Trench Warfare

Traditional Entry

Trench Warfare — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:00:00 GMT

Lots of interesting articles and short stories I've run across in the past few days, so I thought I would combine them all in an entry instead of plaguing you with FB status updates. Hunger's on the rise according the USDA . Imagine that. (audio...(read more)

How the Little Guy Gets Screwed, Episode VIII (or Two, As It's More On the Same Theme)

Trench Warfare — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:26:00 GMT

I couldn't decide if I should go the Facebook-status-update route with this one, or blog-entry route with this one. Obviously, you can see my choice. I try to keep my FB status updates to once every 24 hours, because I don't want to appear too...(read more)

Sticking to the Man Via Subterfuge

Trench Warfare — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:03:00 GMT

Let me demonstrate for you a short conversation that, on the face of it, seems completely innocuous: Me: I need a transport please, 35 year old female, suicidal, going from Ourtown Memorial to St. Elsewhere. She's in the ER, room 12. Her: Is your...(read more)

I TOLD You...Stay Away From Social Work.

Trench Warfare — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:24:00 GMT

But you just don't listen. CNN has their NEW! listing for the most stressful and underpaid professions in America. Topping the list is.... Can you guess? I'm not going to even type this, the answer is so obvious. And we're not even in the...(read more)

Can't Think of a Title for This One. Sorry.

Trench Warfare — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:36:00 GMT

I understand that not everyone is a mental health worker. And because of that, the whole cutting-because-one's-angry-thing doesn't make much sense. In fact, I'm sure it's fair to say that for most people it makes NO sense. At all. And...(read more)

On The Shooting Last Week....

Trench Warfare — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:00:00 GMT

I'm going to go there. And if you've been reading for a while, you know where that is. I'm not going to dog the man because he was in the Army * And I'm not going to dog all the Army bullies who called him a " camel jockey "...(read more)

When You Assume

Trench Warfare — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:18:00 GMT

So, I walked into a hospital room not long ago and approached the patient first, as I always do. She had someone with her--people often do. I began my schtick and.... Well, maybe it's better if I just give you a play by play: Me: Hi, My name's...(read more)

Does This Shirt Make Me Look Incencitve?

Trench Warfare — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:39:00 GMT

So.... Over the weekend I got a really cool t-shirt. I asked The Geek if it would be inappropriate for me to where to work. I thought the cupcake on it would offset the general subject matter. He said since it was covered with skulls, it might not be...(read more)

An End

Trench Warfare — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:48:00 GMT

I saw a dead body last night. Heart attack. He came in surrounded by emergency medical technicians and firemen. One woman was giving him air, another doing chest compressions. The doctor went in the room and calmly put on his latex gloves, but he emerged...(read more)

News Flash

Trench Warfare — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:55:00 GMT

In case you didn't know, In case you haven't heard, Our lives are inner-connected. You, just by virtue of being here and living your life day in and day out, touch other people. Whether you like it or not. And when you decide to off yourself at...(read more)

Some People are so Selfish

Trench Warfare — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:08:00 GMT

She comes to the ER, all crying and stuff. She pours her heart out to me. She's NEVER, in all her seven decades on this earth, been to the point that she wants to end it all. Ever. She took the pills compulsively. She talked about how stupid it was...(read more)

What Do You Think?

Trench Warfare — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:48:00 GMT

Case Study (admittedly a switch for me): Seventeen-year-old girl comes into the ER after a suicide attempt. I interviewed her and decided that she needed to be hospitalized. Here's the deal: She wasn't a legal citizen, something I suspected when...(read more)

Remember This Yokel?

Trench Warfare — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Oh, yeah. He did it again. Twice. He called trying to find a bed, we chit-chatted and I told him I would give him a call back as there were some things I had to clarify. His response? "Ok, baby". That's when I knew I was talking to Romeo...(read more)

Little Hint: My Wand Never Worked

Trench Warfare — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:21:00 GMT

OK, here we go. Again. Docs, listen up, and I'm going to yell it this time cuz you can't seem to get the message on this one: IF A PERSON IS TALKING CRAZY, NOT MAKING SUICIDAL THREATS AND TOOK A LOT OF DRUGS A FEW HOURS AGO, HE'S NOT PSYCHOTIC...(read more)

Never Underestimate a Social Worker Scorned

Trench Warfare — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:49:00 GMT

It's happened before . I'm sure it will happen again. You call me out and then decide your patient isn't ready to go. People take a turn for the worse. You miss something on the labs. New labs indicate something else has gone horribly wrong...(read more)

Magic Bullet

Trench Warfare — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:22:00 GMT

So I recently interviewed a lovely young lady, age twenty. One of the reasons she was so depressed was that she had managed to hold on to her virginity for a lot longer than most of her friends. Her mother had become pregnant at 16, you see, and put the...(read more)

Oh, The Wonderful Human Capacity for Fickleness

Trench Warfare — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:48:00 GMT

You can't have it both ways. You can't lovingly, respectfully kick your child out of your home when he turned 18, the legal adult age, because he didn't practice your religion. And yet.... When he tries to commit suicide and I involuntarily...(read more)

Can't Turn it Off

Trench Warfare — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:12:00 GMT

Neon sign. On my head. Blinking at all times: I AM A SOCIAL WORKER. ALL NEEDY PLEASE INQUIRE. (Being a geek would come in mighty handy at this point. Then I could tweek the html and actually make that statement blink. As it is, the actual geek is unavailable...(read more)

Blog Action Day--Guest Entry

Trench Warfare — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 05:00:00 GMT

In honor of Blog Action Day, 2009, I've recruited a guest blogger. The Boy. At age 15, this subject has been near and dear to him for a few years now. I found it fitting that you experience his voice on the subject instead of my own. Especially since...(read more)

Shameless Self Promotion

Trench Warfare — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:08:00 GMT

So, I got quoted in an article about social work bloggers, and I just had to share. I'm a STAR! Minor quibble, though. I'm more than the editor of this rubbish; I'm also the sole provider of content (with an exception or two*). Maybe she was...(read more)

Greener Grass

Trench Warfare — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:42:00 GMT

Ever had anxiety? And no, I'm not talking about test anxiety. Or first date anxiety. Or job interview anxiety. I'm talking anxiety . Can't drive a car anxiety, because you're terrified that out there, on the roads, it's literally kill...(read more)

Don't Judge a Book...

Trench Warfare — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:56:00 GMT

OK, Ms. Alpha Woman. I spoke with you the other day at the hospital. You know who you are. You are, to enlighten the masses here, modern-day-perfect personified. Perfect height. Perfect weight. Perfect shirt. Perfect jeans. Perfect legs in perfect jeans...(read more)

Mean, Vile, Churlish, Evil...

Trench Warfare — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 22:52:00 GMT

. ...rotten, vicious, ugly, horrible, snide, awful.... The words go on and on and on when describing a group of alpha girls intent on bullying. Because I swear, pre-teen and teen girls are downright perfidious (I love that one! Challenge: use that word...(read more)

You Know How You Get That Feeling....

Trench Warfare — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 02:01:00 GMT

....that something is going to boomerang? Yeah. I work for a free standing psychiatric hospital, as you may or may not realize, and part of my job is doing admissions for them after midnight. "After" being the operative word here. BEFORE 12...(read more)

How the Little Guy Gets Screwed, Episode VII

Trench Warfare — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:38:00 GMT

I was in training all day on Friday (like I don't get enough exposure to suicide as it is), and a couple of incidents got me thinking about the way companies do business these days--steps they take to save money, that really kind of screw over the...(read more)

I NEED Something Light Hearted Today

Trench Warfare — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:16:00 GMT

Something fun. Something peppy. Bubblegum. Lollipops. I need emotional sugar to wipe out the utter bitterness I heard from not one, but two teenagers last night--neither of them as yet able to drive. The murder/suicide that killed one set of parents is...(read more)

Forms

Trench Warfare — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:41:00 GMT

Questionnaires. Surveys. Feedback. Call them what you want, but we've all had to complete these stupid things for work at some point, right? The Man wants to know how we feel and what we think and to let us know he values our opinions ( Until they...(read more)

A Double Hitter: Post Secret Yesterday

Trench Warfare — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 10:00:00 GMT

And...... Frank, God love him, NEVER removes those white postal strips, which is a total annoyance, especially since they just come right off. One is generally left to translate the rest of the secret if words are present, which maybe is the point. I...(read more)

Did I Tell You About Getting Yelled At?

Trench Warfare — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:07:00 GMT

Not that is much of an opener, seeing as I get yelled at all the time. Comes with the territory, you know. Social worker = pissing people off = getting yelled at. And cursed at. And flipped off. To date I've not suffered bodily harm because of my...(read more)

"Organized Plan", A Case Study

Trench Warfare — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:23:00 GMT

When you go to visit someone in the hospital because she overdosed on a bunch of pills, acetaminophen to be exact, you are going to have some initial concern. During the assessment, otherwise known as the "Nosy Social Worker Peppers You With Really...(read more)

This Has Happened Enough...

Trench Warfare — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:29:00 GMT

...times that I now feel compelled to publicly whine on the matter. And you all ought to know by now that I do that quite well. I work overnights. No, I'm not full time but I'm on enough for the whole "overnight gig" to seriously jack...(read more)

The Weird, Off Logic That Occurs In One Schizophrenic Mind

Trench Warfare — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 01:10:00 GMT

I saw a man recently who was actively hallucinating and had been for weeks. Voices in his head. Constantly. Telling him what to do. (In mental health parlance, these are called "command hallucinations". There! Don't you feel smarter now...(read more)

Friday Fluff

Trench Warfare — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:31:00 GMT

I totally ripped this from a FB friend. Thanks. You know who you are. Have a good weekend everyone. -> Read More......(read more)

I'm Fairly Certain Pigs Are Now Flying

Trench Warfare — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 03:07:00 GMT

Because apparently, and I don't know this for certain--my boss could be totally jacking with me--but apparently a mother I met with earlier this week called my boss... Say you: Uh oh... Say me: I know! But it's not what you think. ...and complimented...(read more)

Look, Dude...

Trench Warfare — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 01:57:00 GMT

Here's the deal: You can scream all you want. You can cry. You can argue, cajole, bargain, threaten and promise "never again". I'm not changing my mind. When you go postal on yourself and rip your arm up to the point that you require...(read more)

Stupid Social Worker Tricks, Episode 18

Trench Warfare — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:39:00 GMT

You know that one of the buildings where I work is a fortress , right? The way I get into the actual building is through some electronic keypad system. Not a number pad, mind, which is what comes to mind, I'm sure. It's something else: I have...(read more)

An Ode to the Secretary

Trench Warfare — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:46:00 GMT

Or, in hospital parlance, The Unit Clerk. Look, I'm the first person to admit the secretary unit clerk is the one that keeps the ER (or ICU or med-surg floor) running like a well oiled machine. It's just that I go actual proof in black on white...(read more)

The Hits Keep Coming

Trench Warfare — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:48:00 GMT

I 'm just plum strung out. It's not easy, I've discovered, to go into an ER and talk to people who are thinking about offing themselves. Say you: Um, haven't you been doing this now for a few years? Say me: I'm slow on the uptake....(read more)

Obama's Plan: The Speech

Trench Warfare — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:18:00 GMT

I need a bit of time to chew on it. Although I have to say, I love it when he essentially calls SOME members of Congress liars (26:00) and he gets a standing ovation. From a little over half the members present. Here's a written summar y of the plan...(read more)

Sigh

Trench Warfare — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:03:00 GMT

Battles fought from the trenches last night, my friends, and I'm still reeling. In the light of day, after all the dust has settled, I'm seriously wondering whether I did the right thing for either of the people I saw last night. Not really a...(read more)