These stories focus upon the unusual aspects of each particular case, and rarely delve into the specifics of medical or surgical treatment. The intriguing nature of these cases lies not in catheter sizes and other bits of medical minutiae, but rather in the unique interplay between the ER staff, the patient, and heaven knows who or what else.
Curiously, books of this genre which concentrate upon nothing but emergencies fail to accurately convey the spirit and pulse of real emergency rooms. That's because ER patients often have no problem which can be construed to be an emergency. While they may have no pressing medical problems, they often present with interesting cases. In fact, there is often an inverse correlation between the seriousness of a case and its uniqueness. In my opinion, it is that latter element which provides the fodder for some highly captivating stories.
If you’re looking for entertainment, you won’t be disappointed. However, there is more than simple amusement in these pages. You will meet healthcare personnel whose thirst for revenge is chilling. You will read about people who look for love in the ER—of all places! You will hold your breath as I tiptoe through a case in which the patient was at risk of being murdered—by her father. You will meet a beautiful teenager who tried killing herself after having an affair with her psychiatrist. You will watch me fight to keep a patient from endangering the lives of dozens of hospital visitors. You will encounter people with very unusual habits. You will hear about a child who was shot in the head with a bullet, but didn’t know it. You will find out if I can resist the temptation of a gorgeous woman who offered me her body in exchange for a prescription for narcotics. You will witness a shocking end to a friendship. You will read about how an uppity nurse refused to ease the suffering of a dying man. You will understand how a homeless man gave me an unexpected insight into why some homeless people are homeless. You will observe a patient eat a sandwich that was soaked with the blood of his mother. You will discover how a man used a gun to seek revenge against a pit bull that had savagely mauled his young daughter. You will see your tax dollars and insurance premiums go up in smoke as the price of maintaining the status quo, and you’ll understand why the shenanigans of lawyers are more than an economic drain. You will discover why ER docs have the highest burnout rate of any medical specialty, and you’ll begin to see the Hollywood depictions of the ER for just what they are—fiction. These stories, and several dozen more, are in Believe It or Not! TRUE Emergency Room Stories.
One of my goals in writing this book was to give you an idea of what it is like to be a real ER doctor in a real ER. To achieve this end, I have sometimes appended my opinions to the stories. As you will see, my views have been influenced by repeated exposure to events which are outrageous, maddening, and just plain wacky. But that's the reality of a real ER; to ignore it is to miss an integral aspect of its quintessence. This book is a window into another world—the world of emergency medicine. Entering this strange world will undoubtedly leave an indelible impression upon you, as it has me.
