Page 20 | Medical things you didn’t know?

Emptychairdoasolo · 2023-07-04T20:09:27+00:00

Just watching a medical drama and wondered what happens if you die on the operating table? Do they just sew you back up without repairing anything inside? but also had me thinking what other medical things didn’t you know until you maybe experienced them or learned?

Emotionalsupportviper · 05/07/2023 13:57

BloodyHellKen · 05/07/2023 13:54

She is definitely fierce!!!😂

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Good for her!

Us "titchies" need to be! 😄

Mercury2702 · 05/07/2023 13:58

Alleycat1 · 05/07/2023 13:21

Question:
I have read on here that people don't smell immediately after death. I was with my mother when she died at home of cancer. The smell was awful ( unlike anything experienced before or since) because in the minutes prior to death her pores secreted a black sweat. Is this a common thing?

I don’t think people smell of decomposing immediately after they have passed, however I work with the elderly and I can’t really explain it but before people die we do say they get a certain smell so I completely get that. I don’t even know how to explain it but they can smell a particular way in my experience like an unwell smell but not particularly a decomposing smell. I’m probably going to sound crackers 🙈

Appleofmyeye2023 · 05/07/2023 13:58

FridayNeverHesitate · 04/07/2023 23:16

Nobody who was born blind has ever gone on to develop schizophrenia.

Isn't that just amazing? Nobody quite knows why this is.

Wow, that’s really interesting and I never knew that

I’ve ally had too much personal experience as carer for those with psychosis, with a exh with schizophrenia for 2o years, and that’s got me thinking about all sorts of theories I have around dreaming and it’s role on psychosis, especially when I read just now, on rising this, that the congenitally blind do still have REM and visual dream - not as much as the sighted or those that develop vision loss later in life - but they still do.

all the more curious as congenital deafness, which you’d think would work similarly to this congenital blindness protection, given hearing voices is much more common with schizophrenia than visual hallucinations, actually increases the chances of psychosis.

BUT here’s the curious thing. My dad has lost his sight (well most of it) in his 80s, and as a result has developed Charles Bonnet syndrome. This is a form of visual hallucination where the brain is “filling in” for missing external visual stimulii it’s received in the past. It’s quite common apparently. But, from that he has now developed very acute and sudden onset psychosis and delusions. He’s in a psychiatric unit now, and they can’t get to bottom of it. So, whilst congenital blindness means schizophrenia pathway doesn’t activate, developed blindness seems to increase risk if delusion and visual hallucinations

Right now the theory is that schizophrenia and related psychotic illness are to do with the dopamine pathway . The common drugs used are developed to target thst in theory. but i have a hope that in 59 years form now we will find it outrageous and hysterical that we didn’t know how these terrible illness worked, and the drugs used to treat them were so useless. Right now, the prospect is so bleak for many with these illnesses in the long term - it shatters the patient’s lives and those around them.

I wonder why more studies haven’t been done on this curious blindness link- surely that’s a key to understanding what causes them

thank you for sharing this, definitely given me food for thought,

adviceneeded1990 · 05/07/2023 14:01

Naillig222 · 05/07/2023 04:48

People with red hair require more anaesthetic.

My red haired ex got told this by a relative when having leg surgery and we laughed at it! Interesting to see it’s true!

Appleofmyeye2023 · 05/07/2023 14:03

Appleofmyeye2023 · 05/07/2023 13:58

Wow, that’s really interesting and I never knew that

I’ve ally had too much personal experience as carer for those with psychosis, with a exh with schizophrenia for 2o years, and that’s got me thinking about all sorts of theories I have around dreaming and it’s role on psychosis, especially when I read just now, on rising this, that the congenitally blind do still have REM and visual dream - not as much as the sighted or those that develop vision loss later in life - but they still do.

all the more curious as congenital deafness, which you’d think would work similarly to this congenital blindness protection, given hearing voices is much more common with schizophrenia than visual hallucinations, actually increases the chances of psychosis.

BUT here’s the curious thing. My dad has lost his sight (well most of it) in his 80s, and as a result has developed Charles Bonnet syndrome. This is a form of visual hallucination where the brain is “filling in” for missing external visual stimulii it’s received in the past. It’s quite common apparently. But, from that he has now developed very acute and sudden onset psychosis and delusions. He’s in a psychiatric unit now, and they can’t get to bottom of it. So, whilst congenital blindness means schizophrenia pathway doesn’t activate, developed blindness seems to increase risk if delusion and visual hallucinations

Right now the theory is that schizophrenia and related psychotic illness are to do with the dopamine pathway . The common drugs used are developed to target thst in theory. but i have a hope that in 59 years form now we will find it outrageous and hysterical that we didn’t know how these terrible illness worked, and the drugs used to treat them were so useless. Right now, the prospect is so bleak for many with these illnesses in the long term - it shatters the patient’s lives and those around them.

I wonder why more studies haven’t been done on this curious blindness link- surely that’s a key to understanding what causes them

thank you for sharing this, definitely given me food for thought,

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Sorry, when I say “drugs to treat are useless”, I don’t mean that literally. I worked for company that made one of the atypical antipsychotics. They are literally life savers.
BUT, they are also very toxic where drugs have to be managed carefully for the severe side effects they cause over time. They also have no effect on the “negative” symptoms of schizophrenia- stuff like loss of executive thinking skills etc.
so, they’re a large hammer to crack a fragile nut

sorry, need to say this. I don’t want anyone to think they should comply with medication.

Mercury2702 · 05/07/2023 14:05

ComeTheFckOnBridget · 05/07/2023 13:22

@vaccinesticker

I rarely say this but do grow up.

It is about showing respect. Have you ever been with someone as they died or recently after? It is very moving - humans still lack the language to really describe what it feels like emotionally and intellectually. Most traditions around death developed from two reasons: 1) practicality/ necessity 2) helping people to cope with the reality of death.

Both involve religious practices and traditions, which vary according to culture. When society becomes less religious, there are many hang overs.

Do you ever say "bless you" to someone when they sneeze? The response developed because centuries ago people believed that sneezing gave the devil an opportunity to enter the body.

Hospitals were originally part of religious institutions (monasteries) where monks and nuns (and they lay brothers & sisters) cared for the ill and dying. The same people who would provide hospitality to passing travellers and those in need.

Burial practices - with or without - religious rites became commonplace in the UK because centuries ago the Church didn't agree with cremation.

These are just a couple of examples- there are dozens more where old religious habits/superstitions have become part of daily life. You might find it interesting to read up on it, it would certainly give your more to feel offended by. If you don't want them as part of your culture, you'll have to found a new country.

(Good luck with that)

Back to my original point, when a person dies most people (if they experience empathy) feel the need to mark the moment and find a way to demonstrate respect. Preparing the body is one way, but not generally speaking not everyone present takes part in this. A moments silence perhaps? It isn't typically done hut you're welcome to do so if you feel more comfortable with it.

Opening the window to let the soul free may have stemmed from a faith superstition and but I don't think most people who believe in souls believe not opening a window will trap the soul. It is, instead, a respectful gesture. An acknowledgement of what has happened, an easing of the shock of the reality of death for those left behind.

If you've ever been with someone as they died, you'll know that it can still feel like they're in the room for a few hours. How do you deal with that as a bereaved person? Ignore the loved one you still feel is with you?

By all means, if you prefer to clap your hands together and say "right, that's that then, time to be off, let the next patient come in" go ahead but most people prefer to deal with it a little more sensitively. Now you know about it, you can ask it's done not when you die and your wish will be respected - by people who show much more respect with one gesture than you've shown in your posts.

Oh and you know, clapping? Applause has roots as a way to banish evil and keep the devil away after a play because plays were thought to create magic (paraphrasing a lot here) and invite the devil in. It's why they were banned by Puritans during Cromwell's rule.

That is so well put!

as a student I worried about my first death and how it would effect me as I couldn’t go and see my own grandad when he died as worried that would be the last memory I’d remember about him

Opening a window and speaking to them still absoloutely helps you deal with it working in healthcare. As a student nurse, I felt that speaking to the patients made me disconnect in a way from the fact that they had passed as I was treating them just as I would if they were still alive, as well as it being respectful and dignified as even if they are deceased they’re still a person and I still do all that now. It brings comfort to us all and actually death doesn’t effect me anymore in my job, it’s just the families reactions that gets me still.

Death is obviously very sad but I feel I see more dignified peaceful deaths than the latter

Blogswife · 05/07/2023 14:09

FelicityBeedle · 04/07/2023 23:25

Not a nurse but a healthcare, I was taught in my training to open the window, it’s not a superstition so much as a ritual.

For anyone interested, when someone dies (expected) this is what tends to happen in my hospital.
We’ll lay them flat in the bed, arms by their sides and a pillow under their head with the window open. We gently close their eyes and mouths with a bit of gentle pressure.
Family can visit in this time.
After half an hour or so (minimum) to let them settle we go to them, we remind them who we are and let them know what we’re going to do.
We get warm water and soap and give them a good wash, taking out any needles or catheters and some sorts of dressings, chatting all the way. We clean their teeth or dentures, and if they’ve got perfume give them a squirt of that
We dress them in the nicest of their own clothes they have with them, or a shroud if they don’t.
They then get put in something to be transferred to the mortuary, and before they go, pretty much everyone I’ve worked with has given their hand a last squeeze and said goodbye.

This brought tears to my eyes . How lovely that you care so much 💕 xx

Stravaig · 05/07/2023 14:09

@ComeTheFckOnBridget 😍

bonfirebash · 05/07/2023 14:17

I did hear that redheads can make their own vitamin D but either that's bullshit or my body didn't get the memo as I had a level of 9

Definitely ping awake from anaesthetic, it takes loads of local to numb me and I bleed a lot
Had local anaesthetic for an armpit op and after it kept wearing off I gave up telling them as it was only 10 mins before they were done

adviceneeded1990 · 05/07/2023 14:20

@sashh why would a couple from Vietnam ignore their baby? I tried to google it but just gave me loads of stuff about orphanages after the war 🙈 is it a tradition or linked to something they believe?

Horriblewoman · 05/07/2023 14:32

Letsnotargue · 05/07/2023 09:49

Botulinum toxin is one of the most poisonous substances known on earth. It’s the toxin involved in botulism which used to kill 50% of people that contracted it. 1g of pure botulinum toxin could kill 1 million people if aerosolised.

Botulinum toxin is Botox. It’s obviously v v small quantities but the fact that something so deadly can be repurposed for cosmetic and other medical uses amazes me. I wouldn’t be v keen on having it though.

Medical Botox has massively improved my quality of life. I have it in my bladder and it’s worked where nothing else has for all of my life.

NooNooHead1981 · 05/07/2023 14:35

Appleofmyeye2023 · 05/07/2023 14:03

Sorry, when I say “drugs to treat are useless”, I don’t mean that literally. I worked for company that made one of the atypical antipsychotics. They are literally life savers.
BUT, they are also very toxic where drugs have to be managed carefully for the severe side effects they cause over time. They also have no effect on the “negative” symptoms of schizophrenia- stuff like loss of executive thinking skills etc.
so, they’re a large hammer to crack a fragile nut

sorry, need to say this. I don’t want anyone to think they should comply with medication.

Show quote history

Yes, that is definitely something I would agree with. I have tardive dyskinesia from an off label antipsychotic prescribed for severe insomnia and anxiety, and can attest to the toxic effects of antipsychotic drugs. They aren't as benign as some people think they are 🥺😭

CaptainMyCaptain · 05/07/2023 14:50

I did hear that redheads can make their own vitamin D but either that's bullshit or my body didn't get the memo as I had a level of 9 I'd say it was bullshit I have to have vitamin D and calcium on prescription now.

Emotionalsupportviper · 05/07/2023 14:51

adviceneeded1990 · 05/07/2023 14:20

@sashh why would a couple from Vietnam ignore their baby? I tried to google it but just gave me loads of stuff about orphanages after the war 🙈 is it a tradition or linked to something they believe?

I had been trying to find this out, too.

Wrongsideofpennines · 05/07/2023 14:53

gemstoneju · 05/07/2023 08:43

Lochia, the excessive shedding of blood/womb lining after birth, took me unaware, for some reason very few women seem to talk about it. It's quite heavy in the first days of breastfeeding. You need about four packs of towels in your hospital bag if there's a chance you stay in, the NHS were I was didn't give them out beyond a handful.

This is so true. Recently on the postnatal ward the woman next to me asked for a bigger pad because the panty liners she had overlapped in her underwear weren't cutting it. She had no idea at all she would need maternity pads.

Doormatnomore · 05/07/2023 14:55

Emotionalsupportviper · 05/07/2023 14:51

I had been trying to find this out, too.

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I’m not the pp but it’s cultural, the belief is that if you have a beautiful special baby (as all babies are) the evil spirits will want it for themselves so they don’t draw any attention to it. I remember my mum being told her grandson was an ugly blob of old mud by her friend who was smiling at him and shoving pennies in his hand and handing me massive presents.

Emotionalsupportviper · 05/07/2023 14:57

Doormatnomore · 05/07/2023 14:55

I’m not the pp but it’s cultural, the belief is that if you have a beautiful special baby (as all babies are) the evil spirits will want it for themselves so they don’t draw any attention to it. I remember my mum being told her grandson was an ugly blob of old mud by her friend who was smiling at him and shoving pennies in his hand and handing me massive presents.

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Thank you!

This makes sense. I recall that in China it was considered unlucky to admire a baby for the same reason (don't know if this is still so).

HaveYouHeardOfARoadAtlas · 05/07/2023 14:59

Agapornis · 05/07/2023 08:58

I meant in the sense that opening a window might be considered nursing, but it isn't medical.

Quite - I'd roll my eyes at any nurse that told me they'd opened a window to let my parent's soul out, and will likely be upset enough to tell them to fuck off with that nonsense.

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Chances are you wouldn’t be told. It’s done during last offices and family aren’t there for that. I’ve never heard it mentioned to family and I’ve seen it done quite a bit. I did it for my dad when he died at home. And I don’t believe in it…..though my dad was religious so maybe he’d have believed in souls, etc.

tiredvommachineasaurus · 05/07/2023 15:01

Butterflytattoo · 05/07/2023 11:22

But absolutely confirm the care and respect in laying out a dead body. We also write "may you rest in peace" or similar in the notes whenever anyone dies, even though no one else will ever see that.

I've seen it written in notes when attending as a police officer to an unexpected death and it has always touched me. Nurses/HCA's are simply the best 💐

adviceneeded1990 · 05/07/2023 15:01

Doormatnomore · 05/07/2023 14:55

I’m not the pp but it’s cultural, the belief is that if you have a beautiful special baby (as all babies are) the evil spirits will want it for themselves so they don’t draw any attention to it. I remember my mum being told her grandson was an ugly blob of old mud by her friend who was smiling at him and shoving pennies in his hand and handing me massive presents.

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Thank you! Couldn’t find any useful info on google and it sounds really interesting! How long do they believe that needs to be done for before the spirits accept that the baby isn’t anything special and go away?

Ouchee · 05/07/2023 15:03

titchy · 04/07/2023 21:39

You can't get heart cancer.

Out of all the things I've read so far this is the shocker!! that's madness! What's the reason I wonder?

Appleofmyeye2023 · 05/07/2023 15:07

NooNooHead1981 · 05/07/2023 14:35

Yes, that is definitely something I would agree with. I have tardive dyskinesia from an off label antipsychotic prescribed for severe insomnia and anxiety, and can attest to the toxic effects of antipsychotic drugs. They aren't as benign as some people think they are 🥺😭

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Yes, I’m sorry you’re experiencing this. And a bit shocked they’re being prescribed for this- even as off label tbh.
Theres a good reason why GPS can’t do initial prescription and why they have to be reviewed annual- it ensure psychiatrists are having an opportunity to weigh up risk and benefits.

Appleofmyeye2023 · 05/07/2023 15:07

Ouchee · 05/07/2023 15:03

Out of all the things I've read so far this is the shocker!! that's madness! What's the reason I wonder?

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Read further- other people attested this isn’t true

ManateeFair · 05/07/2023 15:08

HollyFern1110 · 04/07/2023 21:34

Recently deceased bodies don't smell any worse than they did just before they died.

I've carried out last offices for many patients over the years. We were definitely opening the window to let the soul out. Superstition I suppose.

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Just-dead bodies don't smell bad, but I think the opening a window thing probably originally started in the days when a body would sit there in the house untouched for a few days before the funeral and when death and disease in general were a lot messier and smellier. I think it's probably one of those superstitions that once had practical application but the reasoning changed over time because 'We're letting their soul go off to Heaven' is a more palatable reason than 'We're airing the room because they shat themselves in their final moments' or 'We could do with getting that gangrene smell gone before the undertaker gets here on horseback in four days' time'

HaveYouHeardOfARoadAtlas · 05/07/2023 15:10

So I’m a midwife rather than a nurse (but did a month on a general ward as part of my training) so sadly am more au fait with stillbirth/baby loss rather than adults dying.

Last offices for a baby are slightly different and to some extent will depend on the gestation of the baby. Parents will usually but not always spend quite some time, possibly days with the baby. During that time we will take photos, hand and foot prints, maybe a lock of hair if there is hair and parents want this. So we make a memory box for the parents with these little items in the box.

we might dress the baby depending on parents wishes (and gestation), smaller babies tend to get dressed in a little robe which comes from a special company who make them.

When the parents are ready to say goodbye we will take anything that the parents want putting with the baby, so this might be photos of them photos of siblings, a teddy. We tend to have little pairs of teddies now and we can put one with the baby and give the other to the parents so they have the matching teddy that baby has.

once the parents have gone we will put the baby in a wooden lidded casket to be taken down to the mortuary. I will always make a “nest” around the baby using rolled up towels as they often look so small in the box and I worry about them sliding around. I will always talk to the baby when doing this and remind them how loved they were. I will always personally take the baby to the mortuary myself. I don’t like calling for a porter to come. I think it’s one last thing I can do for them so that someone who “knew” them takes them on that journey out of the maternity unit.