5. His partner had been putting a frozen fish in his anus.
“A friend who is an ER physician told me about a gay man that came in because his partner had been putting a frozen fish in his anus.
The problem was, when it heated up there, the fins fanned out. This made it impossible to remove without surgery. Think like an arrow going in, and trying to pull it straight back out without serious damage.
This was just one of a wild assortment of objects that are placed in a place they’re not meant for.”
6. Have had someone on many occasions wake up on the vent and mouth ‘KILL ME’ to me.
“Have had someone on many occasions wake up on the vent and mouth ‘KILL ME’ to me. Was once in hydrotherapy when a patient was trying to tongue out his ETT so he would die.
I have seen many terrible things. ICU psychosis makes everything a lot worse. Talking to people who aren’t there, fist-fighting with your nurse, etc. I have also had friends with PTSD after being in an ICU.”
7. The ‘Man in Black.’
“ICU nurse. Something that has been experienced by multiple patients of mine, is the ‘man in black’. Patients who aren’t doing well and are still able to talk will often ask about the ‘man in black’.
He’s standing in the corner, by the edge of the bed, looking out the window, staring at them. He’s not doing anything, but something about the look of him puts them on edge. The man in black doesn’t have favorites, most recently he visited a priest.
I should start keeping statistics of who he comes for and how many make it through. I wonder if when my time comes I’ll see him just because I know he’s there.”
