Okay, let me say right now that what I'm going to write about is fairly gory, and pretty damned disturbing. So if you don't want to be sickened and disturbed, please don't read this. It's nothing profound, just me venting about something that actually got to me a little bit.

Ohhh, I experienced something today that sorta freaked me out. And by "freaked me out" I don't mean like when that icky druggie patient hocked a huge loogie into an unlined garbage can, or the time he hocked one on the floor, or tonight when he announced that he had to take a huge crap. Sorry, I guess that turned into a mini-vent. Anyway...it went like this. I was walking through the unit, on my way I don't know where. Marisol was wheeling her patient to the scale when his freshly bandaged sites started pouring blood all over him, her, and most everything else within a few feet. I think spraying would be more the word, and I'm not exactly sure how. But it was bad. This is a common occurrence, so I swooped in with a barrier (a sheet of plasticy paper kinda stuff that we put under the arm to prevent further crime-scene decor) and gauze and I told Marisol to get lost because she had blood all over her bare arms. She was trying to get the gauze and tape off his arm, but was having a hard time because his skin was tearing off. You see, the older, sicker, and more medicated you are, the more papery and extremely fragile your skin gets. Well, this patient was no exception. In fact, I think his is the worst I've ever seen. I took over, certain I could figure out how to get the tape off without tearing any more skin off and without being sprayed with blood. It was leaking terribly and it was hard to hold the barrier on, add more gauze, and try to to pull off the saturated bandage, not get sprayed, and all the while trying to be gentle. I made it almost all fo the way off with the bandage but some of his skin still tore off. It was an unspeakable feeling, and when I saw him wince in pain I almsot cried. It was hellish, actually. It's no one's fault, it was just a sad thing, but I felt so bad. I still could almost cry for him. I apologized profusely even though it was unavoidable, and he was very nice about it, but it really kind of got to me. *sigh* Hope I never have to work in a burn unit, when you do it on purpose.