"Benzo's are NOT Satan's tools..."

The above quote is from my boss today during our morning ward round.

It seems the good old benzodiazapines have been getting a lot of bad press recently... Valium is no longer popular to give to old people due to it's effect on their respiratory function. It's seen as a dirty drug that gets oldies addicted to 'sleepers' and turns them into geriatric junkies.

But today AFTER my boss made that prophetic statement about benzo's I saw their wonder first hand.

"Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among the dungeon just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the benzodiazepines have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent blog-readers, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught." (Luke 1:1-4 Dr J's version)

For the past 5 days we have had a catatonic patient (and no... this does not mean that she has a thing for cats) who has basically been like a dead person. She had a GCS of 3/15 and didn't flinch at all even when we ABGed her and stuck cannulas in her.

She was out of it... we had tried all sorts of drugs to wake her up... we had tried pain 'therapy' to wake her... but she was catatonic... nothing could rouse her.

Then today one of the bosses called to say they had been reading that diazepam (Valium) could sometimes waken people form their catatonic states. Now this kinda seemed counterintuitive as most people get sleepy from taking diazepam... not aroused.

But we decided to give it a go (especially as your GCS can't get any lower than 3 anyway) and I beheld one of the most amazing things I have seen to date (or at least today).

As we pushed the syringe about 3 seconds later this grave-like girl changed into a weeping crying sobbing living person again. It was like magic!

Drug in... patient awake!

Such a rapid response to the IV benzos that I was trying to contain my own amazement! The wonders of modern medicine!

But sadly by the time I left for home she had returned to her slumber-like existence... oh well... we can always whack her with some more diaze in the morning!

It seems we also have some Mexicans reading about the life of Australain interns, so a big Gday to those readers from afar (and yes if you write something on your blog in English then maybe I will visit and read)

Anyways, I shoudl go home now cos I'm still pretty tired after last night when we hit the local 'nightclub' for one of the RMO's birthdays... it was pretty 'classy' for WhoopWhoop and we even managed to score complimentary chips from the bouncer

He said, "Listen to the chips...
they'll tell you nice things...
cos they're complimentary!"

Ayo!