None of them are your average patient. One was totally wasted with track marks everywhere (ok, that's normal). But, he was there because his best friend stabbed him in the back. His plan was to go stab his buddy to get even. He said it was "carnie code."
Last night was a dude whose feet were so swollen, dry, and cracked he could barely walk on them. And, nine days before coming in, he had fallen down some steel stairs and "scraped" his shin.
Yeah, that was some scrape. I pulled up his pants leg to find a four inch diameter hole in his shin. Yep, the bone was just sittin' there. All out for God and the world to see. He said it had been like this for nine days! Didn't want to go to the hospital because he makes commission off of what his carnie booth (known as a "joint" in the carnie world) brings in.
The best part is, I learned a hell of a lot more than I'd ever want to know about the ins and outs of the carnie world. Interesting stuff!
Five minutes with a carnie and the dual wonders aren't than anyone ever gets hurt, but that everyone riding the rides doens't get killed; and how parents who'll give a daughter's prom date an FBI Special Background Investigation for a trip to the theatre will blithely take their kids to the carnival and hand them a mittful of tickets.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking giving your kids a machine gun and live hand grenades would be more responsible parenting.