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Falling five storeys from a New York rooftop changed my life

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Re: Falling five storeys from a New York rooftop changed my life

#121

Post by hzay »

akiselev wrote: post #101
qub1t wrote: post #56

If you actually find yourself falling from a similar height as described in this story, what can you do to maximize your chances of survival? Try to impact feet first? Sideways and cradle head with your arms? TFA says head impact is the main thing that determines who survives and who doesn’t, but other than that no clues as to what to try to do in the situation.

Relax completely and go limp (easier said than done). Tense muscles will exert more force on the things they're attached to like bones and organs, usually in opposing directions, which is what causes damage from otherwise trivial impacts. That's why, all other things being equal, drunk drivers experience fewer injuries in auto accidents - slower reaction times mean they don't react in time to tense up for the crash.…

> Tense muscles will exert more force on the things they're attached to like bones and organs, usually in opposing directions, which is what causes damage from otherwise trivial impacts. That's why, all other things being equal, drunk drivers experience fewer injuries in auto accidents - slower reaction times mean they don't react in time to tense up for the crash.

Wow, is this true? I've noticed that when small babies are picked up, there's a difference in their weight, depending upon whether they want to be picked up or not. Like, by doing something with their body, they are able to make themselves lighter or heavier -- perhaps by clinging more (or less) to the person picking them up, and perhaps by tightening (or loosening) their muscles.

I'm a pilates instructor, if you have any sources that discuss the effect of tense muscles & force, I would really appreciate it. Thanks :)

Re: Falling five storeys from a New York rooftop changed my life

#122

Post by tsimionescu »

boomboomsubban wrote: post #95
Renaud wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it bonkers that the surgeon had no prior involvement in reviewing the case before the patient is brought into the operating room. That's really scary.

Requiring a surgeon's consultation before scheduling seems like it would be a huge hassle to arrange, and greatly reduce the amount of surgeries they could perform. Beyond that, I'm not sure what benefit there would be to a surgeon independently reviewing the case early. Thinking about what they'll need you do in tomorrow's surgery would distract them during today's surgery.

My understanding is that (1) the patient has the right to be explained what the surgery will be, what is their prognosis, what are the risks etc, so they can give informed consent - not sure who other than the surgeon could do this; and (2) that surgery needs to be planned, the surgeon needs to know how many nurses they will need, whether they need any assisting surgeons etc. This is all medical knowledge, a surgeon is not waiting in an operating room and operating whoever they bring in.

The whole story smells of very bad medical practices (and I'm speaking with the perspective of someone living in a formerly communist country, not some medical Mecca).

Re: Falling five storeys from a New York rooftop changed my life

#123

Post by thaumasiotes »

ReactiveJelly wrote: post #43
klyrs wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is one of the most pernicious aspects of the opioid crisis. Doctors are taught to be hypervigilant regarding "drug seeking behavior" which is pretty much a 1:1 list of behaviors of people whose suffering is "genuine." Number one criteria seems to be that the patient is requesting medication. In so many cases, the patient is the most reliable source of information... but when it comes to pain management, the pati…

> Doctors are taught to be hypervigilant regarding "drug seeking behavior" which is pretty much a 1:1 list of behaviors of people whose suffering is "genuine." Slate Star Codex wrote about this: https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/09/16/against-against-pseudo... Basically, an addict wants to look genuine, so a lot of genuine patients have to put up with stuff designed to cut off addicts. Like the scary "FBI warning" that…

> Basically, an addict wants to look genuine, so a lot of genuine patients have to put up with stuff designed to cut off addicts.

It's much stupider than that.

Addicts want the drug.

So all of the indicators of addiction are actually indicators of wanting the drug.

So anyone who wants the drug is, ipso facto, an addict.

There's no element of addicts trying to look more genuine. Look at that list of red flags:

- Complaining of a need for a drug.

- Asking for more of a drug.

- Asking for a particular drug by name.

- Sometimes taking a drug on your own initiative.

Re: Falling five storeys from a New York rooftop changed my life

#124

Post by Markoff »

I fail to see how can anyone expect anything else at the quite high roof ledge than air.

I think article is missing part of him being either drunk or high, where there would be clear wisdom to stay sober when you are on the roof, there is no other explanation unless he is few years old toddler.

Re: Falling five storeys from a New York rooftop changed my life

#125

Post by nobody9999 »

nickjj wrote: post #31
WJW wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really seems like a "hey nurse did this patient have their fentanyl yet?" would have resolved this issue. Anyway if it's really 100x more potent than morphine you'd think any person that did have it in their bloodstream would not be all that capable of stating that they have not had their medication yet.

> Really seems like a "hey nurse did this patient have their fentanyl yet?" would have resolved this issue. You'd be surprised at how questionable hospital care is run in NY, even with $450 / month insurance with a high deductible. To protect the privacy of the person I know, here's a story from 2-5 months ago: - Person A goes into doctor's office for something pretty common - Doctor requests cat scan or MRI (I forgo…

>- Person A goes into doctor's office for something pretty common

>- Doctor requests cat scan or MRI (I forgot which one is which) based on symptoms

>- Person A gets the scan

>- Doctor evaluates results and says to book surgery in a hospital ASAP as it's probably cancerous

>- Person A books surgery

>- Surgeon comes in and looks at the scan in the operating room

>- Surgeon says this scan is nothing to worry about and surely doesn't warrant surgery and it's not a tumor or cancer

This seems really unusual. I'd also say that (as someone who lives in NYC), I can't imagine things going this way.

I have never heard of a surgeon not reviewing the radiology reports, preparing a surgical plan and consulting with the patient pre-surgery.

If this is true, it's flat-out malpractice.

Given the sheer number of people, resources and precious operating room time involved in ordering, prepping and performing surgery, your story stretches credulity well past the breaking point. To put a fine point on it, I call bullshit.

I had surgery a couple years ago. I had specific symptoms and went to my doctor.

He referred me to an actual surgeon who ordered an MRI. The MRI showed what we expected it to show and then the surgeon ordered an additional scan to cover more area to make sure he understood exactly what was necessary. He then recommended surgery.

Not taking the surgeon's word for it, I sought a second opinion. Fortunately, my ex's brother was a surgeon in the same specialty and he offered to look at the MRI (I would have gone to another surgeon myself had he not been available to me).

He completely concurred with the surgeon and I had a successful surgery.

However, the normal process for surgical procedures, especially since there are significant pre-surgery protocols including medical history workups, blood work, discussions about what the surgery entails and risk factors, as well as a pre-surgery consult with the surgeon and/or his scrub nurse.

What's more, the surgical team (not with the patient) will meet at least once pre-surgery to review the surgical plan (which includes reviewing any imaging), and this may result in additional testing if there's any ambiguity.

And none of that is optional. What's more, on the day of the surgery during prep they will mark the location to be operated upon and confirm, multiple times, via existing imaging, discussions with the patient to confirm, specifically, what the surgery is for and what procedure is to be performed.

All of that is done before any sedation or anaesthesia is administered.

So no. That's not a credible story.

Re: Falling five storeys from a New York rooftop changed my life

#126

Post by sizzle »

chasd00 wrote: post #33
mpalmer wrote: post #2

The most pressing issue for the orthopaedic team was my left shoulder, which was visibly dislocated. Before attempting to reattach it, the doctor told me I would be given a dose of fentanyl: an opioid that is up to 100 times more potent than morphine. He went away, returned and started using a bed sheet to try to pop the shoulder back into the socket. Alarmed, I told him that I had not been given any pain medication.…

this happens a lot. my stepfather was in the hospital, a nurse came in and gave him a shot of morphine and walked out. another nurse came in and before my mom could stop her gave him another dose. He coded from the overdose but pulled through. my sister worked as an admin in some department at a hospital I can't remember. a patient coded and they did nothing because they were marked do not resuscitate but the patient…

Jesus christ man that is terrifying beyond belief. Glad your dad pulled through, hope he sued them and won.

Re: Falling five storeys from a New York rooftop changed my life

#127

Post by codeproject »

WalterBright wrote: post #65
Tronno wrote: post #28

Reading this gives me flashbacks of my own fall from about 45 feet, which broke my spine, pelvis, and ankle. The initial days after the surgery were confusing, painful, and scary. If the fractures had been another half inch to the right, I would have been paralyzed for life. Indeed, I lost control over my bowel functions, and for a few agonizing days was unclear if I would ever get them back. I learned how to insert…

My father served in the 8th Air Force at a time when the odds of completing a tour were about 20%. The airmen had various ways of coping with this, my father's way was to simply accept that he wasn't going to make it and just do his job as best he could. He told me that after the war, whenever he felt down, he'd think about what a miracle it was he survived, and would feel better. He lived to be 93.

God Bless Your Father. He is a great man. Gold bless you.

Re: Falling five storeys from a New York rooftop changed my life

#128

Post by sizzle »

mikeyouse wrote: post #27
mattr47 wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've had both morphine via IV and fentanyl via a lollipop. Both were in Afghanistan and as far as pain relief goes the morphine was way better for me, because I got a large dose in my bloodstream. I totally understood at that point why people get addicted to that stuff. I did not care about anything at that point. The fentanyl just did not have a strong effect on me.

Most fentanyl is administered IV as well, the “100x more potent” stuff is mostly misleading because the doses are different but it is substantially more effective than morphine. My wife does anesthesia and if they’re going to use opioids at all, it’s almost always IV fentanyl. It’s extremely rare that patients report any pain afterwards. Though there’s a big movement toward opioid-free surgery so that’s promising.

I remember when they were pumping my dad with propofol and fentanyl for a hemorrhagic stroke to medically induce a coma and let the brain heal. It was like flipping a light switch knocking him out instantly.

I'm scared of this stuff after seeing what it can do to a full grown adult but totally understand the medical necessity for it as it saves lives.

Re: Falling five storeys from a New York rooftop changed my life

#129

Post by aspenmayer »

yownie wrote: post #114
aspenmayer wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m reminded of the film The Game (1997), but I won’t say more as to not spoil anything for anyone.

Its been 23 years I think the embargo on spoilers is up.

The spoiler-y part is in the comment I replied to; my referencing the film in that context makes clear what spoiler I’m alluding to without making it obvious to those who haven’t seen the film or are otherwise unaware of the plot.

I try not to get in the way of a narrative just to make my own minor point, which is that it’s a good film on a hard topic, and if this topic interests you, perhaps so too will this film.

Thanks for the chuckle, nonetheless.

Re: Falling five storeys from a New York rooftop changed my life

#130

Post by intricatedetail »

mpalmer wrote: post #2

The most pressing issue for the orthopaedic team was my left shoulder, which was visibly dislocated. Before attempting to reattach it, the doctor told me I would be given a dose of fentanyl: an opioid that is up to 100 times more potent than morphine. He went away, returned and started using a bed sheet to try to pop the shoulder back into the socket. Alarmed, I told him that I had not been given any pain medication.…

Many psychopaths assume a position where they are given trust and they can exercise control over vulnerable people without being questioned. I have seen these people working as pain specialists. They get money from pharma industry and prescribe ineffective pain meds or do it in a way that harms the patient. Some tools in their box are telling patients their pain is only in their heads, that they are nothing wrong, asking patient if they come to get drugs, prescribing opioids where other way are more effective, cutting the doses so people feel withdrawals and so on. The biggest nightmare of these people is medical cannabis as it changes perception of pain and in many cases they lose power over patient.
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