[lit-ideas] Re: Found Poem by Dillard

Thanks, Julie. I've *finally* ordered myself a copy. Best, MN

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <JimKandJulieB@xxxxxxx>
To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2005 6:00 PM
Subject: [lit-ideas] Found Poem by Dillard


> This is a bit long, but if you tire of reading through it, skip to the 
> last
> series of stanzas, headed "AND BEAR IN MIND"....  Tomorrow I will post my
> favorite from the book, a much shorter and more lyrical piece, "found" in 
> a NT
> Apocrypha passage.
>
> "Emergencies
>
>    --Brent Q. Hafen, Ph.D., and Keith J. Karren,  PhD.,
>      Prehospital Emergency Care and  Crisis
>      Intervention, 1989
>
>  (Few peopl are initially prepared for the sights, smells, and  sounds of
> intense human suffering.)
>
> FIRST THINGS FIRST
>
> Introduce yourself to the patient.
> If you have time and are in doubt,
> Simply ask, "What
> Would you like me to call you?"
>
> Cut clothing away quickly
> To see a bleeding site clearly.
> Put on a pair of latex
> Or surgical gloves to protect yourself...
>
> Many religious people
> Attach great significance
> To religious symbols.
> Unless it is necessary for treatment,
> Do not remove crosses or amulets.
>
> Observe circumstances, collect
> Suicide notes, and compile
> The relevant materials.  Is the patient
> Restless, irritable, or combative?
>
> BYSTANDERS
>
> It is best to wait rather
> Than try to remove weapons
> Or potential weapons from unstable
> Victims, relatives, bystanders.
>
> Ask someone, "Will you please
> Turn off the TV?"  Or do it yourself.
>
> Say, "Please sit
> on the ground on her left side,
> Ma'am, and hold her hand.
> Talk to her.  Don't move
> Her arm, and don't lt her move
> Her head.  I'm going
> To be checking her hips and legs."
>
> Comment positively on the aid
> Already given (for example,
> :"You've done a good job
> Of immobilizing the head."
>
> TOUCH
>
> Take a hand, pat
> A shoulder.  Remember that
> You have to be comfortable doing it.
> And not just trying it as a gimmick.
>
> Squeezing a foot or patting
> An ankle, if you are working
> Near the foot is not
> Usually considered intimate.
> Patting above the knee is.
>
> Sometimes a man receiving
> Help from a woman EMT
> Or a woman patient being treated
> By a male EMT will automatically
> Respond to comforting physical
> Gestures with flirtatious behavior.
> Do not respond by flirting back.
>
> ASK
>
> Ask questions about an area
> Or organ before you examine it.
>
> Ask:  What's your name?
>        What's happening to  you?
>         Where were you going,  or where
>        Are you?  Can you tell  me the date
>        (Day of the week,  year)?
> Document the patient's condition
> Precisely -- "disoriented to time."
>
> Depending on the urgency of the situation,
> Either ask yes-or-no questions
>        ("Have you eaten  today?"  "Does it hurt
>        When you move your  arm?")
> Or open-ended questions
>    ("When does the pain come on?"
>    "Tell me about your lat meal").
>
> How intense is the pain?
>        Dull?   Throbbing?  Sharp?
>        Crushing?   Stabbing?  Does
>        The pain change in  intensity
>        Or remain constant?   What
>        Started it?  How long  ago?
>
> RESPONSIVENESS
>
> What can the patient feel?
> Can he identify the stimulus?
> How does he respond to pain?
> With unconscious or sleeping patients,
> Determine how easily
> they can be aroused.
> By verbal stimuli, can
> They be aroused bya  pain
> Stimulus like a pinch?
>
> If the patient does not respond
> To voice, try pain.
>
> Your patient is RESPONSIVE
> If he seems to be unconscious but will:
>        *    Open  his eyes if you speak to him.
>        *    Respond  to a  light touch on the hand.
>        *    Try  to avoid pain.
>
> The answer you receive from the patient
> When you ask, "Can you tell me where
> You are hurt?" is the CHIEF COMPLAINT.
> In many instances, this
> Will be obvious, such as the patient
> Who lies bleeding in the street
> After being struck by an automobile.
>
> Even in this circumstance, however,
> It is useful to determine
> What is bothering the patient most.
>
> CHECK
>
> Check the Facial Features.
> Feel the Head and Neck.
> Check the Clavicles and Arms.
> Check the Chest.  In injury
>        Patients, feel for  air
>        Crackling beneath the  skin.
> Check the Abdominal Region
>        For Tenderness.   Damage here
>        Can cause great pain,
>    So be gentle.
> Check the Back.
> Check the Feet, Ankles, and Legs.
>
> Describe pulse amplitude by using the following scale:
>        4+ Bounding
>        3+ Normal
>        2+ Difficult to  palpate
>        1+ Weak and rapid,  thready
>        0   Absent
>
> HELPFUL TIPS
>
> Avoid traffic accidents
> While going to the scene of an accident
> Or to the hospital.  Use a seat belt...
> Park safely and carefully.
>
> Check all equipment.
> Keep the interior clean.
> Are all your bandage wraps cleaned up?
>
> If there is any question
> About the patient's condition, assume
> The worst and work from there.
>
> If a patient requests
> That you pray with him, do so.
>
> LEGAL SITUATIONS
>
> What Happens if a Patient
> Files Suit? [How to document:]
>        Draw a thin line
>        Through an error.
>        Never erase an error.
>
> Another legal situation
> Is death.  If a person is obviously
> Dead (crushed, decapitated,
> Rigor mortis setting in),
> You may be required
> To lave the body at the site.
>
> ANSWER
>
> If death is imminent either
> On the scene or in the ambulance,
> Be supportive and reassuring
> To the patient, but do not lie.
>
> If a patient asks, "I'm dying,
> Aren't I?" respond
> With something like, "You
> Have some very serious injuries,
> But I'm not giving up on you."
>
> AND BEAR IN MIND
>
> The heart is a hollow, muscular
> Organ the size of the fist.
>
> Once the patient remains
> In clinical death for a certain time
> (Typically four to six minutes),
> Brain cells begin to die.
>
> Along the edges of the eyelids
> Are openings of many small oil glands
> Which help prevent the tears
> From evaporating too rapidly.
>
> From "Mornings Like This:  Found Poems", by Annie  Dillard
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
> To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off,
> digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html 


------------------------------------------------------------------
To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off,
digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html

Other related posts: