00:23:00.000-05:00

Sounds like Monkeygirl is in desperate need of a career change.

Hmmm... I imagine there are lots of opportunities ...

2008-02-08T23:05:00.000-05:00

Hmmm... I imagine there are lots of opportunities to practice compassion in the ER. Thank you for perfecting the practice, and not succumbing to the low road.

You are a credit to your profession. This monkey p...

2008-02-08T21:30:00.000-05:00

You are a credit to your profession. This monkey person disgusts me.It is sad there are to few medical professionals like you.

Nurse K wrote:Well, it didn't seem that the patien...

2008-02-08T19:26:00.000-05:00

Nurse K wrote:Well, it didn't seem that the patient thought about all the people she was hurting by not taking care of herself. She'd call them for rides to the ER at 0300, but wouldn't take her BP pills nor stop smoking...
I was in the ER 8 times last year. I guess it makes me a frequent flyer. The first four times I don't remember if I was rude to the staff or not, because when my ammonia goes up, my memory , and manners go down. Or so my wife tells me. She has to constantly be on top of the lactulose patrol, and such. Now the encephalopathy is better.
The reason that Monkey girl's post makes me want to vomit, aside from the "unwashed kootch" is that I DID QUIT drinking, smoking, eating double cheeseburgers, fries, etc. I eat a heart healthy diet, and I am med compliant. The patient who died doesn't sound too savory, no, but lets be honest, ok? It doesn't really matter if we quit, and straighten up.
Mt three trips to the ER with a broken rib, which I do remember, resulted in three hundred dollars down the drain. When was the last time you had three hundred dollars in you pocket? Pretend that I reached in and lifted them out, and put them to a flame. That's how I feel. Uncle sam didnt pay, Sharon and I did. They still treated me like a junkie. A drug seeker. No one asked if I wanted a tray. I can't eat between 3 and 6 pm because of medication, so twice I was left in pain AND starving. For the third trip, I packed a lunch. One ER diagnosed me with a backache. A backache! I had a broken bone, quit doing all of those things, and I am still a frequent flyer. I still get treated like a frequent flyer. It makes me want to be rude on purpose. Hi, I'm Bobby, and I'm a frequent flyer.

While I can see where you are coming from I respec...

2008-02-08T14:22:00.000-05:00

While I can see where you are coming from I respectfully disagree. I deal with death every day in my job, and while it's true that many people are dearly loved by their families, it's also true that many people are just insufferable fools. I've had frequent flyers like her that died, and I've even secretly been happy when they do it because it's one less resource drain on the system and a good 300 pounds less of wasted carbon.

Cold? Perhaps, but the simple truth is that not everybody is special.

Own Woman, I would agree with you except for one t...

2008-02-08T01:02:00.000-05:00

Own Woman,
I would agree with you except for one thing...She was not only demanding and rude with ER staff, she was non-compliant with her medical treatment plan to the point where she was coming in for DIABETIC treatment and Hypertensive crisis and all that is bad enough...BUT she was rude and uncaring to her FAMILY as well as everyone else.

This woman was what we in Mental health call a MALIGNANT Narcissist.
She cared about one person and one person only, herself. She died as a result of her OWN actions. She committed long term suicide.
However, given what a brass plated bitch she was...Her family and friends arwe better off without her.

Thank you for writing this. I agree with you that ...

2008-02-07T23:57:00.000-05:00

Thank you for writing this. I agree with you that each and every person ought to be revered as a human being.

I will further say that I truly believe if our country provided health care to all its citizens and everyone was allowed to seek preventative care we would all be a lot healthier.

Monkeygirl has little compassion for anyone she vi...

2008-02-07T23:07:00.000-05:00

Monkeygirl has little compassion for anyone she views as unworthy...drug seekers and people too stupid to take care of themselves are not people to her anymore. It's a theme all thru her blog. I read her rarely, but when I do I am left shaking my head that someone with so little empathy chose that profession. You seem to have kept your compassion intact in the face of the exact same situations and people. Nicely put. I’ll try to remember that even Monkeygirl is loved by someone next time she ticks me off or makes a decision I disagree with…and I’ll do it knowing that if I was in her ER and she disagreed with my choices she would offer me nothing but scorn and internet ridicule. I hope she’s able to cover her tracks with regard to patient identification, because if I was that particular frequent flyer’s family I would question how hard Monkeygirl tried to save her based on what she wrote in that entry.

The only reason some people are still alive is bec...

2008-02-07T17:41:00.000-05:00

The only reason some people are still alive is because it's illegal to kill them.

I respectfully disagree. My father is one who suck...

2008-02-07T16:14:00.000-05:00

I respectfully disagree. My father is one who sucks up medical resources like nobody's business and is it all his own damn fault.

He has smoked AT LEAST 2 packs a day for the last 50 years, eats like crap and does not take care of himself at all. He is often sick and I have lost count at the number of time he has been so sick he has been hospitalized and we thought this might be it. However, it is his fault and as his daughter who loves him and takes care of him when he is sick; I blame him and when he dies it will be completely self inflicted. he has a choice to stop smoking and take care of himself, he refuses. It is frustrating to me but I have accepted the fact that he will die from smoking and soon and it was all preventable.

In addition I am resentful that he has let himself get to such a state that requires such intensive care from numerous physicans and from me when I a;ready have so much on my plate. He is looking forward to retirement not so he can travel and enjoy his life but so he can sit at home and be sick without having to worry about going to work. What kind of quality of life is that?

Well, it didn't seem that the patient thought abou...

2008-02-07T15:59:00.000-05:00

Well, it didn't seem that the patient thought about all the people she was hurting by not taking care of herself. She'd call them for rides to the ER at 0300, but wouldn't take her BP pills nor stop smoking...