That was definitely vomit, I thought as I stepped in a slippery substance and caught the rail of the stretcher to avoid sliding underneath. That bilious smell does not come out of shoes.
After ordering an intravenous, a cocktail of anti-emetics, and a change of footwear for myself, I run through a mental list. What causes a 14-year-old patient to vomit like this? Appendicitis? Meningitis? Overdose? As an emergency room physician, it’s always Big Bad Diagnoses that run through my mind first.
When I return, I find my patient still slightly green, but no longer vomiting. He has a mop of brown hair and looks much older than 14 years. I perch on the edge of his stretcher and check the name on his chart: Nick.
“Hi, Nick,” I start, “how are you feeling?”
Dr. Jessica Ross – Special to the National Post – October 12, 2017.
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