Monday, April 14, 2008

• Laughter, not always the best medicine

  I'll be honest, I've seen some scary crap in the ER.  Gun shot wounds, bad MVA's, split open skulls and all the rest.  This was way creepier than all of them.  Let me preface this with a warning.  Schizophrenia is a horrific disease.  This is a mental disorder that can ruin a person's life forever and can afflict a person early in life.  It often comes on in the late teens and early twenties.  There are a high amount of homeless people who have schizophrenia, most likely since the disease lends itself to an inability to take care of one's self and meet personal needs.  However, most of them are pretty withdrawn, and if anything... grumpy.  This guy was NOT grumpy.
  
  This guy liked to laugh.  Unfortunately for me, he also liked crack, alcohol, marijuana, and other treats.
  
  This chemical cocktail, mixed with an underlying psychotic disorder, makes for an interesting night.
  
  I am not an overly jumpy person.  I can remain calm in most of the scary situations in the ER.  This is a skill I continue to work on, and will continue to hone in the situations that are thrown at me.  However, I was not prepared for the laugh.  I wish I could have recorded it.  The closest I can come is this (I had to hunt and listen to a bunch to get the right one...)
  
  Creepy
  
  Yeah, that's what it sounded like, only WAY louder and creepier.  He would be sleeping quietly for 30 minutes, then cackle VERY loudly for a minute.  Very creepy.  He got to go away to a special place where hopefully he'll get help.  He even got Tazered twice.  I know that feeling.  However, as an evil clown, my heart kinda went out for the poor guy.  Which got me to thinking, maybe the Joker from Batman wasn't really all that evil.  Maybe he just had voices in his head that told him what to do over and over till he went crazy.  Poor guy.  Well, at least he seemed happy.
  
  chapter 19
  
  But she did not press the issue. 

  Occasionally she would catch slight glimpses into his thoughts, and always it would be of work, and oddities, and Talents.  His mind buzzed with ideas whenever she caught it.  However, she could always feel something else.  Listening in someone’s head gave insight to the emotions behind the thoughts as well.

  By now, Julia had been able to hear thoughts quite clearly, even in complete strangers when she pressed herself.  However, feelings surrounding thoughts added a subtle complexity to everything.  Some people would loudly think about how a person is a jerk or selfish, while at the same time the emotion of jealousy would trickle through their thoughts.  Other times, she would see a new couple and could feel the lust raging through both of their thoughts. 

  Reading words came easily, reading emotions proved quite difficult.  The same set of words could have completely different meanings depending on the emotion involved.  Julia had always thought that “I love you” would be surrounded with happiness and joy.  However, she found many people had horrible emotions surrounding those words.  More often than not, she hear complicated thoughts that started with these words…  <I love you but I can no longer be with you…>  <I slept with your best friend, but it’s you that I love> <I love you, but I love her more…>  She could read the rage, jealousy, disdain and a myriad of other emotions floating through these thoughts.   

  However, when she caught glimpses into Jacks thoughts, the overriding feeling that came through every time was greed.  It was more than simple wanting more, it was a lust for more.  She could not really understand what his hunger was for, but she did not press the issue. 

  Jack became more and more distant, taking long trips that he always said were work associated.  He would sometimes be gone for weeks at a time.  When he came home, he would never give any explanation, other than he was doing more research.  He always wanted everything to remain the complete same at home, even if he had been gone for weeks.  Julia had a brilliant mind of her own, and it did not take much to figure out that something different was going on.  Jack had all but silenced his mind to her, and that worried her.  She decided a direct approach would be best

  Currently Reading Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support Provider Manual (American Heart Association, ACLS Provider Manual) By American Heart Association see related

  • 5:09 PM
  • 16 eprops
  • 14 comments