(January 27, 2014 at 12:39 pm)Jacob(smooth) Wrote: Gross Is the wrong word. After a while you stop noticing the gross. Initially, infected gangrene smells rough, as many as I've seen now I get right in close because I can tell, by smell, the difference between pseudomonous and staphylococcus. When we get a referral for a patient with neglect who has 2 inch toenails, we argue over who gets to do it (we like a challenge).
What never gets easy is the ones we can't fix, especially the children, and especially the ones with degenerative conditions. The abuse victims, the 4 year old who can't walk because they were just stuck in a buggy in front of the TV. The ones where our best just isn't good enough and they have to lop off the leg. The young parents who get diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. That (and the endless clerking) is the unpleasant bit.
But mostly it's fun.
Damn... and you only get to do feet...
I shudder to imagine what standard hospital emergency staff get to see...