Category Archives: Parallel Universes

Good Question…

Posted on March 21, 2008 by

All too often I am reminded (again) that the line of distinction between myself and my patients is really much thinner and less well-defined than the plexiglas divider between the nursing station and the rest of the unit. Here is one of those moments of insight, encountered recently during a mental health assessment: Me: “Do you see things other people don’t see, or hear things other people don’t hear?” Patient: (looking perplexed) “How would I know?” Indeed. If you know you’re having a delusion, it’s not a delusion any more, … Continue reading →

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Quote of the Week

Posted on March 12, 2008 by

“When I was in 3rd grade they said I was a genius but I told them, ‘I can’t be a genius, I can’t fit inside a lamp.’”

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Vignettes

Posted on August 28, 2007 by

It’s the end of a 12-hour shift at the geriatric psychiatry unit where I work. I’m standing in the hallway waiting for night shift to come out of report. A very delusional woman is conversing brightly with a very confused gentleman who thinks he’s at the bowling alley (but he can’t find his bowling shoes). “Here,” she says, patting the air to her right. “You can sit by me.” She’s totally convinced there’s a chair there, and keeps urging him to sit, and he’s looking, trying to figure out what … Continue reading →

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Why I Love My Job

Posted on June 25, 2007 by

One of the things I love most about my job is that you just never know what is going to happen next. It’s never boring! Here’s just one small example of what I mean. The setting: The geropsych unit where I work, in “Fred’s” room, where he’s just waked up and I’m helping him dress for breakfast. Fred: “Have you seen my brother?” Me: “I didn’t know you had a brother.” Fred: “Sure, I have a brother. Unless he’s dead… He could be dead, I guess. Shoot, he’d be in … Continue reading →

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Focus

Posted on April 28, 2006 by

Back in the early 90s there were these posters and pictures everywhere that looked like a big mess of colored dots or designs, but if you learned to look at them the right way, you could see a three-dimensional image there. It took practice to teach your eyes to focus in this new way. Even after you had learned the trick, sometimes it was just really hard to get past the “noise” and see the true picture beneath. Some people never could get the hang of it. I remember hearing … Continue reading →

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Pert’ Near

Posted on February 5, 2006 by

Doing admit vitals on a new patient one night, an elderly man with twinkling eyes, long hair, and a Santa Claus beard, I asked him how tall he was. “Pert’ near tall as you are,” he replied, looking up at me from where he lay on the hospital bed. “I’m six two,” I said. “Is that how tall you are?” “Pert’ near,” he nodded, then clarified for me, “I’m five six and a half.” I guess, depending on your perspective, that a gap of seven and a half inches could … Continue reading →

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Modern-Day Conveniences

Posted on September 1, 2005 by

An elderly woman I was caring for at the hospital the other night had her call light on. When I went in to see what she needed, she told me rather desperately, “I have to go potty!” After determining that she thought she needed to urinate, I reminded her that she had a catheter, and that although sometimes irritation from the tube makes it feel like you need to go, you really don’t. She just looked at me blankly, so I explained what a catheter does, and that since she … Continue reading →

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