Mmm...Maggots...

I was a gong show last night. Hoppin' as always, dodging the array of bodily fluids that come my way. Finally at around 0500h I had a moment where I could sit down to chart on some of my patients and try to catch up on all of the paper work. I had saved a tiny piece of the blackbeary, raspberry, strawberry crumble that I made a few days ago for dessert to have as my snack. I was at the desk, happily eating the crumble-goodness and had one bite left when I looked down and to my HORROR saw maggots in the tupperware that I was eating out of.

GACKKKKKKKKK!!!!!

The service aid was sitting there as I spit out the remaining bite and threw down the spoon and container in disgust.

Now the only reason I even KNEW they were maggots was because they looked exactly the same as the maggots I was pulling out of a patients festering leg wound last week (not medical grade maggots, back alley maggots). Those were super maggots though...MRSA Super Maggots (I had imagined them with tiny little capes, impervious to methicillin and radiation flying through the ER department with Zorro like eye masks). My crumble maggots were just regular old left-crumble-on-the-stove-for-two-days-and-even-though-it-was-
covered-in-plastic-wrap-became-infested maggots.

I felt sick immediately but didn't vomit. Instead I popped a gram of metronidazole, not so much for the maggots but to ward off anything else that might be growing. The last thing I have time for right now is food intoxication.

The only good thing about the larvae-lunch evening was the doc I was working with. He was a stellar human. It was a nice change to hear things like "great thinking!" and "excellent assessment" and "what is your opinion?" I was shocked. MD's don't throw that lingo around with the nurses usually. Actually feeling like one of your colleagues might value your experience and background to hear you out is such a refreshing change sometimes! Plus, he ordered the things I asked for, and got rid of patients I asked him to boot. FINALLY someone recognizes my BRILLIANCE. ;)

And no it was not because he was trying to get into my scrubs. I am not that naive.

One shift left in said ER. Then it will be head buried in MCAT books mode.

And then...???