Re: The ULTIMATE Oh, by the way...

March 31, 2010

I injected 1% lidocaine directly into the wound, as you would with any

laceration. I grabbed the tongue with a gauze pad, after warning her that it

would seem like I was manhandling her tongue. It was not easy, but once the

first suture was in I left the tails long so my husband/surgical assistant could

pull on them and hold the tongue in good position for the rest of the sutures.

I'm glad I work from home so my husband could help. He's not a medical person,

but certainly has proven to be indispensible! ---Sharlene---

>

> Wow! How did you anesthetize her tongue, and get it immobilized to suture

> it??

>

> From:

> [mailto: ] On Behalf Of sharkinn

> Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 10:02 AM

> To:

> Subject: The ULTIMATE " Oh, by the way... "

>

> So, yesterday, one of my regular patients called to make a same-day

> appointment to once again discuss her chronic abdominal pain, for which

> multiple repetitions of multiple tests have shown no cause. I was not

> surprised, until she arrived with a mouthful of blood-soaked gauze and

> tissues! She has severe Parkinson's disease and explained that she had

> fallen in the morning and bitten her tongue, and she and her husband were

> still waiting for the bleeding to stop, several hours later!! She would have

> liked to discuss the abdominal pain right then, but I couldn't understand

> her speech, which is difficult enough WITHOUT a mouth full of gauze pads.

> So, I put 3 stitches on the underside of her tongue, and THEN we discussed

> the abdominal pain!! Is this a full-service operation, or what?!

> ---Sharlene---

>

Recommended Posts